IP Library Granted Patent US 11,613,980
Granted Patent B2
US 11,613,980 · App. 17/389,536 · Granted Mar 28, 2023

Methods and systems for operating a fleet of pumps

Inventors: Tony Yeung (Houston, TX); Ricardo Rodriguez-Ramon (Houston, TX); Diankui Fu (Houston, TX); Warren Zemlak (Houston, TX); Samir Nath Seth (Houston, TX); Joseph Foster (Houston, TX)
Assignee: BJ Energy Solutions, LLC
E21B43/2607F04B23/04F04B49/20F04B2201/1203
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,613,980
App. No.
17/389,536
Granted
Mar 28, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

A system and method for operating a fleet of pumps for a turbine driven fracturing pump system used in hydraulic fracturing is disclosed. In an embodiment, a method of operating a fleet of pumps associated with a hydraulic fracturing system includes receiving a demand Hydraulic Horse Power (HHP) signal. The demand HHP signal may include the Horse Power (HP) required for the hydraulic fracturing system to operate and may include consideration for frictional and other losses. The method further includes operating all available pump units at a percentage of rating below Maximum Continuous Power (MCP) level, based at least in part on the demand HHP signal. Furthermore, the method may include receiving a signal for loss of power from one or more pump units. The method further includes operating one or more units at MCP level and operating one or more units at Maximum Intermittent Power (MIP) level to meet the demand HHP signal.

Claims (53)

1. A method of operating a plurality of pump units associated with a high-pressure, high-power hydraulic fracturing assembly, one or more of the plurality of pump units including a turbine engine connected to a pump, the method comprising:

receiving a demand hydraulic horse power (HHP) signal for operation of the hydraulic fracturing assembly;

based at least in part on the demand HHP signal, operating all available pump units of the plurality of pump units at a first output power to achieve the demand HHP;

receiving a loss of power signal for one or more pump units of the plurality of pump units;

after receiving the loss of power signal, designating one or more pump unit as a reduced power pump unit (RPPU) and the remaining pump units as operating pump units (OPU), the one or more pump units of the OPUs includes at least two pump units;

operating the RPPU at a reduced output power below the first output power;

operating one or more of the OPUs at a second output power by over-firing one or more turbine engines of the one or more OPUs to meet the demand HHP signal for operation of the hydraulic fracturing assembly, the first output power being in a selected range of a maximum continuous power (MCP) level of the plurality of pump units, the second output power being greater than the first output power and being in a selected range of the MCP level to a selected maximum intermittent power (MIP) level of the plurality of pump units; and

operating one or more of the OPUs at a third output power, the third output power being in a selected range to approximately the MIP level.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the third output power comprises an amount of power greater than the first output power.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the third output power comprises an amount of power approximately equal to the first output power.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the OPUs operating at the second output power comprise one or more less pump units than the plurality of pump units, wherein a selected range of a maximum continuous power (MCP) level of the plurality of pump units comprises a range of approximately 70% to 100%, wherein the first output power being in the range of approximately 70% of MCP level to approximately a maximum intermittent power (MIP) level of the plurality of pump units, and wherein the selected range of the third output power being approximately 70% to approximately the MIP level.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more pump units of the OPUs comprises all of the OPUs, and wherein the second output power comprises the MIP level.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first output power comprises 100% of the MCP level.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first output power comprises 90% of the MCP level.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the second output power exceeds 100% of the MCP level.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the second output power comprises the MIP level.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second output power comprises the MIP level.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising after receiving a loss of power signal, shutting down the RPPU.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the reduced output power of the RPPU comprises an amount of power approximately 20% less than the first output power.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising shutting down the RPPU, and wherein the second output power comprises an amount of power approximate the MIP level.

14. A system to control operation of a plurality of pump units associated with a hydraulic fracturing assembly, one or more of the plurality of pump units including a turbine engine connected to a pump, the system comprising:

a controller in communication with the plurality of pump units, the controller including one or more processors and memory having computer-readable instructions stored therein and operable by the one or more processors to:

receive a demand hydraulic horse power (HHP) signal for the hydraulic fracturing assembly,

based at least in part on the demand HHP signal, operate all available pump units of the plurality of pump units at a first output power to achieve the demand HHP;

receive a loss of power signal from one or more pump units of the plurality of pump units,

after receiving the loss of power signal, designate one pump unit as a reduced power pump unit (RPPU) and the computer readable instructions being operable to operate the RPPU at a reduced output power below the first output power,

designate the remaining pump units as operating pump units (OPU), the one or more pump units of the OPUs includes at least two pump units,

operate one or more of the OPUs at a second output power by over-firing one or more turbine engines of the one or more OPUs to meet the demand HHP signal of the hydraulic fracturing assembly, the first output power being in a selected range of a maximum continuous power (MCP) level of the plurality of pump units, the second output power being greater than the first output power and being in a selected range of MCP level to a maximum intermittent power (MIP) level of the plurality of pump units, and

after receiving the loss of power signal, operate one or more of the OPUs at a third output power, the third output power being in a selected range to the MIP level.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the third output power comprises an amount of power approximately equal to or greater than the first output power.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the OPUs operating at the second output power comprise one or more less pump units than the plurality of pump units, wherein a selected range of a maximum continuous power (MCP) level of the plurality of pump units comprises a range of approximately 70% to 100%, wherein the first output power being in the range of approximately 70% of MCP level to approximately a maximum intermittent power (MIP) level of the plurality of pump units, and wherein the selected range of the third output power being approximately 70% to approximately the MIP level.

17. The system of claim 14 , wherein the one or more pump units of the OPUs comprises all of the OPUs, and wherein the second output power comprises the MIP level.

18. The system of claim 14 , wherein the first output power comprises 100% of the MCP.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the second output power comprises 107% of the MCP level.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the second output power comprises the MIP level.

21. The system of claim 14 , wherein the first output power comprises 90% of the MCP level.

22. The system of claim 14 , wherein the second output power comprises the MIP level.

23. The system of claim 14 , wherein the reduced output power of the RPPU comprises an amount of power approximately 20% less than the first output power.

24. The system of claim 14 , wherein after receiving the loss of power signal, the computer readable instructions are operable to shut down the one or more RPPU, and the second output power comprises an amount of power approximate the MIP level.

25. A system to control operation of a plurality of pump units associated with a hydraulic fracturing assembly, the system comprising:

a turbine engine associated with one or more of the plurality of pump units of the hydraulic fracturing assembly;

a driveshaft associated with the one or more pump units of the hydraulic fracturing assembly;

a gearbox associated with the one or more pump units of the hydraulic fracturing assembly, and connected to the turbine engine and driveshaft, for driving the driveshaft; and

a controller in communication with the plurality of pump units, the controller including one or more processors and memory having computer-readable instructions stored therein and operable by the processor to:

receive a demand hydraulic horse power (HHP) signal for the hydraulic fracturing assembly,

based at least in part on the demand HHP signal, operate all available pump units of the plurality of pump units at a first output power to achieve the demand HHP;

receive a loss of power signal from one or more pump units of the plurality of pump units,

after receiving the loss of power signal, designate one pump unit as a reduced power pump unit (RPPU) and the computer readable instructions being operable to operate the RPPU at a reduced output power below the first output power,

designate the remaining pump units as operating pump units (OPU), the one or more pump units of the OPUs includes at least two pump units, and

operate one or more of the OPUs at a second output power by over-firing one or more turbine engines of the one or more OPUs to meet the demand HHP signal of the hydraulic fracturing assembly,

the first output power being in a selected range of a maximum continuous power (MCP) level of the plurality of pump units, the second output power being greater than the first output power and being in a selected range of MCP level to a maximum intermittent power (MIP) level of the plurality of pump units.

26. The system of claim 25 , wherein the OPUs operating at the second output power comprise one or more less pump units than the plurality of pump units, wherein a selected range of a maximum continuous power (MCP) level of the plurality of pump units comprises a range of approximately 70% to 100%, and wherein the first output power being in the range of approximately 70% of MCP level to approximately a maximum intermittent power (MIP) level of the plurality of pump units.

27. The system of claim 25 , wherein after receiving the loss of power signal, the computer readable instructions are operable to shut down the RPPU, and the second output power comprises an amount of power approximate the MIP level.

Assignments (5)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Sep 17, 2024
From: BJ ENERGY SOLUTIONS. LLC
To: ECLIPSE BUSINESS CAPITAL LLC. AS AGENT
Reel/Frame 068970/0125 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Dec 13, 2022
From: BJ ENERGY SOLUTIONS, LLC
To: ECLIPSE BUSINESS CAPITAL LLC
Reel/Frame 062116/0333 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jan 24, 2022
From: BJ ENERGY SOLUTIONS, LLC
To: BAIWIN FINANCING, LLC
Reel/Frame 058829/0708 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 30, 2021
From: YEUNG, TONY; RODRIGUEZ-RAMON, RICARDO; FU, DIANKUI; ZEMLAK, WARREN; SETH, SAMIR NATH; FOSTER, JOSEPH
To: BJ SERVICES, LLC
Reel/Frame 057030/0333 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 30, 2021
From: BJ SERVICES, LLC
To: BJ ENERGY SOLUTIONS, LLC
Reel/Frame 057030/0351 →
Continuity (6)
Continuation 17387477 · Jul 28, 2021
Continuation 17118790 · Dec 11, 2020
Continuation 17022972 · Sep 16, 2020
Continuation 16946082 · Jun 5, 2020
Provisional Application 62899951 · Sep 13, 2019
Related Publication 20210355802A1 · Nov 18, 2021