High Pressure Proppant Blending System for Compressed Gas Fracturing

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Solution Overview

Problem

The erosive nature of bulk proppant in compressed gas fracturing systems causes significant wear on machinery such as high pressure pumps and valves, leading to increased maintenance costs and reduced equipment lifespan.

Innovation Solution

A high pressure proppant blending system that separates the proppant from the high pressure pump by using a chamber to mix proppant with compressed gas, which is then introduced into the fracturing system via a high pressure nozzle, bypassing the pump and reducing direct contact with erosive proppant particles.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If bulk proppant is mixed with compressed gas and pumped through high pressure pumps, then effective fracturing performance is achieved, but significant wear occurs on the high pressure pumps and valves

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveequipment lifespanVSAvoiderosive wear on machinery

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system divides the proppant injection process into separate stages: compressed gas is pressurized by high pressure pumps without proppant, then proppant is introduced separately through a nozzle into the pressurized gas stream. This segmentation prevents proppant contact with pumps and valves, eliminating erosive wear while maintaining fracturing effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The harmful element (bulk proppant) is extracted from the high pressure pump system. Proppant is introduced downstream through a nozzle after the gas has been pressurized, removing the source of erosion from the pump and valve components.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Ease of operation

If proppant is introduced directly into the high pressure flow path before the pump, then proppant distribution is improved, but wear on pumps and valves increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveproppant distributionVSAvoidmaintenance requirements

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Compressed gas is pressurized to high pressure before proppant is introduced. This preliminary pressurization creates a high velocity gas stream that effectively distributes proppant downstream through the wellbore, achieving good proppant distribution without requiring proppant to pass through pumps and valves.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This solution minimizes wear on high pressure pumps by preventing direct exposure to erosive proppant, extending equipment lifespan and reducing maintenance costs while maintaining effective fracturing performance.

Implementation Method 1

A high pressure nozzle. An output of the high pressure nozzle is coupled to the high pressure flow path between the at least one high pressure pump and the wellhead

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectGas expansion: Pressure Gradient

Data Source

PatentUS9695664B2High pressure proppant blending system for a compressed gas fracturing system

Publication Date: 2017.07.04 BAKER HUGHES CO

AI summary

A system for high pressure proppant blending includes at least one high pressure pump coupled to a high pressure flow path, the high pressure flow path entering a wellhead. The system further includes a chamber storing a mixture of proppant and compressed gas. The system also includes a high pressure nozzle. An output of the high pressure nozzle is coupled to the high pressure flow path between the at least one high pressure pump and the wellhead. The chamber is coupled to an input of the high pressure nozzle.