System, apparatus and methods for blending cement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10053953-B2
Application number	US-201514664831-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 21, 2015
Priority date	Mar 21, 2015
Publication date	Aug 21, 2018
Grant date	Aug 21, 2018

Abstract

A system for blending cement and at least one additive during a blending job to create a cement slurry for use in an underground hydrocarbon well includes a mixing tub, at least first and second blenders and a rotatable platform upon which the blenders are mounted. Each blender includes at least one elongated, rotatable, mixing blade extending into the tub to mix the cement and at the additive(s) to form the cement slurry.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. System for blending cement and at least one additive during a blending job to create a cement slurry for use in an underground hydrocarbon well, the system comprising:
a mixing tub having an upper end and a lower end and at least one outer wall extending therebetween, said upper end being at least partially open and said lower end being at least substantially closed, at least two inflow ports formed in said outer wall, each said inflow port being configured to allow the flow of at least one among cement and at least one additive into said mixing tub to be used to create the cement slurry, and at least one discharge port formed in said mixing tub and configured to allow the discharge of cement slurry from said mixing tub;
at least first and second adjacent blenders associated with said mixing tub, each said blender having at least a first elongated, rotatable, mixing blade extending into said mixing tub, said first mixing blade of said first blender being configured to rotate in a direction opposite to the rotational direction of said first mixing blade of said second blender, said blenders being configured to mix the cement and at least one additive to form the cement slurry within said mixing tub; and
a platform upon which said blenders are mounted and below which said mixing blades extend, said platform being configured to be positioned proximate to said upper end of said mixing tub and rotatable relative to said mixing tub, where by rotation of said platform concurrently rotates said blenders mounted thereto.

2. The system of claim 1 further including at least third and fourth adjacent said blenders associated with said mixing tub and mounted upon said platform adjacent to said first and second blenders in a circular configuration, each of said third and fourth blenders having at least a first elongated, rotating, mixing blade extending into said mixing tub below said platform, wherein said first mixing blade of each of said first, second, third and fourth blenders rotates in a direction opposite to the rotational direction of said first mixing blade of each respective said blender that is adjacent thereto.

3. The system of claim 1 further including an electric motor electrically coupled to all said blenders and carried by said platform, said electric motor being configured to provide power to each said blender to rotate each said respective mixing blade thereof.

4. The system of claim 1 further including first and second electric motors electrically coupled to said first and second blenders, respectively, each said electric motor being configured to provide power to its respective corresponding said blender to rotate said at least one mixing blade thereof.

5. The system of claim 1 further including at least one distinct material inflow conveyor associated with each said inflow port and configured to deliver a continuous flow of at least one among cement and at least one additive into said mixing tub throughout the blending job.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein each said material inflow conveyor is configured to be selectively controllable to vary the flow of at least one among cement and at least one additive delivered into said mixing tub through its associated inflow port.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein said material inflow conveyor is a screw conveyor.

8. The system of claim 1 further including at least one material discharge conveyor associated with said at least one discharge port of said mixing tub, said material discharge conveyor being configured to receive the cement slurry discharged from said mixing tub and deliver it to at least one other location.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein said at least one material discharge conveyor is configured to be selectively controllable to vary the flow of cement slurry from said mixing tube to the at least one other location.

10. The system of claim 8 further including at least one distinct material inflow conveyor associated with each said inflow port and configured to deliver a continuous flow of at least one among cement and at least one additive into said mixing tub during the blending job, wherein said material discharge conveyor has a capacity to deliver cement slurry from said mixing tub that is between two and three times greater than the capacity of each said material inflow conveyor used to deliver cement to said mixing tub.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein said platform is configured to rest atop said upper end of said mixing tub.

12. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least one inner discharge tube and at least one outer discharge tube disposed within said mixing tub, said inner discharge tube being positioned concentrically within said outer discharge tube, said inner and outer discharge tubes having respective open upper and lower ends, said respective upper ends of said discharge tubes being positioned in said mixing tub closer to said upper end of said mixing tub than said lower ends of said discharge tubes and said respective lower ends of said discharge tubes being positioned in said mixing tub closer to said lower end of said mixing tub than said upper ends of said discharge tubes, said inner discharge tube being in fluid communication with at least one said discharge port of said mixing tub, wherein said discharge tubes are configured to allow cement slurry to flow from said mixing tub into said upper end of said inner discharge tube, through said inner discharge tube and out said mixing tub through at least one said discharge port therein,
each said discharge tube having a wall extending between said upper and lower ends thereof and at least one window formed in said wall of said each discharge tube, at least one said window of said outer discharge tube being alignable over at least one said window of said inner discharge tube, at least one among said inner and outer discharge tubes being selectively rotatable relative to said other discharge tube to move said respective alignable windows thereof between at least one aligned position and at least one misaligned position, said windows in said aligned position allowing the flow of cement slurry therethrough from said mixing tub into said inner discharge tube, and said windows in said misaligned position disallowing the flow of cement slurry through said windows.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein said upper ends of said inner and outer discharge tubes are positioned at distance below said upper end of said mixing tub equal to between 20%-40% the overall height of said mixing tub.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein said discharge tubes are vertically oriented in said mixing tub.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein said respective alignable windows of said inner and outer discharge tubes are configured to be movable into said aligned position to allow the discharge of cement slurry remaining in said mixing tub when the height of the cement slurry in said mixing tub falls below the height of said upper ends of said inner and outer discharge tubes.

16. The system of claim 12 wherein said respective alignable windows of said inner and outer discharge tubes are configured to be maintained in said misaligned position during the blending job.

17. The system of claim 12 wherein said inner discharge tube is selectively rotatable relative to said outer discharge tube to change the position of said respective alignable windows thereof between said aligned and said misaligned positions.

18. The system of claim 12 wherein the inner diameter of said inner discharge tube is between two and three times greater than

Assignees

• Baker Hughes Inc
• Baker Hughes A Ge Co Llc

Inventors

• Go Boncan Virgilio C

Classifications

• B28C7/16

  Discharge means {, e.g. with intermediate storage of fresh concrete} · CPC title

• B28C7/0418 Primary

  control systems therefor · CPC title

• B01F7/30

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01F7/0095

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• E21B33/14 Primary

  for cementing casings into boreholes · CPC title