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US 11,236,609 B2Granted
Apparatuses, systems, and methods for dynamic proppant transport fluid testing
AssigneePfP Industries, LLC
InventorRobert Ray McDaniel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatuses and systems and methods implementing the apparatuses and systems include a blender base unit having an rpm sensor and the methods determines a minimum rpm value that is converted to a shear rate, a fluid velocity rate, and an estimated maximum fracture width.
Claims24
A method comprising:
- hydrating a sample of a fracturing fluid at room temperature at a hydrating rpm value for a hydrating period in a blender apparatus comprising:
- a blender unit including:
- a base unit having:
- a motor;
- a jar unit including:
- ajar;
- a base;
- and
- a blade assembly;
- a control unit including:
- a processing unit;
- and
- a display unit;
- a rpm sensor;
- a power supply adapted to supply electrical power to the motor, the processing unit and the display unit;
- determining a reproducible minimum rpm value for the sample comprising:
- adding an amount of a proppant to the sample to form a slurry;
- mixing the slurry at a mixing rpm value for a mixing period;
- reducing the mixing rpm value to a hold rpm value for a hold period;
- after the hold period, reducing the hold rpm value to a rpm value at which the proppant visually settles;
- increasing the rpm value to fluidize the settled proppant;
- reducing the rpm value to a minimum rpm value that prevents proppant settling;
- and
- repeating the increasing the rpm value and the reducing the rpm value steps until the minimum rpm value is reproducible resulting in the determination of the reproducible minimum rpm value.
21 more elements
A method comprising:
- hydrating a sample of a fracturing fluid at room temperature at a hydrating rpm value for a hydrating period in a blender apparatus comprising:
- a blender unit including:
- a base unit having:
- a motor;
- a jar unit including:
- ajar;
- a base;
- and
- a blade assembly;
- a control unit including:
- a processing unit;
- and
- a display unit;
- a rpm sensor;
- and
- a power supply adapted to supply electrical power to the motor, the processing unit and the display unit;
- determining a reproducible minimum rpm value comprising:
- adding an amount of a proppant to the sample to form a slurry;
- mixing the slurry at a mixing rpm value for a mixing period;
- increasing the mixing rpm value to a high shear rpm value for a high shear period to mimic a high shear history encountered by a fracturing fluid being pumped down a tubular member and into a formation to be fractured;
- after the high shear period, reducing the high shear rpm value until the proppant visually settles in the bottom of the jar;
- fluidizing the settled proppant by increasing a rpm value;
- reducing the rpm value to a minimum rpm value that just prevents proppant settling;
- and
- repeating the fluidizing step until the minimum rpm value is reproducible resulting in the determination of the reproducible minimum rpm value.
22 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- a blender unit including:
- a base unit having:
- a motor;
- a jar unit including:
- ajar;
- a base;
- and
- a blade assembly;
- a control unit including:
- a processing unit;
- and
- a display unit;
- a rpm sensor;
- and
- a power supply adapted to supply electrical power to the motor, the processing unit and the display unit,
- wherein the processing unit is configured to:
- convert a reproducible minimum rpm value into a shear rate;
- calculate a fluid velocity from the calculated shear rate;
- calculate a pump rate from the fluid velocity;
- calculate a maximum fracture width value from a sample viscosity data and the calculated pump rate;
- and
- calculate a fracture shear rate from the calculated fluid velocity and the calculated maximum fracture width value of the sample;
- convert a treatment pump rate of a fracture treatment of a formation to be stimulated into a treatment fluid velocity as the fracturing fluid travels through a treatment tubular member;
- calculate a high shear period from a length of the treatment tubular member and the treatment fluid velocity;
- calculate a treatment shear rate from the treatment fluid velocity and a tubular member internal diameter;
- and
- convert the shear rate to a high shear rpm value.
24 more elements
A method comprising:
- hydrating a sample of each of a plurality of fracturing fluids, each of the plurality of fracturing fluids includes a different additive composition, in an apparatus comprising a vessel, a mixing unit, a control unit, a rpm sensor, and a power supply under hydrating conditions including a hydrating temperature, a hydrating rpm value, and a hydrating period;
- for each of the samples, determining a reproducible minimum rpm value comprising:
- adding an amount of a proppant to the sample to form a slurry;
- mixing the slurry at a mixing rpm value for a mixing period;
- increasing the mixing rpm value to a high shear rpm value for a high shear period;
- after the high shear period, reducing the high shear rpm value to a rpm value where the proppant begins to visually settle;
- increasing the rpm value to reform the slurry;
- reducing the rpm value to a minimum rpm value, wherein minimum rpm value just prevents proppant settling;
- repeating the rpm value reducing step until the minimum rpm value is reproducible resulting in the determination of the reproducible minimum rpm value;
- converting the reproducible minimum rpm value into a shear rate;
- calculating:
- a fluid velocity from the calculated shear rate,
- a pump rate from the fluid velocity, and
- a maximum fracture width value from a sample viscosity data and the calculated pump rate;
- comparing the reproducible minimum rpm values and the calculated maximum fracture width values of the samples of the plurality of fracturing fluids to determine a particular sample,
- wherein the particular sample has a lowest minimum rpm value from the plurality of fracturing fluids, which represents a fracturing fluid with improved proppant transport properties.
13 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- a vessel, a mixing unit, a control unit having a processing unit, a rpm sensor, and a power supply,
- wherein the processing unit is configured to:
- convert a reproducible minimum rpm value into a shear rate;
- calculate a fluid velocity from the calculated shear rate;
- calculate a pump rate from the fluid velocity;
- calculate a maximum fracture width value from a sample viscosity data and the calculated pump rate;
- and
- calculate a fracture shear rate from the calculated fluid velocity and the calculated maximum fracture width value of the sample;
- convert a treatment pump rate of a fracture treatment of a formation to be stimulated into a treatment fluid velocity as the fracturing fluid travels through a treatment tubular member;
- calculate a high shear period from a length of the treatment tubular member and the treatment fluid velocity;
- calculate a treatment shear rate from the treatment fluid velocity and a tubular member internal diameter;
- and
- convert the shear rate to a high shear rpm value.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.