Power sources and transmission networks for auxiliary equipment onboard hydraulic fracturing units and associated methods

#This disclosure relates generally to fracturing operations for oil and gas wells, and in particular, to power sources and networks for auxiliary equipment onboard hydraulic fracturing units and associated methods.

#Fracturing is an oilfield operation that stimulates production of hydrocarbons, such that the hydrocarbons may more easily or readily flow from a subsurface formation to a well. For example, a fracturing system may be configured to fracture a formation by pumping a fracking fluid into a well at high pressure and high flow rates. Some fracking fluids may take the form of a slurry including water, proppants (e.g., sand), and/or other additives, such as thickening agents and/or gels. The slurry may be forced via one or more pumps into the formation at rates faster than can be accepted by the existing pores, fractures, faults, or other spaces within the formation. As a result, pressure builds rapidly to the point where the formation fails and begins to fracture.

#By continuing to pump the fracking fluid into the formation, existing fractures in the formation are caused to expand and extend in directions farther away from a well bore, thereby creating flow paths to the well bore. The proppants may serve to prevent the expanded fractures from closing when pumping of the fracking fluid is ceased or may reduce the extent to which the expanded fractures contract when pumping of the fracking fluid is ceased. Once the formation is fractured, large quantities of the injected fracking fluid are allowed to flow out of the well, and the production stream of hydrocarbons may be obtained from the formation.

#Having thus described aspects of the disclosure in the foregoing general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying figures, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

#FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system for fracturing a well according to some example implementations of the present disclosure;

#FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a hydraulic fracturing unit according to some example implementations;

#Some implementations of the present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying figures, in which some, but not all implementations of the disclosure are shown. Indeed, various implementations of the disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the implementations set forth herein; rather, these example implementations are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

#Unless specified otherwise or clear from context, references to first, second or the like should not be construed to imply a particular order. A feature may be described as being above another feature (unless specified otherwise or clear from context) may instead be below, and vice versa; and similarly, features described as being to the left of another feature else may instead be to the right, and vice versa. Also, while reference may be made herein to quantitative measures, values, geometric relationships or the like, unless otherwise stated, any one or more if not all of these may be absolute or approximate to account for acceptable variations that may occur, such as those due to engineering tolerances or the like.

#As used herein, unless specified otherwise or clear from context, the “or” of a set of operands is the “inclusive or” and thereby true if and only if one or more of the operands is true, as opposed to the “exclusive or” which is false when all of the operands are true. Thus, for example, “[A] or [B]” is true if [A] is true, or if [B] is true, or if both [A] and [B] are true. Further, the articles “a” and “an” mean “one or more,” unless specified otherwise or clear from context to be directed to a singular form.