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US-12618314-B2 - System and method for an automated and intelligent frac pumping

US12618314B2US 12618314 B2US12618314 B2US 12618314B2US-12618314-B2

Abstract

A system may have a built hydraulic fracturing system with a plurality of devices connected together and in fluid communication with one or more wells. The system may also include at least one continuous pumping operations for one or more wells and a fracturing pumping plan provided on a software application. The fracturing plan may include instructions to perform at least one continuous pumping operations for the one or more wells. The instructions may include a sequence of valve operations to direct fluid flow through a selected path into the one or more wells.

Inventors

  • Andrew Krupa
  • Corey Massey
  • James Cook

Assignees

  • FMC TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

Dates

Publication Date
20260505
Application Date
20240731

Claims (20)

  1. 1 . A hydraulic fracturing system for continuous pumping of fluids, the hydraulic fracturing system comprising: at least one pump manifold in fluid communication with a plurality of wells; a first set of valves in fluid communication with a first well of the plurality of wells; a second set of valves in fluid communication with a second well of the plurality of wells; at least one processor; and one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, perform a method of continuous pumping, the method comprising: pumping fluids into the first well via the at least one pump manifold by opening the first set of valves; stabilizing a pressure in the first well by reducing a pump rate of the fluids to a reduced pump rate; and once the pressure in the first well is stabilized at the reduced pump rate, pumping the fluids into the second well via the at least one pump manifold while continuously pumping the fluids into the first well by opening the second set of valves.
  2. 2 . The hydraulic fracturing system of claim 1 , further comprising: a third set of valves in fluid communication with a third well of the plurality of wells.
  3. 3 . The hydraulic fracturing system of claim 2 , wherein the method further comprises: closing the first set of valves to stop pumping the fluids into the first well; isolating and continuously pumping the fluids into the second well; pumping the fluids into the third well via the at least one pump manifold by opening the third set of valves while continuously pumping the fluids into the second well; closing the second set of valves to stop pumping the fluids into the second well; and isolating and continuously pumping the fluids into the third well.
  4. 4 . The hydraulic fracturing system of claim 3 , further comprising: a fourth set of valves in fluid communication with a fourth well of the plurality of wells.
  5. 5 . The hydraulic fracturing system of claim 4 , wherein the method further comprises: reducing a pump rate of the third well responsive to a predetermined volume of fluid being pumped; and opening the fourth set of valves such that the fluids are pumped simultaneously into the third well and the fourth well.
  6. 6 . The hydraulic fracturing system of claim 5 , wherein the method further comprises: responsive to a pressure stabilizing in both of the third well and the fourth well, closing the third set of valves such that the fourth well is isolated.
  7. 7 . The hydraulic fracturing system of claim 1 , further comprising: a sensor disposed at a pump inlet of a pump associated with the at least one pump manifold.
  8. 8 . One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, perform a method of continuous pumping with a hydraulic fracturing system, the method comprising: pumping fluids into a first well of a plurality of wells via at least one pump manifold by opening a first set of valves; stabilizing a pressure in the first well by reducing a pump rate of the fluids to a reduced pump rate; once the pressure in the first well is stabilized at the reduced pump rate, pumping the fluids into a second well of the plurality of wells via the at least one pump manifold while continuously pumping the fluids into the first well by opening a second set of valves; closing the first set of valves to stop pumping the fluids into the first well; and isolating and continuously pumping the fluids into the second well.
  9. 9 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 , wherein the method further comprises: suspending one or more operations of the hydraulic fracturing system for a predetermined pump maintenance time period.
  10. 10 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 , wherein the method further comprises: automatically counting a number of instances that the first set of valves and the second set of valves are opened and closed.
  11. 11 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 , wherein the method further comprises: analyzing a plurality of manual inputs from an operator; training a machine learning model based on the plurality of manual inputs; predicting, using the machine learning model, a potential interruption associated with the hydraulic fracturing system; and displaying information associated with the predicting on a human machine interface (HMI).
  12. 12 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 , wherein the method further comprises: transmitting at least one alert to a human machine interface (HMI), the at least one alert requesting operator permission.
  13. 13 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 , wherein the method further comprises: monitoring a performance of one or more pumping operations by the hydraulic fracturing system, wherein monitoring includes collecting data from a plurality of sensors disposed along a plurality of devices of the hydraulic fracturing system.
  14. 14 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 , wherein the method further comprises: pumping a flush fluid to remove excess fracturing fluid in the plurality of wells.
  15. 15 . A system comprising: a plurality of wells including a first well and a second well; at least one pump manifold in fluid communication with the plurality of wells; a first set of valves in fluid communication with the first well of the plurality of wells; a second set of valves in fluid communication with the second well of the plurality of wells; at least one processor; and one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, perform a method of continuous pumping of fluids, the method comprising: pumping fluids into the first well via the at least one pump manifold by opening the first set of valves; stabilizing a pressure in the first well by reducing a pump rate of the fluids to a reduced pump rate; and once the pressure in the first well is stabilized at the reduced pump rate, pumping the fluids into the second well via the at least one pump manifold while continuously pumping the fluids into the first well by opening the second set of valves.
  16. 16 . The system of claim 15 , further comprising: a human machine interface (HMI) including a display device configured to display a graphical user interface.
  17. 17 . The system of claim 16 , further comprising: a plurality of sensors disposed along a respective plurality of devices associated with the plurality of wells.
  18. 18 . The system of claim 17 , wherein the method further comprises: causing for display, on the display device of the HMI, of data collected by the plurality of sensors.
  19. 19 . The system of claim 15 , further comprising: a zipper manifold coupled to the at least one pump manifold.
  20. 20 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the method further comprises: closing the first set of valves to stop pumping the fluids into the first well; and isolating and continuously pumping the fluids into the second well.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application is a continuation application and claims priority benefit, with regard to all common subject matter, of earlier-filed U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/651,716, filed Feb. 18, 2022, and entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AN AUTOMATED AND INTELLIGENT FRAC PUMPING,” now U.S. Pat. No. 12,060,783 (the '783 Patent). The '783 Patent claims priority benefit, with regard to all common subject matter, of earlier-filed U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/153,607, filed Feb. 25, 2021, and entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AN AUTOMATED AND INTELLIGENT FRAC PUMPING.” The identified earlier-filed patent and patent applications are hereby incorporated by reference into the present application in their entirety. BACKGROUND Hydraulic fracturing is a stimulation treatment routinely performed on oil and gas wells in low-permeability reservoirs. Specially engineered fluids are pumped at high pressure and rate into the reservoir interval to be treated, causing a vertical fracture to open. The wings of the fracture extend away from the wellbore in opposing directions according to the natural stresses within the formation. Proppant, such as grains of sand of a particular size, is mixed with the treatment fluid to keep the fracture open when the treatment is complete. Hydraulic fracturing creates high-conductivity communication with a large area of a formation and bypasses any damage that may exist in the near-wellbore area. Furthermore, hydraulic fracturing is used to increase the rate at which fluids, such as petroleum, water, or natural gas, can be recovered from subterranean natural reservoirs. Reservoirs are typically porous sandstones, limestones or dolomite rocks, but also include “unconventional reservoirs” such as shale rock or coal beds. Hydraulic fracturing enables the extraction of natural gas and oil from rock formations deep below the earth's surface (e.g., generally 2,000-6,000 m (5,000-20,000 ft)), which is greatly below typical groundwater reservoir levels. At such depth, there may be insufficient permeability or reservoir pressure to allow natural gas and oil to flow from the rock into the wellbore at high economic return. Thus, creating conductive fractures in the rock is instrumental in extraction from naturally impermeable reservoirs. A wide variety of hydraulic fracturing equipment is used in oil and natural gas fields, such as a slurry blender, one or more high-pressure, high-volume fracturing pumps and a monitoring unit. Additionally, associated equipment includes fracturing tanks, one or more units for storage and handling of proppant, high-pressure treating iron, a chemical additive unit (used to accurately monitor chemical addition), low-pressure flexible hoses, and many gauges and meters for flow rate, fluid density, and treating pressure. Fracturing equipment operates over a range of pressures and injection rates, and can reach up to 100 megapascals (15,000 psi) and 265 litres per second (9.4 cu ft/s) (100 barrels per minute). With the wide variety of hydraulic fracturing equipment at a well site, the hydraulic fracturing operation may be conducted. A hydraulic fracturing operation requires planning, coordination, and cooperation of all parties. Safety is always the primary concern in the field, and it begins with a thorough understanding by all parties of their duties. Conventional hydraulic fracturing operations are dependent on workers being present to oversee and conduct said operation over the full lifetime to complete said operation. SUMMARY This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter. In one aspect, this disclosure relates to a method. The method may include pumping fluids into a first well via at least one pump manifold by opening a first set of valves. The method may also include pumping the fluids into a second well via the at least one pump manifold while continuously pumping the fluids into the first well by opening a second set of valves. The method further includes closing the first set of valves to stop pumping the fluids into the first well and isolating and continuously pumping the fluids into the second well. In another aspect, this disclosure relates to a method for providing a fracturing pumping plan on a software application. The fracturing plan may include pre-made instructions to perform at least one continuous pumping operations for one or more wells. The method may also include executing the fracturing pumping plan to perform the at least one continuous pumping operations in a built hydraulic fracturing system coupled to the one or more wells. In one aspect, this disclosure relates to a system with a built hydraulic fracturing system having a plurality of devices c