# US 10,289,125 B2 · High pressure valve and transmission safety checks

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- Number: US 10,289,125 B2
- Document ID: US10289125B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/324,064
- Filed: 2015-10-02
- Published: 2018-07-12
- Granted: 2019-05-14
- Earliest claimed: 2015-10-02
- Assignees: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
- Applicants: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc
- Inventors: Chip L. Imel; James Douglas Funkhouser; Charles Edward Neal, III; Derek Williams
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10289125B2

## CPC

- G05D 7/0688: {by combined action on throttling means and flow sources (G05D7/0694 takes precedence)}
- F04B 47/02: the driving mechanisms being situated at ground level (F04B47/12 takes precedence)
- F04B 49/00: Control {, e.g. of pump delivery, or pump pressure} of, or safety measures for, machines, pumps, or pumping installations, not otherwise provided for, or of interest apart from, groups F04B1/00 - F04B47/00
- F04B 49/06: Control using electricity (regulating by means of floats actuating electric switches F04B49/04)
- F04B 49/065: {and making use of computers}
- F04B 49/10: Other safety measures
- F04B 49/22: by means of valves (F04B49/03 takes precedence)
- F16K 37/0083: {by measuring valve parameters}
- F16K 37/0091: {by measuring fluid parameters}
- G05B 19/042: using digital processors (G05B19/05 takes precedence)
- G06Q 10/20: Administration of product repair or maintenance
- E21B 33/068: having provision for introducing objects or fluids into, or removing objects from, wells (cementing-heads E21B33/05)
- E21B 33/14: for cementing casings into boreholes
- E21B 43/2607: {Surface equipment specially adapted for fracturing operations}
- E21B 43/27: by use of eroding chemicals, e.g. acids
- G05B 2219/25021: Profibus
- G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
- F04B: POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS (machines for liquids, or pumps, of rotary-piston or oscillating-piston type F04C; non-positive-displacement pumps F04D; pumping of fluid by direct contact of another fluid or by using inertia of fluid to be pumped F04F)
- F16K: VALVES; TAPS; COCKS; ACTUATING-FLOATS; DEVICES FOR VENTING OR AERATING {(devices for emptying and evacuating the excess liquid in valves or conduits F16L55/07)}
- G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G)
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS

## Abstract

A method of servicing a request during high pressure wellsite pumping operations to manipulate a valve in a manifold system having a plurality of valves includes receiving a plurality of valve configurations that would result in an overpressured manifold system and comparing the request to a proposed valve configuration that would result from a proposed valve manipulation. The method includes determining whether a pump to the manifold system is operating. The method further includes determining whether the proposed valve manipulation inhibits a flow path between the pump and an outlet of the manifold system and would result in an overpressured manifold system. The method also includes in response to a determination that the proposed valve manipulation inhibits the flow path: blocking the proposed valve manipulation and presenting an operator with an override option.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of servicing a request to manipulate at least one of a plurality of valves in a valve manifold system, the method comprising:
receiving, using a control system, a plurality of potential valve configurations that would result in an overpressured manifold system, each of the potential valve configurations identifying an open, closed, or transitioning state for each of the plurality of valves;
receiving, using the control system, the request to manipulate the at least one of the plurality of valves in the manifold system;
determining, using the control system, whether a pump to the manifold system is operating, wherein the plurality of valves comprise:
a first valve forming part of a first flow path between the pump and an outlet of the manifold system; and
a second valve forming part of a second flow path between the pump and the outlet of the manifold system;
in response to a determination that the pump to the manifold system is operating, determining, using the control system and based on the received potential valve configurations, whether the requested valve manipulation would leave no flow path open between the pump and the outlet of the manifold system, including the first and second flow paths, and would thus result in the overpressured manifold system; and
in response to a determination that the requested valve manipulation would leave no flow path open between the pump and the outlet of the manifold system, blocking, using the control system, the requested valve manipulation.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the request to manipulate the at least one of the plurality of valves is a request to open the at least one of the plurality of valves.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the request to manipulate the at least one of the plurality of valves is a request to close the at least one of the plurality of valves.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
in response to a determination that the requested valve manipulation would net leave at least one flow path open between the pump and the outlet of the manifold system, manipulating, using the control system, the at least one of the plurality of valves in accordance with the request.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving, using the control system, a request to operate the pump; and
determining, using the control system, whether manipulating the at least one of the plurality of valves as requested would cause an actual valve configuration of the plurality of valves to match one of the plurality of potential valve configurations that would result in the overpressured manifold system.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
in response to a determination that the pump to the manifold system is not operating, manipulating, using the control system, the at least one of the plurality of valves in accordance with the request.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein at least part of the first flow path includes at least part of the second flow path.

### Claim 8

A method of servicing a request to manipulate a valve in a manifold system having a plurality of valves, the method comprising:
receiving, using a control system, a plurality of potential valve configurations that would result in an overpressured manifold system, each of the potential valve configurations identifying an open, closed, or transitioning state for each of the plurality of valves;
receiving, using the control system, the request to manipulate the valve in the manifold system;
determining, using the control system, whether a pump to the manifold system is operating;
in response to a determination that the pump to the manifold system is operating, determining, using the control system, whether the requested valve manipulation would inhibit a flow path between the pump and an outlet of the manifold system based on the received potential valve configurations;
in response to a determination that the requested valve manipulation would inhibit the flow path and would result in the overpressured manifold system, blocking, using the control system, the requested valve manipulation; and
in response to the determination that the requested valve manipulation would inhibit the flow path and would result in the overpressured manifold system:
providing, using the control system, a warning regarding the inhibited flow path to an operator;
providing, using the control system, an override option to the operator;
determining, using the control system, whether the operator has selected the override option; and
in response to a determination that the operator has selected the override option, manipulating, using the control system, the valve in accordance with the request.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, further comprising:
in response to a determination that the operator has not selected the override option, discarding, using the control system, the request to manipulate the valve.

### Claim 10

A method of servicing a request to manipulate a valve in a manifold system having a plurality of valves, the method comprising:
receiving, using a control system, a plurality of potential valve configurations that would result in an overpressured manifold system, each of the potential valve configurations identifying an open, closed, or transitioning state for each of the plurality of valves;
receiving, using the control system, the request to manipulate the valve in the manifold system;
determining, using the control system, whether a pump to the manifold system is operating;
in response to a determination that the pump to the manifold system is operating, determining, using the control system, whether the requested valve manipulation would inhibit a flow path between the pump and an outlet of the manifold system based on the received potential valve configurations;
in response to a determination that the requested valve manipulation would inhibit the flow path and would result in the overpressured manifold system, blocking, using the control system, the requested valve manipulation;
receiving, using the control system, a request to operate the pump;
determining, using the control system, whether manipulating the valve as requested would cause an actual valve configuration of the plurality of valves to match one of the plurality of potential valve configurations that would result in the overpressured manifold system; and
in response to a determination that the manipulated valve would cause the actual valve configuration of the plurality of valves to match one of the plurality of potential valve configurations that would result in the overpressured manifold system:
blocking, using the control system, the requested pump operation;
providing, using the control system, a warning regarding an unacceptable flow path to the operator;
providing, using the control system, a second override option to the operator;
determining, using the control system, whether the operator has selected the second override option; and
in response to a determination that the operator has selected the second override option, starting, using the control system, the pump.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, further comprising:
in response to a determination that a flow path exists that would not result in the overpressured manifold system, starting, using the control system, the pump.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, further comprising:
in response to a determination that the operator has not selected the second override option, maintaining, using the control system, the pump in its current state.

### Claim 13

A system for servicing a request to manipulate a valve in
a manifold system having a plurality of valves, comprising:
a memory storing a plurality of potential valve configurations that would result in an overpressured manifold system; and
one or more processors in communication with the memory and operable to cause the system to:
receive the plurality of potential valve configurations for the plurality of valves that would result in the overpressured manifold system;
receive a request to manipulate the valve in the manifold system;
determine whether a pump to the manifold system is operating;
in response to a determination that the pump to the manifold system is operating, determine whether the requested valve manipulation would inhibit a flow path between the pump and an outlet of the manifold system based on the received potential valve configurations; and
in response to a determination that the requested valve manipulation would inhibit the flow path and would result in the overpressured manifold system, block the requested valve manipulation.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The system of claim 13, wherein the request to manipulate the valve is a request to open the valve.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The system of claim 13, wherein the request to manipulate the valve is a request to close the valve.

### Claim 16 (depends on 13)

The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are further operable to cause the system to:
in response to the determination that the requested valve manipulation would inhibit the flow path and would result in the overpressured manifold system:
provide a warning regarding the inhibited flow path to an operator;
provide an override option to the operator;
determine whether the operator has selected the override option; and
in response to a determination that the operator has selected the override option, manipulate the valve in accordance with the request.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more processors are further operable to cause the system to:
in response to a determination that the operator has not selected the override option, discard the request to manipulate the valve.

### Claim 18 (depends on 13)

The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are further operable to cause the system to:
receive a request to operate the pump; and
determine whether manipulating the valve as requested would cause an actual valve configuration of the plurality of valves to match one of the plurality of potential valve configurations that would result in the overpressured manifold system.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The system of claim 18, wherein the one or more processors are further operable to cause the system to:
in response to a determination that the manipulated valve would cause the actual valve configuration of the plurality of valves to match one of the plurality of potential valve configurations that would result in the overpressured manifold system:
block the requested pump operation;
provide a warning regarding an unacceptable flow path to an operator;
provide a second override option to the operator;
determine whether the operator has selected the second override option; and
in response to a determination that the operator has selected the second override option, start the pump.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The system of claim 19, wherein the one or more processors are further operable to cause the system to:
in response to a determination that the operator has not selected the second override option, maintain the pump in its current state.

### Claim 21 (depends on 13)

The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are further operable to cause the system to:
in response to a determination that the pump to the manifold system is not operating, manipulate the valve in accordance with the request.

### Claim 22 (depends on 13)

The system of claim 13, wherein each of the potential valve configurations identifies an open, closed, or transitioning state for each of the plurality of valves.