# US 2019/0376377 A1 · Apparatus and method for servicing a well

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- Number: US 2019/0376377 A1
- Document ID: US20190376377A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/507,416
- Filed: 2019-07-10
- Published: 2019-12-12
- Earliest claimed: 2012-12-27
- Assignees: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
- Applicants: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
- Inventors: Kim A. Hodgson; Sean Black; Prashant Unnikrishnan Nair; Dale Eden; William Troy Huey; Donald E. Hensley; Olivier Clerc
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190376377A1

## CPC

- E21B 43/2607: {Surface equipment specially adapted for fracturing operations}
- B01F 23/50: Mixing liquids with solids (displacing one liquid by another in dispersions of solids in liquids B01D12/00)
- B01F 23/59: {Mixing systems, i.e. flow charts or diagrams}
- B01F 27/113: Propeller-shaped stirrers for producing an axial flow, e.g. shaped like a ship or aircraft propeller
- B01F 33/5021: {the vehicle being self-propelled, e.g. truck mounted, provided with a motor, driven by tracks (B01F33/5022 - B01F33/5027 take precedence)}
- B01F 35/7173: {using gravity, e.g. from a hopper}
- B01F 35/7176: {using pumps}
- B01F 35/71805: {using valves, gates, orifices or openings}
- E21B 21/062: {by mixing components}
- E21B 43/267: reinforcing fractures by propping
- B01F 2101/49: Mixing drilled material or ingredients for well-drilling, earth-drilling or deep-drilling compositions with liquids to obtain slurries
- E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
- B01F: MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING (mixing paints B44D3/06)

## Abstract

A blender apparatus is disclosed having a chassis, a mixer positioned on the chassis, and a transfer pump positioned on the chassis. The mixer has a mixer housing defining a first mixer inlet, a second mixer inlet, and a mixer outlet. The first mixer inlet receives a liquid component, and the second mixer inlet receives a dry component. The mixer pressurizes at least the liquid component within the housing and discharges the liquid component through the mixer outlet at a first pressure above hydrostatic pressure. The transfer pump has a pump housing defining a pump inlet, a pump outlet and is devoid of an inlet configured to receive a dry component through a gravity feed. The transfer pump receives the liquid component through the pump inlet, pressurizes the liquid component within the pump housing, and discharges the liquid component through the pump outlet at a second pressure above hydrostatic pressure.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A blending system, comprising:
a chassis;
a blender apparatus comprising:
a mixer positioned on the chassis, the mixer having a mixer housing defining a first mixer inlet, a second mixer inlet and a mixer outlet, the first mixer inlet configured to receive a liquid component, and the second mixer inlet configured to receive a dry component, the mixer configured to pressurize at least the liquid component within the housing and discharge the liquid component through the mixer outlet at a first pressure above hydrostatic pressure; and
a transfer pump positioned on the chassis, the transfer pump having a pump housing defining a pump inlet to receive a liquid component, a pump outlet and being devoid of an inlet configured to receive a dry component through a gravity feed, the transfer pump configured to receive the liquid component, pressurize the liquid component within the pump housing, and discharge the liquid component through the pump outlet at a second pressure above hydrostatic pressure.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The blending system of claim 1, wherein the first pressure is between 45-70 psi.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The blending system of claim 1, wherein the first pressure is within 10% of the second pressure.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The blending system of claim 1, further comprising:
at least one fluid intake port in fluid communication with the first mixer inlet and the pump inlet; and
at least two discharge ports including a first discharge port in fluid communication with the mixer outlet and a second discharge port in fluid communication with the pump outlet.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The blending system of claim 4, wherein the at least one fluid intake port comprises a first fluid intake port and a second fluid intake port, and further comprising a valve having an open position and a closed position, wherein the open position places the first fluid intake port in fluid communication with the second fluid intake port.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The blending system of claim 4, wherein the transfer pump is a first transfer pump, and further comprising a second transfer pump positioned on the chassis, the second transfer pump having a pump housing defining a pump inlet to receive a liquid component, a pump outlet and being devoid of an inlet configured to receive a dry component through a gravity feed, the pump inlet of the second transfer pump is in communication with the at least one fluid intake port, and the pump outlet of the second transfer pump in communication with the first mixer inlet.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The blender apparatus of claim 4, wherein the mixer is a first mixer, and further comprising:
a second mixer positioned on the chassis, the second mixer having a mixer housing defining a first mixer inlet, a second mixer inlet and a mixer outlet, the first mixer inlet configured to receive a liquid component, and the second mixer inlet configured to receive a dry component;
a first valve having an open position and a closed position, wherein the open position of the first valve places the pump outlet of the transfer pump in fluid communication with the first mixer inlet of the second mixer; and
a second valve having an open position and a closed position, wherein the closed position of the second valve blocks fluid communication between the pump outlet of the transfer pump and the second outlet.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The blender apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transfer pump is a first transfer pump and the blending apparatus further comprises a second transfer pump positioned on the chassis in fluid communication with the first mixer inlet, the second transfer pump having a pump housing defining a pump inlet to receive a liquid component, a pump outlet in fluid communication with the first mixer inlet, and being devoid of an inlet configured to receive a dry component through a gravity feed, the second transfer pump configured to receive the liquid component, pressurize the liquid component within the pump housing, and discharge the liquid component through the pump outlet to the first mixer inlet at a third pressure above hydrostatic pressure.

### Claim 9

A well stimulation system, comprising:
at least one blending system comprising:
a chassis;
a blender apparatus comprising:
at least one mixer positioned on the chassis, the mixer having a mixer housing defining a first mixer inlet, a second mixer inlet, and a mixer outlet, the first mixer inlet configured to receive a liquid component, and the second mixer inlet configured to receive a dry component, the mixer configured to pressurize at least the liquid component within the housing and discharge the liquid component through the mixer outlet at a first pressure above hydrostatic pressure;
at least one transfer pump positioned on the chassis, the transfer pump having a pump housing defining a pump inlet to receive a liquid component, a pump outlet and being devoid of an inlet configured to receive a dry component through a gravity feed, the one transfer pump configured to receive the liquid component, pressurize the liquid component within the housing, and discharge the liquid component through the pump outlet at a second pressure above hydrostatic pressure;
at least two fluid discharge ports including a first discharge port in fluid communication with the mixer outlet and a second discharge port in fluid communication with the pump outlet;
a manifold having a plurality of inlets and a plurality of outlets, the manifold connected to the at least two discharge ports of the at least one blender apparatus via at least one of the plurality of inlets, and fluidly connected to a well-bore, via at least one of the plurality of outlets, for directing the liquid component into the well-bore; and
a stimulation pump having an inlet fluidly connected to at least one of the plurality of outlets of the manifold to receive the liquid component, and an outlet fluidly connected to the at least one of the plurality of inlets of the manifold to pass the liquid component back to the manifold at a third pressure above the first and second pressures.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The well stimulation system of claim 9, wherein the at least one blender apparatus further comprises at least one fluid intake port in fluid communication with the mixer and the transfer pump.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The well stimulation system of claim 10, wherein the at least one fluid intake port comprises a first fluid intake port and a second fluid intake port, and further comprises a valve having an open position and a closed position, wherein the open position places the first fluid intake port in fluid communication with the second fluid intake port.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The well stimulation system of claim 11, wherein the first fluid intake port is in fluid communication with the mixer inlet and the second fluid intake port is in fluid communication with the pump inlet.

### Claim 13 (depends on 9)

The well stimulation system of claim 9, wherein the at least one blender apparatus further comprises a valve positioned between the at least one mixer and the at least one transfer pump, the valve configured to isolate the at least one mixer from fluid communication with the at least one transfer pump.

### Claim 14 (depends on 9)

The well stimulation system of claim 9, wherein the first and second pressures are in a range from 45-70 psi.

### Claim 15 (depends on 9)

The well stimulation system of claim 9, wherein the at least one mixer is a first mixer and a second mixer and the at least one transfer pump is a first transfer pump and a second transfer pump, wherein the first mixer is in fluid communication with the first transfer pump and the second mixer is in fluid communication with the second transfer pump, and wherein the first mixer, the second mixer, the first transfer pump, and the second transfer pump are positioned on the chassis.