Wet Sand Delivery System Eliminates Drying Steps
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Solution Overview
Problem
The high cost of completing a frac-sand well is driven by the conventional processes of harvesting, washing, drying, screening, storage, and transportation, which add significant expenses to the delivery of frac-sand to the well site, with existing systems being inefficient and costly.
Innovation Solution
A closed-loop wet frac-sand delivery system that eliminates drying, screening, and dry storage by using wet sand directly from the wash plant, stored in a pit, and pumped to a blender or regulator on-site, reducing the process to harvesting and washing, and incorporating a wet sand storage pit and regulator to control sand concentration in a sand slurry.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional dry sand processing and storage methods are used, then sand quality and consistency are maintained, but completion costs increase significantly due to multiple processing steps and equipment requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the drying step from the conventional sand processing sequence. By using wet sand directly from the wash plant and transporting it in a wet state to the well site, the system removes the dryer equipment and associated operational steps, thereby reducing completion costs and simplifying the processing workflow while maintaining sand quality through alternative moisture control methods at the well site
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state parameter of the sand from dry to wet during transportation and storage. By maintaining sand in a wet state rather than drying it, the system eliminates the need for dryer equipment, reduces energy consumption, and simplifies the overall processing chain while still achieving the required sand characteristics for frac operations through in-situ blending and moisture management
2Ease of manufacture
If wet sand is used directly from wash plant, then drying costs and equipment are eliminated, but sand concentration control becomes more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback control mechanisms at the well site to monitor and adjust sand concentration in the wet sand slurry. By using density meters, flow meters, and automated blending systems that continuously measure and adjust the sand-to-water ratio, the system maintains precise concentration control despite the sand being transported in a wet state, thereby eliminating drying costs while ensuring accurate proppant delivery
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a multi-functional wet sand storage and blending system that combines storage, concentration control, and delivery functions in a single integrated setup. The wet sand pit serves as both storage and blending vessel, with automated systems that can adjust concentration on-demand, thereby eliminating the need for separate drying facilities while maintaining precise sand concentration control through unified system management
3Reliability
If dry storage and specialized handling equipment are used, then sand is protected from contamination, but equipment complexity and operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes specialized dry storage equipment such as silos, boxcars, and pneumatic trailers from the well site operations. By transporting and storing sand in a wet state in simple open pits or tanks, the system eliminates the need for complex enclosed storage structures and specialized handling equipment, thereby reducing equipment complexity and operational costs while maintaining sand quality through controlled wet storage conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces expensive, complex, and durable dry storage infrastructure with simple, inexpensive, and temporary wet storage solutions. By using basic concrete pits or steel tanks to hold wet sand instead of permanent silos and enclosed storage facilities, the system achieves adequate sand protection from contamination while dramatically reducing equipment complexity and capital expenditure
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 significantly reduces costs by eliminating 60% of the traditional process steps, minimizing equipment and personnel needs, and providing safety and environmental benefits by eliminating dust and reducing the need for specialized storage and handling equipment, while enabling more efficient sand delivery and usage.
Implementation Method 1
The wet sand is then pumped by a source pump within the sand storage pit
Implementation Method 2
a wet sand regulator that controls the flow and rate, and density of sand and water delivery to the blender
Implementation Method 3
The blender then provides the sand slurry to the frac pumps to be discharged to the well head
Data Source
AI summary
A wet frac-sand well site delivery system is a process and method of storing, measuring and regulating the percent solids or PPA (pounds of proppant added) in a sand slurry. The wet sand delivery system is a closed loop, on-site storage system that can receive and store wet frac-sand. The wet sand delivery system takes the wet sand directly from the wash plant and transports it to a wet sand storage pit. From the wet sand storage pit, the sand is pumped directly to a blender or regulator for mixing into a sand slurry for subsequent delivery to a frac pump.