System and method for an automated and intelligent frac pad

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11976541-B2
Application number	US-202017608093-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 18, 2020
Priority date	May 17, 2019
Publication date	May 7, 2024
Grant date	May 7, 2024

Abstract

A system includes a built hydraulic fracturing system with a plurality of devices connected together and a simulation of the built hydraulic fracturing system on a software application. Additionally, a fracturing plan may be provided on the software application to include pre-made instructions to perform multiple processes in a hydraulic fracturing operation such as a sequence of valve operations to direct fluid flow through a selected path. Further, the fracturing plan may be modified to create a customized fracturing plan including the pre-made instructions and at least one modified instruction. Furthermore, the customized fracturing plan may be executed to perform at least one of the processes in the built hydraulic fracturing system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
providing a template fracturing plan on a software application, the template fracturing plan comprising pre-made instructions to perform multiple processes carried out by a multi-well hydraulic fracturing system comprising a plurality of devices connected together, the plurality of devices comprising:
a zipper manifold;
a pump manifold fluidly connecting one or more high pressure pumps to the zipper manifold;
multiple wellhead assemblies fluidly connected to the zipper manifold;
a plurality of valves, the plurality of valves comprising wellhead valves associated with each of the multiple wellhead assemblies; and
a valve control system connected to and providing power to actuate the plurality of valves;
wherein the pre-made instructions comprise instructions to control the plurality of valves according to a valve sequencing for at least one process of the multiple processes to direct fluids in a selected path through the multi-well hydraulic fracturing system using the valve control system,

modifying the template fracturing plan to create a customized fracturing plan, the customized fracturing plan including the pre-made instructions and at least one modified instruction; and
executing the customized fracturing plan to perform the at least one process in a built hydraulic fracturing system comprising the plurality of devices of the multi-well hydraulic fracturing system, the executing comprising:
using the valve control system to automatically control the plurality of valves to direct fluids through the selected fluid flow path according to the valve sequencing for the at least one process.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising simulating performing the at least one process in the built hydraulic fracturing system on the software application prior to performing.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising monitoring the performance of the customized fracturing plan;
wherein monitoring includes collecting data from a plurality of sensors disposed along the plurality of devices.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the executing is performed by sending instructions selected from the pre-made instructions and the at least one modified instruction to remotely operable hardware on the plurality of devices.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pre-made instructions comprise a sequence of valve operations for each of the multiple processes.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises detecting a non-routine process interruption.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the software application generates at least one additional instruction to modify the customized fracturing plan.

8. A system, comprising:
a built hydraulic fracturing system comprising a plurality of devices connected together, the plurality of devices comprising:
a zipper manifold;
a pump manifold fluidly connecting one or more high pressure pumps to the zipper manifold;
multiple wellhead assemblies fluidly connected to the zipper manifold;
a plurality of valves, the plurality of valves comprising wellhead valves associated with each of the multiple wellhead assemblies; and
a valve control system connected to and providing power to actuate the plurality of valves;

a simulation of the built hydraulic fracturing system on a software application;
a fracturing plan provided on the software application, the fracturing plan comprising instructions to perform multiple processes in a hydraulic fracturing operation;
wherein the instructions comprise a sequence of valve operations for the plurality of valves to direct fluid flow through a selected path through the built hydraulic fracturing system to one or more of the multiple wellhead assemblies, and
wherein the software application further comprises instructions to automatically control the plurality of valves according to the selected path using the valve control system.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the simulation of the built hydraulic fracturing system visually shows, on a human machine interface, valve positions of the plurality of valves and the selected path of fluid flow through the plurality of valves for a selected process.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the instructions further comprise permission requests from a human operator to change the selected path.

Assignees

• Fmc Tech Inc

Inventors

• Curry Zachary
• Cappello Andrew
• Machado Thiago
• Cook James
• Gunatilleke Sobitha
• Pillai Rajeev
• Anzola Hernan
• Ramsey Nathanial
• Dixon Clay
• Tiviroli-Melchert Gabriel

Classifications

• E21B43/2607 Primary

  Surface equipment specially adapted for fracturing operations · CPC title

• E21B2200/20

  Computer models or simulations, e.g. for reservoirs under production, drill bits · CPC title

• E21B43/26 Primary

  by forming crevices or fractures · CPC title

• E21B41/0035

  Apparatus or methods for multilateral well technology, e.g. for the completion of or workover on wells with one or more lateral branches · CPC title

• E21B41/00

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