# US 2018/0196446 A1 · High Pressure Valve and Transmission Safety Checks

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- Number: US 2018/0196446 A1
- Document ID: US20180196446A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 15/324,064
- Filed: 2015-10-02
- Published: 2018-07-12
- 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; Derek Williams
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180196446A1

## 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 a valve in a manifold system having a plurality of valves, comprising:
receiving a plurality of valve configurations for the plurality of valves that would result in an overpressured manifold system;
receiving a request to manipulate the valve in the manifold system;
determining whether a pump to the manifold system is operating;
in response to a determination that the pump to the manifold system is operating, determining whether the proposed valve manipulation would inhibit a flow path between the pump and an outlet of the manifold system based on the received overpressured manifold system valve configurations; and
in response to a determination that the proposed valve manipulation would inhibit the flow path and would result in an overpressured manifold system, blocking the proposed valve manipulation.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the request to manipulate the valve is a request to open the valve.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the request to manipulate the valve is a request to close the valve.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
in response to a determination that the proposed valve manipulation would not inhibit the flow path, manipulating the valve in accordance with the request.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
in response to the determination that the proposed valve manipulation would inhibit the flow path and would result in an overpressured manifold system:
providing a warning regarding the inhibited flow path to an operator;
providing an override option to the operator;
determining whether the operator has selected the override option; and
in response to a determination that the operator has selected the override option, manipulating the valve in accordance with the request.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, further comprising:
in response to a determination that the operator has not selected the override option, discarding the request to manipulate the valve.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving a request to operate the pump; and
determining whether the valve configuration once manipulated as requested matches one of the plurality of valve configurations that would result in an overpressured manifold system.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, further comprising:
in response to a determination that the manipulated valve configuration matches a valve configuration that would result in an overpressured manifold system:
blocking the proposed pump operation;
providing a warning regarding an unacceptable flow path to the operator;
providing a second override option to the operator;
determining 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 the pump.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, further comprising:
in response to a determination that a flow path exists that would not result in an overpressured manifold system, starting the pump.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, further comprising:
in response to a determination that the operator has not selected the second override option, maintaining the pump in its current state.

### Claim 11 (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 the valve in accordance with the request.

### Claim 12

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 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 a plurality of valve configurations for the plurality of valves that would result in an 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 proposed valve manipulation would inhibit a flow path between the pump and an outlet of the manifold system based on the received overpressured manifold system valve configurations; and
in response to a determination that the proposed valve manipulation would inhibit the flow path and would result in an overpressured manifold system, block the proposed valve manipulation.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, wherein the request to manipulate the valve is a request to open the valve.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, wherein the request to manipulate the valve is a request to close the valve.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are further operable to cause the system to:
in response to the determination that the proposed valve manipulation would inhibit the flow path and would result in an 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 16 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, 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 17 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are further operable to cause the system to:
receive a request to operate the pump; and
determine whether the valve configuration once manipulated as requested matches one of the plurality of valve configurations that would result in an overpressured manifold system.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The system of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors are further operable to cause the system to:
in response to a determination that the manipulated valve configuration matches a valve configuration that would result in an overpressured manifold system:
block the proposed pump operation;
provide a warning regarding an unacceptable flow path to the 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 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 operator has not selected the second override option, maintain the pump in its current state.

### Claim 20 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, 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.