Modular Skid System for Fracturing Equipment Replacement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current hydraulic fracturing equipment configurations are inefficient for quick and cost-effective replacement of components, leading to high maintenance costs due to their integrated and heavy nature, requiring extensive downtime and multiple spare trailers.
Innovation Solution
A modular skid-based system that separates equipment into distinct modules with quick disconnect couplings for easy replacement, allowing individual modules to be swapped without removing others, using mechanical, electrical, and fluid connections for efficient reconfiguration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If equipment is mounted on a single trailer in an integrated configuration, then the system is compact and easy to transport, but replacement of a single piece of equipment requires removing other equipment that may not need replacement, increasing downtime and maintenance costs
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into multiple independent skid modules, each carrying specific equipment (engine, transmission, pump, etc.). This segmentation allows individual skids to be replaced independently without affecting other equipment, directly resolving the contradiction by enabling quick replacement while maintaining system compactness during transport.
Solution Approach 2:
The skid modules are designed to be dynamically reconfigurable through quick-connect couplings that allow rapid attachment and detachment. This dynamic design enables the system to transition between transport configuration (all skids connected) and maintenance configuration (individual skid replacement), addressing both ease of replacement and minimizing downtime.
2Reliability
If spare fracturing trailers with complete replacement equipment are maintained to minimize downtime, then system reliability is improved, but the cost of maintaining full spare trailers becomes extremely costly
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the system into interchangeable skid modules, the patent eliminates the need for complete spare trailers. Instead of maintaining entire backup systems, only individual failed skids need replacement, dramatically reducing the quantity and cost of spare equipment while maintaining system availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The standardized skid modules with universal quick-connect interfaces allow any compatible skid to replace another, creating a pool of interchangeable components. This universality enables fewer total spares to maintain the same reliability level, reducing maintenance costs while preserving system availability.
3Ease of operation
If heavy equipment is configured as a single integrated unit, then the system is structurally simple, but the weight and size prevent easy or quick replacement of individual components
Solution Approach 1:
The heavy equipment is segmented into multiple skid modules of manageable weight and size. Each skid can be individually handled and replaced without moving the entire system, making component replacement practical despite the overall system weight, while maintaining structural simplicity through standardized mounting configurations.
Data Source
AI summary
A modular skid-based system to provide treatment or competition operations at a well includes a main skid configured to be positioned on a trailer or ground in proximity to the well. A first modular skid is positioned on the main skid and includes a first primary system and a first support system. A second modular skid is positioned on the main skid and includes a second primary system and a second support system. At least one of the second primary system and the second support system is coupled to at least one of the first primary system and the first support system. The first modular skid, the first primary system and the first support system are removable as a whole from the main skid without removing the second modular skid, the second primary system or the second support system.