Remote mobile operation and diagnostic center for frac services

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10260327-B2
Application number	US-201514725341-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 29, 2015
Priority date	May 30, 2014
Publication date	Apr 16, 2019
Grant date	Apr 16, 2019

Abstract

A method for remotely controlling services to a well during hydraulic fracturing operations includes generating a high pressure fluid. The high pressure fluid is pumped into a subterranean geologic formation through a wellbore of a first well at a pressure to fracture the subterranean geologic formation. The method also includes performing a service on a second well that is located within a pressure zone defined around the first well and the second well. The method further includes controlling the performance of the service from a remote operations hub located outside of the pressure zone. The pumping into the first well may be performed simultaneously with the service on the second well.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for remotely controlling services to a well during hydraulic fracturing operations, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) generating a high pressure fluid and pumping the high pressure fluid into a subterranean geologic formation through a wellbore of a first well, the high pressure fluid being provided at a sufficient pressure to fracture the subterranean geologic formation;
(b) performing at least one of a monitoring operation, a prognostic operation, or a diagnostic operation on well mounted equipment of a second well, the second well being located within a pressure zone defined around the first well and the second well, the at least one of the monitoring operation, the prognostic operation, or the diagnostic operation being remotely controlled;
(c) controlling the performance of the at least one of the monitoring operation, the prognostic operation, or the diagnostic operation from a remote operations hub; wherein
step (a) and step (b) are performed simultaneously; and
step (c) is performed from the remote operations hub located outside of the pressure zone.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein step (b) is performed from a wheeled mobile operation center.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein step (b) is performed from a grease skid.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the monitoring operation, the prognostic operation, or the diagnostic operation includes an operation of equipment mounted on a wellhead of the second well.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein step (b) includes transferring a pressure from the remote location to the second well through a pressure media line that extends from the remote location to the second well.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the monitoring operation, the prognostic operation, or the diagnostic operation includes greasing a valve of a wellhead assembly of the second well.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein step (b) includes:
providing a grease supply line to a manifold block of the wellhead assembly;
selecting the valve to be greased; and
starting a grease pump and counting a number of strokes of the grease pump to measure grease flow through the grease supply line.

8. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the at least one of the monitoring operation, the prognostic operation, or the diagnostic operation further includes greasing a valve of a third well, and wherein step (b) includes:
providing a grease supply line to a manifold block associated with the third well;
providing a crossover grease supply line from the manifold block associated with the third well to a manifold block associated with the second well;
selecting the valve of the second well to be greased and the valve of the third well to be greased; and
starting a grease pump to supply grease to the selected valves.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein step (b) includes determining if a valve of a wellhead assembly is in an open position or a closed position.

10. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising displaying real time feedback on the at least one of the monitoring operation, the prognostic operation, or the diagnostic operation at the remote location.

11. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising monitoring the at least one of the monitoring operation, the prognostic operation, or the diagnostic operation at a second remote location.

12. A method for remotely controlling services to a well during hydraulic fracturing operations, the method comprising:
providing a remote operations hub outside of the pressure zone of a hydraulic fracturing operation being performed at a first well, wherein the hydraulic fracturing operation includes a pressure zone circumscribing the first well and a second well;
simultaneously with the hydraulic fracturing operation being performed on the first well, performing at least one of a monitoring operation, a prognostic operation, or a diagnostic operation on valves located at a surface of the second well from the remote operations hub.

13. The method according to claim 12 , further comprising monitoring characteristics of the first well at a remote location outside of the pressure zone and analyzing the characteristics to modify the hydraulic fracturing operation.

14. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the step of performing the at least one of the monitoring operation, the prognostic operation, or the diagnostic operation on the second well from the remote operations hub includes utilizing a control panel located at the remote operations hub to operate and monitor well mounted equipment.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the well mounted equipment is selected from a group consisting of a tree, a manifold, a choke, a valve, an actuator, a separation unit, a flare stack, a pump, a sensor and a compression unit.

16. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the step of performing the at least one of the monitoring operation, the prognostic operation, or the diagnostic operation on the second well from the remote operations hub includes:
providing a grease supply line to a manifold block of the a wellhead assembly of the second well;
selecting a valve of the wellhead assembly of the second well to be greased; and
starting a grease pump and counting a number of strokes of the grease pump to measure grease flow through the grease supply line.

17. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the step of performing the at least one of the monitoring operation, the prognostic operation, or the diagnostic operation on the second well from the remote operations hub includes:
providing a grease supply line to a manifold block associated with a third well;
providing a crossover grease supply line from the manifold block associated with third well to the manifold block associated with the second well;
selecting a valve of a wellhead assembly of the second well to be greased; and
starting a grease pump to supply grease to the selected valves.

18. A system for remotely controlling services to a well during hydraulic fracturing operations, the system comprising:
a first well in fluid communication with a high pressure pumping system operable to pump high pressure fluid into a subterranean geologic formation through a wellbore of the first well at a sufficient pressure to fracture the subterranean geologic formation;
a second well located within a pressure zone defined around the first well and the second well; and
a remote operations hub, the remote operations hub in communication with the second well and operable to remotely control the performance of at least one of a monitoring operation, a prognostic operation, or a diagnostic operation on well mounted equipment arranged at a surface location at the second well during operation of the high pressure pumping system at the first well, the remote operations hub being located outside of the pressure zone.

19. The system according to claim 18 , wherein the well mounted equipment is selected from a group consisting of a tree, a manifold, a choke, a valve, an actuator, a separation unit, a flare stack, a pump, a sensor and a compression unit.

Assignees

• Ge Oil & Gas Pressure Control Lp

Inventors

• Kajaria Saurabh
• Clifton Jacob

Classifications

• E21B43/26 Primary

  by forming crevices or fractures · CPC title

• E21B34/02

  in well heads · CPC title

• E21B47/00

  Survey of boreholes or wells (monitoring pressure or flow of drilling fluid E21B21/08) · CPC title

• E21B41/0092

  Fixed Constructions · mapped topic

• E21B43/2607 Primary

  Surface equipment specially adapted for fracturing operations · CPC title