Regional Blending Facility for Fracturing Fluids
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fracturing operations in hydrocarbon recovery require extensive and costly equipment setups, leading to a large footprint and limited flexibility, with challenges in managing multiple fluid types and flowback fluids, particularly in formations with low permeability.
Innovation Solution
A regional blending facility system that centralizes the mixing and storage of treatment fluids, using bulk receiving facilities, mixers, and fluid conduits to efficiently deliver mixed treatment fluids to wellsites and manage produced fluids, reducing the need for on-site equipment and enhancing logistical efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional on-site equipment setups are used for fracturing operations, then treatment fluids can be prepared and delivered, but the equipment footprint and operational costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the fluid preparation function from the wellsite location and relocates it to a centralized regional facility. The mixing equipment, proppant storage, and fluid preparation systems are removed from the wellsite and consolidated at a regional hub, leaving only delivery and injection equipment at the wellsite location.
Solution Approach 2:
The regional facility serves multiple wellsites and multiple treatment operations from a single location. The facility is designed to handle various fluid types (fracturing fluids, completion fluids, workover fluids) and serve multiple wellsites simultaneously, maximizing equipment utilization and reducing overall equipment requirements across the operation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple specialized vehicles and units are deployed for material handling and fluid delivery, then complete treatment capability is achieved, but operational costs and equipment complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple previously separate functions into a single integrated regional facility. Proppant storage and handling, fluid mixing, chemical dosing, and fluid delivery preparation are merged into one centralized location, eliminating the need for separate specialized vehicles and units at each wellsite.
Solution Approach 2:
The regional facility performs all fluid preparation and mixing operations in advance before delivery to the wellsite. Treatment fluids are pre-mixed, pre-dosed with chemicals, and pre-prepared at the regional hub, so that only final delivery and injection are required at the wellsite, simplifying on-site operations.
3Quantity of substance
If large volumes of water are used for fracturing operations, then sufficient treatment fluid is available, but flowback fluid management becomes expensive and environmentally challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the concentration parameters of treatment fluids by preparing highly concentrated mixes at the regional facility. By increasing the concentration of proppant and chemicals in the prepared fluids, the system reduces the total volume of water required for treatment operations, thereby reducing flowback volume and environmental impact.
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 system minimizes equipment requirements at wellsites, reduces operational costs, and improves logistical management of fluids, enabling more flexible and efficient fracturing operations while reducing environmental impact and enhancing fluid handling and disposal.
Implementation Method 1
The mixer receives particles from the blending/continuously receiving vessel, receives a carrying medium from the carrying medium vessel, mixes the particles with the carrying medium, and provides a mixed treatment fluid
Implementation Method 2
The fluid conduit is capable to deliver the mixed treatment fluid to the wellsite
Implementation Method 3
The fluid conduit is capable to deliver produced fluid from a wellbore positioned at the wellsite to the regional blending facility
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes a regional blending facility having a number of bulk receiving facilities, where each bulk facility receives and stores a particle type having a distinct size modality, a bulk moving device that transfers particles between the bulk receiving facilities and of a blending/continuously receiving vessel and/or a mixer, and a carrying medium vessel. The mixer receives particles from the blending/continuously receiving vessel and/or the bulk moving device, receives a carrying medium from the carrying medium vessel, mixes the particles with the carrying medium, and provides a mixed treatment fluid. The system includes a fluid conduit that fluidly couples a wellsite location with the regional blending facility, where the fluid conduit delivers the mixed treatment fluid to the wellsite and/or delivers produced fluid from a wellbore positioned at the wellsite to the regional blending facility.