System for centralized monitoring and control of electric powered hydraulic fracturing fleet

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11091992-B2
Application number	US-201815978838-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 14, 2018
Priority date	Nov 16, 2012
Publication date	Aug 17, 2021
Grant date	Aug 17, 2021

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for centralized monitoring and control of a hydraulic fracturing operation. The system includes an electric powered fracturing fleet and a centralized control unit coupled to the electric powered fracturing fleet. The electric powered fracturing fleet can include a combination of one or more of: electric powered pumps, turbine generators, blenders, sand silos, chemical storage units, conveyor belts, manifold trailers, hydration units, variable frequency drives, switchgear, transformers, and compressors. The centralized control unit can be configured to monitor and/or control one or more operating characteristics of the electric powered fracturing fleet.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for hydraulically fracturing an underground formation in an oil or gas well to extract oil or gas from the formation, the oil or gas well having a wellbore that permits passage of fluid from the wellbore into the formation, the system comprising:
an electric pump fluidly connected to the well, and configured to pump fluid into the wellbore; and
a centralized control unit coupled to the electric pump, wherein the centralized control unit is configured to:
monitor the electric pump; and
a variable frequency drive that controls a speed of the electric pump;
wherein the centralized control unit is coupled to the electric pump via one or more of cabling, Ethernet, or wirelessly; and
wherein the centralized control unit is further configured to reset a fault occurring in the variable frequency drive.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a generator electrically connected to the electric pump to provide power to the electric pump, wherein the generator is powered by natural gas, and wherein the centralized control unit is further configured to monitor and control compression of the natural gas.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the generator is a turbine generator, and wherein the centralized control unit is further configured to monitor and control the turbine generator.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the electric pump is a plurality of electric pumps.

5. The system of claim 4 , further comprising: a variable frequency drive that controls the plurality of electric pumps.

6. The system of claim 2 , further comprising an emergency power off unit coupled to the centralized control unit, the electric pump, and the generator, wherein the emergency power off unit is configured to substantially immediately cut power from the generator when activated.

7. The system of claim 6 , the emergency power off unit comprising an auxiliary power and a switchgear, each coupled to the generator and the centralized control unit, wherein the switchgear is responsive to a signal from the centralized control unit to open a breaker to substantially immediately cut power to the generator.

8. A method, comprising:
pumping fracturing fluid into a well in a formation with an electrically powered pump, the fracturing fluid having at least a liquid component and a solid proppant, and inserting the solid proppant into the cracks to maintain the cracks open, thereby allowing passage of oil and gas through the cracks;
monitoring at a centralized control unit the electrically powered pump; wherein the centralized control unit is coupled to the electrically powered pump via one or more of cabling, Ethernet, or wirelessly; and
controlling the speed of the pump with a variable frequency drive, wherein the centralized control unit is configured to reset a fault occurring in the variable frequency drive.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
powering the electrically powered pump with a generator, wherein the generator is fueled by natural gas; and
monitoring compression of natural gas.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the natural gas is selected from the group consisting of field natural gas, compressed natural gas, and liquid natural gas.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising controlling compression of natural gas;
wherein the generator is fueled by natural gas.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the generator is a turbine generator; the method further comprising
monitoring the turbine generator.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the generator is a turbine generator; the method further comprising
controlling the turbine generator.

14. The method of claim 8 , further comprising resetting a fault occurring in the variable frequency drive from the centralized control unit.

15. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
providing an emergency power off unit coupled to the centralized control unit, the electrically powered pump and the generator; and
substantially immediately cutting power to the generator by activating the emergency power off unit.

16. The method of claim 15 , the emergency power off unit comprising an auxiliary power and switchgear, each coupled to the generator and the centralized control unit, the method further comprising
signaling the switchgear from the centralized control unit to open a breaker to substantially immediately cut power to the generator.

17. A system for centralized monitoring and control of a hydraulic fracturing operation, comprising:
an electric powered fracturing fleet, the electric powered fracturing fleet comprising:
a combination of one or more of: electric powered pumps, turbine generators, blenders, sand silos, chemical storage units, conveyor belts, manifold trailers, hydration units, variable frequency drives, switchgear, transformers, compressors;
a centralized control unit coupled to electric powered fracturing fleet; and
an emergency power off unit coupled to the centralized control unit, the electric powered pumps and the turbine generators, the emergency power off unit configured to substantially immediately cut power to the turbine generators when activated, wherein the centralized control unit is configured to:
monitor one or more operating characteristics of the electric powered fracturing fleet; and control one or more operating characteristics of the electric powered fracturing fleet;
wherein the centralized control unit is coupled to the electric powered fracturing fleet via one or more of cabling, Ethernet, or wirelessly.

18. The system of claim 17 , the emergency power off unit comprising an auxiliary power and switchgear, each coupled to the generators and the centralized control unit, the switchgear responsive to a signal from the centralized control unit to open a breaker to substantially immediately cut power to the turbine generators.

19. The system of claim 17 , wherein the centralized control unit is further configured to monitor and control compression of natural gas.

20. The system of claim 17 , wherein the centralized control unit is further configured to monitor and control the turbine generators.

Assignees

• U S Well Services Llc

Inventors

• Broussard Joel N
• Mcpherson Jeff
• Kurtz Robert
• Oehring Jared
• Hinderliter Brandon

Classifications

• E21B43/2607 Primary

  Surface equipment specially adapted for fracturing operations · CPC title

• E21B43/26 Primary

  by forming crevices or fractures · CPC title