Drive equipment and methods for mobile fracturing transportation platforms
Embodiments of drive equipment for mobile hydraulic fracturing power units and methods for changing and controlling the drive equipment are disclosed. The mobile power units include a gas turbine engine that provides mechanical power to drive shaft which is connected to the drive equipment such that the drive equipment is driven by the engine. The drive equipment may be a hydraulic fracturing pump or an electrical generator. The drive shaft is rotated at a speed suitable for the hydraulic fracturing pump and the electrical generator includes a step up gearbox to increase a rotational speed of the drive shaft for use by the electrical generator. The drive equipment may be secured to a skid that is field changeable with a crane or a fork lift to change the drive equipment at a well pad based on the demands of the well pad.
1 . A method of operating a mobile power unit, the mobile power unit comprising:
a gas turbine engine;
a drive shaft connected to the gas turbine engine;
one or more controllers; and
a transportation platform including a drive equipment receiver, the gas turbine engine mounted to the transportation platform, wherein the drive equipment receiver is configured to receive a removable pump skid, including a pump, in a first configuration of the transportation platform so that the pump is connected to the drive shaft and is configured to provide high pressure fluid when driven by the gas turbine engine, and the drive equipment receiver is configured to receive a removable electrical generator skid, including an electrical generator, in a second configuration of the transportation platform such that the removable pump skid and the removable electrical generator skid are interchangeable in the drive equipment receiver, wherein in the second configuration the electrical generator is connected to the drive shaft and is configured to generate electrical power when driven by the gas turbine engine,
wherein, with the transportation platform in the first configuration or the second configuration, at least one of the one or more controllers is configured to transmit one or more signals to a supervisory control unit, the supervisory control unit configured to monitor and control the mobile power unit and configured to determine an indicator to transition the transportation platform to the other of the first configuration or the second configuration, wherein the indicator is based on the one or more signals, and wherein the one or more signals are indicative of an electrical demand, or fluid requirements, of the mobile power unit,
the method comprising:
operating the mobile power unit in the first configuration in which the gas turbine engine drives the pump via the drive shaft to provide high pressure fluid for a wellsite, the gas turbine engine mounted to the transportation platform, and the pump positioned on the removable pump skid that is received within a recess of the drive equipment receiver defined in an upper surface of the transportation platform;
receiving, at the supervisory control unit, the one or more signals from the one or more controllers indicating the electrical demand;
determining, with the supervisory control unit and based at least in part on the one or more signals, that the electrical demand is greater than an electrical supply at a wellsite;
interchanging, based at least in part on the determination, the mobile power unit from the first configuration to a second configuration by replacing the removable pump skid in the recess of the drive equipment receiver with the removable electrical generator skid that includes the electrical generator; and
operating the mobile power unit in the second configuration so that the gas turbine engine drives the electrical generator via the drive shaft to provide electrical power for the wellsite.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the mobile power unit includes a reduction gearbox connected to the drive shaft,
wherein operating the mobile power unit in the first configuration further comprises driving the pump with the gas turbine engine via the reduction gearbox and the drive shaft, and
wherein operating the mobile power unit in the second configuration further comprises driving the electrical generator with the gas turbine engine via the reduction gearbox and the drive shaft.
3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the removable electrical generator skid includes a step up gearbox, and wherein operating the mobile power unit in the second configuration further comprises driving the electrical generator with the gas turbine engine via the reduction gearbox, the drive shaft, and the step up gearbox.
4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein operating the mobile power unit in the second configuration comprises providing the electrical power to a blender unit, a hydration unit, or a chemical additive unit of the wellsite.
5 . The method of claim 3 , wherein operating the mobile power unit in the second configuration further comprises providing the electrical power to another mobile power unit operating in the first configuration such that the gas turbine engine of the mobile power unit drives a second pump of the another mobile power unit to provide high pressure fluid for the wellsite.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the interchanging comprises:
disconnecting the pump from the drive shaft;
lifting the removable pump skid from the drive equipment receiver;
installing the removable electrical generator skid in the drive equipment receiver; and
connecting the electrical generator to the drive shaft.
7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the lifting comprises lifting the removable pump skid with a crane or a forklift.
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the interchanging occurs at the wellsite.
9 . A mobile power unit comprising:
an engine;
a drive shaft connected to the engine;
one or more controllers; and
a transportation platform including a drive equipment receiver, the engine mounted to the transportation platform, wherein the drive equipment receiver is configured to receive a removable pump skid, including a pump, in a first configuration of the transportation platform so that the pump is connected to the drive shaft and is configured to provide high pressure fluid when driven by the engine, and the drive equipment receiver is configured to receive a removable electrical generator skid, including an electrical generator, in a second configuration of the transportation platform such that the removable pump skid and the removable electrical generator skid are interchangeable in the drive equipment receiver, wherein in the second configuration the electrical generator is connected to the drive shaft and is configured to generate electrical power when driven by the engine,
wherein, with the transportation platform in the first configuration or the second configuration, at least one of the one or more controllers is configured to transmit one or more signals to a supervisory control unit, the supervisory control unit configured to monitor and control the mobile power unit and configured to determine an indicator to transition the transportation platform to the other of the first configuration or the second configuration, wherein the indicator is based on the one or more signals, and wherein the one or more signals are indicative of an electrical demand, or fluid requirements, of the mobile power unit.
10 . The mobile power unit of claim 9 , wherein the drive equipment receiver includes a recess defined in an upper surface of the transportation platform, wherein the removable pump skid is received in the recess when the transportation platform is in the first configuration, and wherein the removable electrical generator skid is received in the recess when the transportation platform is in the second configuration.
11 . The mobile power unit of claim 9 , further comprising:
a reduction gearbox connected to the drive shaft,
wherein the pump is driven by the engine via the reduction gearbox and the drive shaft when the transportation platform is in the first configuration, and
wherein the electrical generator is driven by the engine via the reduction gearbox and the drive shaft when the transportation platform is in the second configuration.
12 . The mobile power unit of claim 11 , wherein the removable electrical generator skid includes a step up gearbox, and wherein the electrical generator is driven by the engine via the reduction gearbox, the drive shaft, and the step up gearbox when the transportation platform is in the second configuration.
13 . The mobile power unit of claim 12 , wherein the reduction gearbox has a ratio in a range of 5:1 to 20:1.
14 . The mobile power unit of claim 13 , wherein the step up gearbox has a ratio in a range of 1:1.25 to 1:5.
15 . The mobile power unit of claim 14 , wherein the drive shaft has a maximum speed of rotation of 1500 revolutions per minute (RPM).
16 . The mobile power unit of claim 9 , wherein the removable electrical generator skid includes a cooling system configured to circulate cooling fluid through the electrical generator.
17 . The mobile power unit of claim 10 , wherein with the transportation platform in the first configuration, the indicator indicates that the electrical demand of a well pad site including the mobile power unit is greater than an electrical supply of the well pad site or that a fluid capacity of the well pad site is greater than fluid requirements of the well pad site.
18 . The mobile power unit of claim 10 , wherein with the transportation platform in the second configuration, the indicator indicates that fluid requirements of a well pad site including the mobile power unit is greater than a fluid capacity of the well pad site or that an electrical supply of the well pad site is greater than an electrical demand of the well pad site.