Integrated Mud and Cement Pumping System
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing drilling and completion operations for hydrocarbon wells face challenges due to the need for separate and redundant equipment for mud and cement pumping, leading to increased costs and space requirements, with potential contamination risks if these fluids are introduced at the wrong stage of the process.
Innovation Solution
An integrated well operation facility with multiple pumps and a centralized control system that allows for sequential or simultaneous pumping of mud and cement, along with a mixing and cleaning system, to reduce contamination risks and optimize equipment usage by integrating mud and cement operations into a single system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate mud pumping and cement pumping assemblies are used, then contamination risks are minimized, but equipment redundancy and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines separate mud pumping and cement pumping assemblies into a single integrated pump system. The pump can be configured to handle either mud or cement slurry through valve arrangements and manifold connections, eliminating the need for duplicate equipment while maintaining contamination prevention through proper isolation mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated pump system is designed with multi-functionality to perform both mud pumping and cementing operations. The pump assembly can be switched between different fluid handling modes using valve configurations and manifold connections, allowing one piece of equipment to replace two separate assemblies while maintaining operational reliability.
2Reliability
If separate mud and cement equipment is used, then operational safety is improved, but land setup and operating expenses increase
Solution Approach 1:
By merging separate mud and cement equipment into a single integrated system, the patent reduces the total equipment footprint and associated land setup expenses. The integrated pump assembly maintains operational safety through proper isolation valves and contamination prevention mechanisms while eliminating the need for duplicate equipment purchases and maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The multi-functional pump system allows a single piece of equipment to perform both mud pumping and cementing functions, reducing overall equipment costs and operating expenses. The system maintains safety through configurable valve arrangements that prevent cross-contamination while eliminating the need to purchase and maintain two separate equipment assemblies.
3Device complexity
If a single integrated system is used for both mud and cement pumping, then equipment costs and space requirements are reduced, but contamination risks may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses valve arrangements and manifold connections as intermediary elements to separate mud and cement fluid paths within the integrated pump system. These intermediaries allow the single pump to handle different fluids sequentially while preventing cross-contamination through proper isolation and flow direction control.
Solution Approach 2:
The design extracts the contamination prevention function from separate physical equipment and implements it through valve configurations and manifold designs within the integrated system. By taking out the isolation function and embedding it in the fluid path design, the system maintains contamination prevention while achieving equipment integration.
4Reliability
If redundant equipment is maintained separately, then operational reliability is improved, but maintenance and isolation complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges maintenance procedures for mud and cement equipment into a single integrated system. Instead of maintaining two separate pump assemblies, the integrated design allows for unified maintenance while incorporating isolation valves that enable independent servicing of different fluid paths, reducing overall maintenance complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A well operation facility including a first pump for delivering mud and cement to a borehole, a second pump for delivering mud to the borehole; a third pump for delivering the mud to the borehole, an inlet manifold coupled to each of the pumps for delivering the mud and/or cement to the pumps, and a discharge manifold coupled to each of the pumps for delivering the mud and/or cement at a pressure. In some embodiments, the first pump, the second pump, and the third pump are configured to be isolated from each other and to be used in series, parallel or as backups to each other.