US 10,895,205 B1Granted

Multi-port injection system

AssigneeFlowCore Systems, LLC

InventorsIan C. Black, Alec J. Driscoll, Charles D. Black, Steven E. Hayden

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Abstract

A multi-port injection system for injecting fluid into a plurality of fluid injection ports during a plurality of fluid injection cycles. The system provides highly accurate measurement of the volume of fluid injected into each injection port during each fluid injection cycle. The system generally includes a fluid holding tank, measuring tubes, a pump, a plurality of port valves coupled to the fluid injection ports, a fluid return valve, volume sensors, and a control unit. During a fluid injection cycle the control unit causes a portion of fluid to be pumped from a measuring tube to a port valve. After each fluid injection cycle, the control unit causes the fluid return valve to return the portion of fluid that was not injected to the measuring tube before the volume of fluid injected is measured.

Claims37

Dependent claims

A fluid injection system, comprising:

a holding tank for holding a fluid;
a first measuring tube coupled to the holding tank for receiving a first portion of the fluid;
a plurality of port valves, wherein each port valve of the plurality of port valves is adapted to be coupled to a fluid injection port of a plurality of fluid injection ports, wherein each port valve of the plurality of port valves has an open state and a closed state;
a pump coupled to the first measuring tube and to the plurality of port valves;
a fluid return valve coupled between the plurality of port valves and the first measuring tube;
a first sensor coupled to the first measuring tube, wherein the first sensor is operable to provide an indication of volume of the first portion of the fluid in the first measuring tube;
and
a control unit in communication with the plurality of port valves, the pump, the fluid return valve, and the first sensor, wherein the control unit is configured to:
carry out a first fluid injection cycle comprising:
operate the first port valve of the plurality of port valves to be in the open state;
and
operate the pump to pump the first portion of the fluid from the first measuring tube to the first port valve of the plurality of port valves for injection into a first fluid injection port of the plurality of fluid injection ports;
and
operate the first port valve of the plurality of port valves to be in the closed state;
operate the fluid return valve to return the first portion of the fluid that was not injected during the first fluid injection cycle to the first measuring tube;
determine a volume of the first portion of the fluid that was injected during the first fluid injection cycle based on the first sensor indication of volume of the first portion of the fluid present in the measuring tube before the first fluid injection cycle and the first sensor indication of volume of the first portion of the fluid present in the first measuring tube after the first fluid injection cycle.

13 more elements

A fluid injection system, comprising:

a holding tank for holding a fluid;
a first measuring tube coupled to the holding tank for receiving a first portion of the fluid;
a second measuring tube coupled to the holding tank for receiving a second portion of the fluid;
a plurality of port valves, wherein each port valve of the plurality of port valves is adapted to be coupled to a fluid injection port of a plurality of fluid injection ports, wherein each port valve of the plurality of port valves has an open state and a closed state;
a pump coupled to the first measuring tube, to the second measuring tube, and to the plurality of port valves;
a control valve coupled to the first measuring tube, to the second measuring tube, and to the pump;
a fluid return valve coupled between the plurality of port valves and the first measuring tube and the second measuring tube;
a first sensor coupled to the first measuring tube, wherein the first sensor is operable to provide an indication of volume of the first portion of the fluid in the first measuring tube;
and
a control unit in communication with the first sensor, the control valve, the pump, the plurality of port valves, and the fluid return valve, wherein the control unit is configured to:
carry out a first fluid injection cycle comprising:
operate the first port valve of the plurality of port valves to be in the open state;
operate the control valve to direct the first portion of the fluid from the first measuring tube to the pump;
and
operate the pump to pump the first portion of the fluid from the first measuring tube to the first port valve of the plurality of port valves for injection into a first fluid injection port of the plurality of fluid injection ports;
and
operate the first port valve of the plurality of port valves to be in the closed state;
operate the fluid return valve to return the first portion of the fluid that was not injected during the first fluid injection cycle to the first measuring tube;
determine based on the first sensor indication of volume of the first portion of the fluid present in the first measuring tube whether a sufficient volume of the first portion of the fluid is present in the first measuring tube to carry out a second fluid injection cycle, and if the volume of the first portion of the fluid present in the first measuring tube is not sufficient to carry out a second fluid injection cycle, operate the control valve to direct the second portion of the fluid from the second measuring tube to the pump;
and
carry out the second fluid injection cycle.

18 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.