Multi-Unit Pumping Control via Event Prioritization
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Hydraulic fracturing operations face safety concerns, equipment damage, and cost-inefficient processes due to issues like engine problems, leaking pump valves, and unstable engine revolutions, which can occur simultaneously and have varying severities, complicating real-time decision-making for operators.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method and system that receive sensor data from hydraulic fracturing equipment, flag events, determine physical actions based on priority lists, and provide instructions to pumps to address these issues, optimizing multi-unit pumping operations by reconciling asynchronous and synchronous data for synchronized control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple concerning events are monitored simultaneously in real-time, then safety and equipment protection are improved, but operator distraction and decision-making complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an automated event monitoring and prioritization system that acts as an intermediary between multiple concerning events and the operator. The system receives sensor data from various equipment components, identifies concerning events, determines their severity levels, and presents prioritized information to the operator through a user interface. This intermediary system filters and organizes information, reducing operator cognitive load while maintaining comprehensive safety monitoring.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual monitoring and decision-making processes with automated electronic systems. Sensors continuously monitor equipment parameters, processors automatically analyze data to identify concerning events, and software algorithms prioritize events based on severity. This substitution of mechanical/manual operations with automated electronic systems reduces operator distraction while improving reliability of safety monitoring.
2Measurement precision
If comprehensive sensor data from all equipment is collected and analyzed, then event detection accuracy is improved, but data processing time and computational resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary filtering and preprocessing of sensor data before full analysis. The system continuously collects sensor data but only performs comprehensive analysis when threshold values are breached or abnormal patterns are detected. This preliminary action of continuous monitoring without full processing reduces computational overhead while maintaining detection accuracy, as intensive processing is triggered only when necessary.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial processing to sensor data by focusing computational resources on critical parameters and events with higher severity potential. Rather than analyzing all sensor data equally, the system prioritizes processing of data from components with higher failure risk or greater impact on safety, achieving effective event detection with reduced overall processing time and computational resources.
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects of the subject technology relate to systems and methods for optimizing multi-unit pumping operations at a well site. Systems and methods are provided for receiving sensor data from a hydraulic fracturing fleet equipment at an equipment system, designating an event as being flagged based on the sensor data from the hydraulic fracturing fleet equipment, determining a physical action based on the flagged event and a priority list of actions, and providing instructions to a first pump of the hydraulic fracturing fleet equipment to perform the physical action based on the flagged event and the priority list of actions.