Decoupled long stroke pump
AssigneeHalliburton Energy Services, Inc.
InventorsStanley V. Stephenson, Timothy Holiman Hunter, Jim Basuki Surjaatmadja
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods for operating a decoupled long stroke pump to pump treatment fluid to a wellbore are provided. The decoupled long stroke pump has relatively long stroke plungers that can be powered by hydraulics, linear electric motors, mechanical long stroke mechanisms, linear actuators, or any other device that can provide a linear force to the plungers. Such long stroke pumps have the suction and discharge strokes decoupled such that an absolute linear flow rate without pressure pulses on the suction or discharge can be produced. Any desired flow profile of the treatment fluid can be produced via the decoupled long stroke pump.
Claims20
A method, comprising:
- pumping treatment fluid to a wellbore via a long stroke pump comprising a fluid end and a power end, wherein the long stroke pump comprises three fluid cylinders within the fluid end, wherein the power end powers the movement of three plungers, each of the three plungers located within a corresponding one of the three fluid cylinders, wherein the movement of the plungers within their corresponding fluid cylinders is decoupled, wherein pumping the treatment fluid comprises:
- controlling, by a control system, the stroking of the three plungers within the corresponding fluid cylinders with respect to a common timing pulse, and wherein the common timing pulse determines a known position in each stroke for each of the three plungers;
- urging the treatment fluid through a suction line into the fluid end via movement of one or more of the plungers;
- and
- pressurizing and outputting the treatment fluid to the wellbore through a discharge line in response to movement of one or more of the three plungers;
- and
- controlling the long stroke pump to maintain a constant flowrate through the suction line during pumping of the treatment fluid.
A method, comprising:
- pumping treatment fluid to a wellbore via a long stroke pump comprising a fluid end and a power end, wherein the long stroke pump comprises three fluid cylinders within the fluid end, wherein the power end powers the movement of three plungers, each of the three plungers located within a corresponding one of the three fluid cylinders, wherein the movement of the plungers within their corresponding fluid cylinders is decoupled, wherein the movement of each of the three plungers within the corresponding fluid cylinder is controlled by a common timing pulse via a control system, wherein the common timing pulse determines a known position in each stroke for each of the three plungers, wherein pumping the treatment fluid comprises stroking each of the three plungers within their respective fluid cylinders through a three-phase cycle, wherein the three-phase cycle comprises:
- a suction phase whereby the plunger is moved backward in the fluid cylinder to draw treatment fluid into the fluid cylinder from a suction line;
- a pre-compression phase whereby the plunger is moved slowly forward in the fluid cylinder in an increment sufficient to compress the treatment fluid and expand the fluid end;
- and
- a discharge phase whereby the plunger is moved quickly forward in the fluid cylinder to discharge the treatment fluid from the fluid cylinder under pressure to a discharge line.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.