Automated configuration of pumping equipment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11643908-B1
Application number	US-202117518869-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Nov 4, 2021
Priority date	Nov 4, 2021
Publication date	May 9, 2023
Grant date	May 9, 2023

Abstract

A method of configuring a flow control valve of a mixing system may comprise establishing a flow loop via a pump, a flow control valve, and a flow rate sensor. The method may also include performing a valve configuration process that includes positioning the flow control valve in a first position, operating the pump to communicate a fluid via the flow loop at a first speed, measuring a first periodic dataset while the fluid is communicated via the flow loop, and recording the first periodic dataset. The method may also include comparing a result of the valve configuration process to a valve position dataset and an operational indicator set and determining an pass/fail status based upon the comparison, and outputting, by the unit controller, indicia of the pass/fail status of the mixing system via the input output device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method of automatically configuring a mixing system associated with a wellbore pump unit, the method comprising:
establishing, by a unit controller, a flow loop providing a route of fluid communication via a supply pump, a flow control valve, and a flow rate sensor, wherein the unit controller comprises a processor, a non-transitory memory, and an input output device;
performing, by the unit controller, a valve configuration process, wherein the valve configuration process comprises:
positioning the flow control valve in a first position;
operating the supply pump to communicate a fluid via the flow loop at a first speed;
measuring, by the flow sensor, a first periodic dataset while the fluid is communicated via the flow loop with the flow control valve in the first position; and
recording the first periodic dataset in memory, wherein the first periodic dataset is associated with the first speed of the supply pump and the first position of the flow control valve;

comparing a result of the valve configuration process to an operational indicator set;
determining an error value in a valve position dataset that comprises a relationship between an angular position of a valve stem of the flow control valve and a position of the flow control valve based upon a comparison of the result of the valve configuration process and the operational indicator set; and
configuring a flow control valve by adjusting the valve position dataset in response to an error value.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the valve position dataset comprises a first valve position value for a closed valve position value, a second valve position value for an open valve position value, the error value, or combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising outputting, by the unit controller, indicia of the valve configuration of the flow control valve via the input output device, wherein the indicia of the configuration of the flow control valve comprises a visual cue, and audible cue, or both.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the valve configuration process further comprises:
operating the supply pump to communicate the fluid via the flow loop at the first speed;
incrementing the value of the valve position in a first direction in response to a flowrate or a pressure increasing or incrementing the value of the valve position in a second direction in response to the flowrate or the pressure decreasing;
measuring, by the flow sensor, an incremental periodic dataset while the fluid is communicated via the flow loop with the flow control valve in the incremental position; and
recording the incremental periodic dataset in memory, wherein the incremental periodic dataset is associated with the first speed of the supply pump and the incremental position of the flow control valve.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the unit controller, in response to the valve position value being in an open position, begins in the first direction and changes to the second direction; and
wherein the unit controller, in response to the valve position value being in a closed position, begins in the second direction and changes to the first direction.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the operational indicator set comprises a configuration check, a minimum operational capacity, a nominal operational capacity, and a series of failure modes.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating a post-processing periodic dataset by applying one or more data reduction techniques to the first periodic dataset, wherein the data reduction techniques include data pre-processing, data cleansing, numerosity reduction, or a combination thereof;
generating a first averaged value for the post-processing periodic dataset by averaging the post-processing periodic dataset with a mathematical averaging technique, wherein the mathematical averaging techniques includes arithmetic mean, a median, a geometric median, a mode, a geometric mean, a harmonic mean, a generalized mean, a moving average, or combination thereof;
generating a first measured valve position value for a closed position in response to one of the values of the dataset comprising a minimum value;
generating a second measured valve position value for an open position in response to one of the values of the dataset comprising a maximum value;
generating a first error value for the closed position by comparing the first measured valve position value to the valve position dataset; and
generating a second error value for the open position by comparing the second measured valve position value to the valve position dataset.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the result of the valve configuration process to which the operational indicator set is compared comprises the post-processing periodic dataset, the averaged value, the first measured valve position, the second measured valve position, the first error value, the second error value, or combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein one or more of:
comparing the result of the valve configuration process to the operational indicator set,
determining the pass/fail status of the valve configuration process based upon the comparison of the result of the valve configuration process and the operational indicator set,
generating the incremental post-processing periodic dataset,
generating the incremental averaged value for the incremental post-processing periodic dataset,
generating the first measured valve position value and the second measure valve position,
generating the generating a first error value for the closed position and the second error value for the open position is performed via the unit controller.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein one or more of:
comparing the result of the valve configuration process to the operational indicator set,
determining the pass/fail status of the valve configuration process based upon the comparison of the result of the valve configuration process and the operational indicator set,
generating the incremental post-processing periodic dataset,
generating the incremental averaged value for the incremental post-processing periodic dataset,
generating the first measured valve position value and the second measure valve position,
generating the generating a first error value for the closed position and the second error value for the open position is performed via a network location.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
transmitting the first periodic dataset, the first post-processing periodic dataset, the first averaged value for the first post-processing periodic dataset, or combinations thereof to the network location via a wireless communication protocol.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the wireless communication protocol is at least one of a 5G, a long-term evolution (LTE), a code division multiple access (CDMA), or a global system for mobile communications (GSM) telecommunications protocol.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the network location is one of i) a virtual network function (VNF) on a network slice within a 5G core network, ii) a VNF on a network slice within a 5G edge network, iii) a storage computer communicatively coupled to a network via a mobile communication network, or iv) a computer system communicatively coupled to the network via the mobile communication network.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the network location comprises a database, a storage device, a remote computer system, a virtual computer system, a virtual network function, or combination thereof.

15. The method of claim 13 ,

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Williams Derek R
• Neal Iii Charles E

Classifications

• E21B43/2607

  Surface equipment specially adapted for fracturing operations · CPC title

• E21B41/00 Primary

  Equipment or details not covered by groups E21B15/00 - E21B40/00 · CPC title

• E21B34/00

  Valve arrangements for boreholes or wells · CPC title

• E21B43/12

  Methods or apparatus for controlling the flow of the obtained fluid to or in wells (E21B43/25 takes precedence; valve arrangements E21B34/00) · CPC title

• E21B43/26

  by forming crevices or fractures · CPC title