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US 10,247,182 B2Granted
Well stimulation pump control and method
AssigneeCaterpillar Inc.
InventorsYanchai Zhang, Zhaoxu Dong, Xuefei Hu
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A pumping system for use in a well stimulation application includes a pump controlled by a controller, the controller operating to monitor operation of the pump and determine when cavitation is present or imminent in the pump. When cavitation is present, the controller automatically adjusts an operating condition of the pump reduce pump speed or increase a fluid pressure at the pump inlet.
Claims19
A pumping system for use in a well stimulation application, comprising:
- a pump having an inlet and at least one pumping element, each pumping element including a piston reciprocally disposed in a bore, an inlet check valve in fluid communication with the inlet and an outlet check valve associated with a variable volume defined in a bore;
- a pressure sensor disposed to measure a fluid pressure at a location between the inlet check valve and the inlet of the pump;
- a drive mechanism for driving a reciprocal motion of the piston;
- a speed sensor disposed to measure a speed of the pump at the drive mechanism;
- and
- a controller associated with the pump and disposed to receive signals indicative of the fluid pressure and the speed of the pump;
- wherein the controller is programmed to:
- determine an operating point of the pump based on the fluid pressure and the speed of the pump;
- compare the operating point of the pump with a cavitation map that is predefined;
- determine whether cavitation is present in the at least one pumping element based on a result of the comparison between the operating point and the cavitation map;
- and
- when cavitation is present, at times, adjust an operation of the drive mechanism to reduce a speed of the pump, and
- provide an indication of a desired slurry composition.
10 more elements
A method for operating a pump for use in a hydraulic fracturing system, comprising:
- in a controller, selecting one appropriate cavitation map from a plurality of cavitation maps stored in the controller, the selecting being based on operating parameters of the hydraulic fracturing system;
- using the controller, monitoring operation of the hydraulic fracturing system with regard to at least a pressure of stimulation fluid at an inlet of a pump, and a speed of the pump, to determine an operating condition of the pump;
- in the controller, comparing the operating condition of the pump with the selected one appropriate cavitation map;
- by use of the controller, determining whether cavitation is present or imminent in the pump based on a result of the comparison;
- and
- when cavitation is present, using the controller to adjust the operating condition of the pump, in real time, and
- using the controller to provide an indication of a desired slurry composition.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.