Wellsite Wet Screening Systems for Proppants and Methods of Using Same
The invention comprises a system for wet screening of oilwell proppant at the wellsite to provide a controlled and controllable amount of properly sized and screened proppant and fluid to a frac fluid blending system.
1 .- 20 . (canceled)
21 . A method of producing a slurry, comprising:
locating adjacent a wellhead a vibratory sizing system having at least one screen;
supplying proppant-containing material to the vibratory sizing system at a rate or rates determined to produce a desired proppant density for the slurry;
supplying a fluid comprising water to the vibratory sizing system;
collecting as the slurry the proppant and fluid that passes through the at least one screen; and
transferring the slurry to a hydraulic fracturing operation located adjacent the wellhead for hydraulically fracturing a subterranean formation associated with the wellhead.
22 . The method of claim 21 , further comprising moving the vibratory sizing system from a transport configuration to a screening configuration.
23 . The method of claim 21 , further comprising leveling the at least one screen after the vibratory sizing system is located adjacent the wellhead.
24 . The method of claim 21 , further comprising pumping the slurry to the hydraulic fracturing operation.
25 . The method of claim 21 , wherein supplying proppant-containing material comprises supplying proppant-containing material to a to a hopper disposed above at least a portion of the at least one screen.
26 . The method of claim 25 , wherein supplying proppant-containing material comprises supplying proppant-containing material to the hopper at a rate or rates of at least 1,000 tons/hr.
27 . The method of claim 25 , wherein supplying fluid comprises supplying fluid to the hopper.
28 . The method of claim 26 , wherein supplying fluid comprises supplying fluid at a rate or rates between 12 bbl/min and 119 bbl/min.
29 . The method of claim 21 , wherein supplying fluid comprises supplying fluid to the hopper and to a vibratory screen spray system at a combined fluid rate or rates of between about 12 bbl/min and about 119 bbl/min.
30 . The method of claim 21 , wherein supplying fluid comprises supplying fluid at a rate or rates greater than 50 bbl/min.
31 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the desired slurry density comprises a proppant component of between about 0.3 lbs of proppant per gallon of fluid and about 12 lbs of proppant per gallon of fluid.
32 . The method of claim 31 , wherein the desired slurry density has a proppant concentration of between 3 lbs/gallon and 6 lbs/gallon.
33 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the desired slurry density has a proppant concentration of about 5 lbs/gallon or greater.
34 . The method of claim 21 , wherein supplying fluid comprises supplying water in an amount of up to about 75% of the water needed to hydraulically fracture the subterranean formation.
35 . The method of claim 34 , wherein the hydraulic fracturing operation supplies an additional amount of water needed to hydraulically fracture the subterranean formation.
36 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the proppant-containing material supplied to the vibratory sizing system has not been previously screened or dried.
37 . The method of claim 36 , wherein the proppant-containing material supplied to the vibratory sizing system is naturally occurring sand and the fluid is water.
38 . The method of claim 37 , comprising leveling the screen prior to or during screening of the naturally occurring sand.
39 . The method of claim 38 , wherein an amount of water in the slurry is less than an amount of water needed to fracture the formation.
40 . The method of claim 21 , comprising
leveling the screen prior to and/or during screening of the proppant-containing material;
wherein supplying proppant-containing material to the vibratory sizing system comprises supplying sand to a hopper disposed above the screen;
wherein supplying a fluid comprising water to the vibratory sizing system comprises pumping water to the hopper and to a spray bar system spraying water on the screen;
collecting as the slurry the proppant and fluid that passes through the at least one screen; and
wherein an amount of water in the slurry is less than an amount of water needed to fracture the formation.