Primary Fluid Discharge Assembly for Hose-Free Water Offloading
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fluid delivery systems for well sites, particularly in hydraulic fracturing, face long discharge times, increased truck requirements, safety risks due to manual hose connections, and environmental hazards from pressure-related spills.
Innovation Solution
A fluid delivery vehicle equipped with a primary fluid discharge assembly and a secondary fluid intake and discharge assembly, allowing for rapid fluid transfer into a primary fluid containment unit, eliminating the need for manual hose connections and reducing the time required for offloading.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional trucks are used for water delivery, then the system is simple and easy to operate, but the discharge time is long (20-30 minutes) and productivity is low
Solution Approach 1:
The fluid delivery system is divided into two separate assemblies: a primary fluid discharge assembly for rapid discharge and a secondary fluid intake and discharge assembly for standard operations. This segmentation allows the system to achieve high productivity through the primary assembly while maintaining operational flexibility through the secondary assembly, resolving the contradiction between speed and complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The primary discharge port is pre-configured and positioned to enable immediate rapid discharge upon arrival at the well site. The system is prepared in advance with the primary assembly ready for operation, eliminating the need for setup time and achieving discharge in under one minute, thus resolving the productivity-complexity contradiction.
2Reliability
If trucks back up to receiving units for manual hose connection, then the system is simple to operate, but safety risks increase due to potential accidents and environmental spills
Solution Approach 1:
The primary discharge assembly acts as an intermediary mechanism between the water truck and the receiving unit. Instead of direct manual hose connection, the primary assembly provides a controlled, automated interface that eliminates the need for drivers to back up and manually connect hoses, thereby improving safety while maintaining ease of operation through automated processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system is designed to perform the connection and discharge operations automatically without requiring manual intervention for hose coupling. The primary discharge assembly self-regulates the fluid transfer process, reducing human involvement in potentially hazardous activities while maintaining operational simplicity through automated control mechanisms.
3Quantity of substance
If additional trucks are deployed to meet water demand, then the supply demand is met, but costs increase due to hourly payments and wait times
Solution Approach 1:
The primary discharge assembly enables continuous, rapid fluid discharge without interruption or waiting periods. By achieving discharge in under one minute compared to conventional 20-30 minute times, the system maintains continuous productive action, eliminating idle wait times and reducing the need for additional trucks to meet demand, thus resolving the contradiction between delivery volume and time loss.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional discharge systems are used, then the equipment is simple, but environmental hazards increase from pressure-related spills
Solution Approach 1:
The primary discharge assembly incorporates pressure control and containment features built into the discharge mechanism itself. By designing the system with inherent pressure management capabilities beforehand, potential spills are prevented before they can occur, reducing environmental hazards while the integrated design keeps the added complexity minimal and justified by the safety benefits.
Data Source
AI summary
Fluid delivery vehicles, such as water trucks, and fluid receiving units for use at well sites, storage facilities, treatment facilities, rail and barge terminals are disclosed. The fluid delivery vehicle has primary fluid discharge assembly downwardly extending from a tank on the fluid delivery vehicle for discharge of fluid into a fluid containment unit configured to contain a larger volume of fluid than the tank arranged below the fluid delivery vehicle.