Simultaneous multiple well stimulation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11248456-B2
Application number	US-202016839448-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 3, 2020
Priority date	Apr 3, 2020
Publication date	Feb 15, 2022
Grant date	Feb 15, 2022

Abstract

A plurality of clean fluid pumps fluidically coupled to a common line, the plurality of clean fluid pumps configured to pump a clean fluid. A plurality of individual lines extending from the common line to a plurality of wellbores, each wellbore of the plurality of wellbores having at least one individual line of the plurality of lines solely fluidically coupled thereto. A plurality of dirty fluid pumps, each wellbore of the plurality of wellbores having at least one of the dirty pumps solely fluidically coupled thereto, the fluidic coupling being downstream from the common line. A flow control device, such as a choke, installed in at least one of the individual lines, the installation being downstream from the common line and upstream from the point of the fluidic coupling of the at least one dirty fluid pump to the corresponding wellbore.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a plurality of clean pumps fluidically coupled to a common line, the plurality of clean pumps configured to pump a clean fluid;
a plurality of individual lines extending from the common line to a plurality of wellbores, each wellbore of the plurality of wellbores having at least one individual line of the plurality of lines solely fluidically coupled thereto;
a plurality of dirty pumps, each wellbore of the plurality of wellbores having at least one dirty pump of the plurality of dirty pumps are solely fluidically coupled thereto, the fluidic coupling being downstream from the common line, and wherein the plurality of dirty pumps configured to pump a dirty fluid comprising solids; and
a variable flow control device installed in at least one of the individual lines, the installation being downstream from the common line and upstream from the point of the fluidic coupling of the dirty fluid pump to the wellbore to which the individual line extends so that the variable flow control device only controls flow of the clean fluid.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a variable flow control device installed in each of the individual lines subsequent the common line and prior to the point of the fluidic coupling of the dirty fluid pumps to the wellbores to which the individual lines extend.

3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a variable flow control device installed in a plurality of the individual lines subsequent the common line and prior to the point of the fluidic coupling of the dirty fluid pumps to the wellbores to which the individual lines extend.

4. The system of claim 1 , the plurality of clean pumps and the plurality of dirty pumps simultaneously pumping to the plurality of wellbores, the clean pumps pumping clean fluid and the dirty pumps pumping dirty fluid.

5. The system of claim 1 , a control unit communicatively coupled to the flow control device configured to variably adjust the flow control device to control the flow rate of the clean fluid.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the solids are proppants.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the clean line contains essentially no solids.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the flow control device is a choke.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein a blender mixes a proppant to be pumped by any one of the plurality of dirty pumps.

10. A method comprising:
pumping, via a plurality of clean pumps, a clean fluid to a common line, and from the common line through a plurality of individual lines to a plurality of well bores, each well bore of the plurality of wellbores having at least one individual line of the plurality of lines solely fluidically coupled thereto;
pumping a dirty fluid from a plurality of pumps to the plurality of wellbores, each wellbore of the plurality of wellbores having at least one dirty pump of the plurality of dirty pumps solely fluidically coupled thereto, the fluidic coupling being downstream from the common line, and wherein the plurality of dirty pumps are configured to pump a dirty fluid comprising solids; and
variably adjusting the flow of the clean fluid via a variable flow control device installed in at least one of the individual lines, the installation being downstream from the common line and upstream from the point of the fluidic coupling of the dirty fluid pump to the wellbore to which the individual line extends so that the variable flow control device only controls the flow of the clean fluid.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising a variable flow control device installed at each of the individual lines subsequent the common line and prior to the point of the fluidic coupling of the dirty pumps to the individual wellbores of the plurality of wellbores.

12. The method of claim 10 , the plurality of clean pumps and the plurality of dirty pumps simultaneously pumping to the plurality of wellbores, the dean fluid pumps pumping a clean fluid and the dirty pumps pumping a dirty fluid.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein a control unit communicatively coupled to the flow control device is configured to variably adjust the flow control device to control the flow rate of the clean fluid.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the solids are a particulates.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the solids are proppants.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the clean line contains essentially no solids.

17. The method of claim 10 , wherein the flow control device is a choke.

18. The method of claim 10 , wherein a blender mixes a proppant to form the dirty fluid provided to at least one dirty pump.

19. A tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media having instructions encoded thereon, the instructions, when executed by a processor, are operable to perform operations for:
pumping, via a plurality of clean pumps, a clean fluid to a common line, and from the common line through a plurality of individual lines to a plurality of wellbores, each wellbore of the plurality of wellbores having at least one individual line of the plurality of lines solely fluidically coupled thereto;
pumping a dirty fluid from a plurality of pumps to the plurality of wellbores, each wellbore of the plurality of wellbores having at least one dirty pump of the plurality of dirty pumps solely fluidically coupled thereto, the fluidic coupling being downstream from the common line, and wherein the plurality of dirty pumps are configured to pump a dirty fluid comprising solids; and
variably adjusting the flow of the clean fluid via a variable flow control device installed in at least one of the individual lines, the installation being downstream from the common line and upstream from the point of the fluidic coupling of the dirty fluid pump to the wellbore so that the variable flow control device only controls flow of the clean fluid.

20. The computer-readable media of claim 19 , including further instructions for, when executed by the processor, variably adjusting a variable flow control device installed at each of the individual lines subsequent the common line and prior to the point of the fluidic coupling of the dirty pumps to the individual wellbores of the plurality of wellbores.

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Bull Brad Robert
• Hunter Tim H
• Harpold Jr Kurt Rohrbough

Classifications

• E21B43/2607 Primary

  Surface equipment specially adapted for fracturing operations · CPC title

• E21B43/267

  reinforcing fractures by propping · CPC title