Hydraulic Fracturing Unit Profiles for Predictive Maintenance Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
The complex and time-consuming process of monitoring and determining maintenance needs for hydraulic fracturing equipment at a wellsite, which can lead to inaccurate assessments and reduced equipment lifespan due to missed maintenance, resulting in potential breakdowns.
Innovation Solution
A wellsite hydraulic fracturing system with a supervisory controller that collects and analyzes data from various sensors and controllers to build hydraulic fracturing unit profiles, assessing equipment health and determining maintenance schedules, thereby optimizing equipment operation and reducing downtime.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual monitoring and maintenance determination is performed for hydraulic fracturing equipment, then operational flexibility is maintained, but time consumption increases and measurement precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical monitoring and assessment processes with an automated electronic system that collects data from sensors, processes information through a controller, and generates maintenance determinations automatically. This substitution eliminates manual intervention while improving both accuracy and speed of maintenance assessments.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables the hydraulic fracturing equipment to self-monitor its own operational parameters and maintenance needs through integrated sensors and controllers that continuously track equipment status and automatically determine when maintenance is required, reducing dependency on external manual inspection.
2Reliability
If manual inspection of hydraulic fracturing units is performed to determine maintenance schedules, then equipment-specific assessment is possible, but productivity decreases due to time-consuming tasks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual inspection processes with automated sensor-based monitoring systems that continuously track equipment parameters. This substitution maintains reliable equipment assessment while eliminating the time-consuming nature of manual inspections, thereby improving operational productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous monitoring of equipment parameters through always-active sensors and controllers, replacing intermittent manual inspections. This continuous data collection ensures reliable maintenance determination without the downtime associated with manual inspection cycles, maintaining both reliability and productivity.
3Measurement precision
If comprehensive data collection from sensors and controllers is implemented to build unit profiles, then measurement precision improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a multi-functional controller that performs diverse functions including data collection from multiple sensors, data processing, maintenance determination, and system control. This universal controller consolidates multiple functions into a single device, improving measurement precision through comprehensive data collection while managing system complexity through functional integration.
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges multiple data collection functions and processing operations into a unified control architecture. By combining sensor inputs, data processing, and maintenance determination into an integrated system, the patent achieves high measurement precision while reducing the complexity that would arise from separate independent systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A methods and system to operate hydraulic fracturing units may include utilizing hydraulic fracturing unit profiles. The system may include hydraulic fracturing units may include various components. The components may include an engine and associated local controller and sensors, a transmission connected to the engine, transmission sensors, and a pump connected to the transmission and powered by the engine via the transmission and associated local controller and sensors. A supervisory controller may control the hydraulic fracturing units. The supervisory controller may be in communication with components of each hydraulic fracturing unit. The supervisory controller may include instructions to, for each hydraulic fracturing units, obtain hydraulic fracturing unit parameters, determine a hydraulic fracturing unit health assessment, and build a hydraulic unit profile including the health assessment and parameters. The supervisory controller may, based on the health assessment, determine the hydraulic fracturing unit's capability to be operated at a maximum power output.