Method and apparatus for centrifugal blending system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9375691-B2
Application number	US-201213609460-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 11, 2012
Priority date	Sep 11, 2012
Publication date	Jun 28, 2016
Grant date	Jun 28, 2016

Abstract

Blending particulate and liquid to make slurry for use in oilfield operations is addressed. The blender has an upwardly facing particulate expeller with a flat base, raised hub, and generally radially extending, circumferentially spaced vanes extending upwardly from the base. The vanes extend from leading edges spaced about a vane inner diameter to tips spaced about a vane outer diameter. Adjacent expeller vanes define expeller passageways therebetween. The particulate expeller does not serve as a meaningful liquid impeller and the blender does not act significantly as a pump. The expeller has a several preferred diameter, clearance, height and length dimensions and ratios. Wide, deep expeller inlets and shallow, narrow outlets enhance particulate entry and minimize expeller torque. Vane extensions impart velocity to the particulate upon contact and minimize sensitivity to particulate entry velocity. Maximized circumferential overlap of adjacent vanes reduces liquid back-flow.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A blender system for blending particulate material with a liquid to create a slurry for use in oilfield operations, the system comprising:
a blender assembly having:
an upwardly facing particulate expeller mounted on a rotating shaft for rotating about a rotational axis and within a blender housing;
the blender housing defining a particulate inlet positioned above the particulate expeller, a liquid inlet positioned proximate a side of the housing, and a slurry outlet,
the particulate expeller having a generally flat base, a raised hub central to the base, and a plurality of generally radially extending, circumferentially spaced vanes extending upwardly from the base, the vanes extending from leading edges spaced about a vane inner diameter to tips spaced about a vane outer diameter, wherein each vane has a maximum height nearer to the vane inner diameter a different minimum height nearer to the vane outer diameter, and wherein the generally flat base includes a generally flat bottom surface having no vanes extending downwardly therefrom; and
wherein adjacent expeller vanes define expeller passageways therebetween extending from the vane inner diameter to the vane outer diameter.

2. The system as in claim 1 , further comprising a suction pump fluidly connected to the liquid inlet of the blender assembly, the suction pump for imparting energy to a liquid.

3. The system as in claim 2 , wherein the suction pump is for imparting a pressure of approximately 5-15 psi to the liquid.

4. The system as in claim 2 , further comprising a discharge pump fluidly connected to the slurry outlet of the blender assembly, the discharge pump for imparting energy to a liquid, the discharge pump for imparting a relatively high pressure to the slurry.

5. The system as in claim 4 , wherein the discharge pump is for imparting a discharge pressure to the slurry of approximately 60-80 psi.

6. The system as in claim 1 , wherein the blender assembly is for imparting energy to particulate entering through the particulate inlet and for wherein, in use, the liquid entering the liquid inlet is at substantially the same pressure as the slurry leaving the slurry outlet.

7. The system as in claim 6 , wherein the blender assembly is operable to receive liquid at approximately 5-15 psi and to discharge slurry at approximately 5-15 psi.

8. The system as in claim 1 , wherein the expeller passageways have passageway inlets and passageway outlets, each passageway inlet defining an inlet area, and each passageway outlet defining an outlet area, and wherein the ratio of the sum of the inlet areas to the sum of the outlet areas is greater than 1.0.

9. The system as in claim 8 , wherein the ratio of the sum of the inlet areas to the sum of the outlet areas is approximately 3.0.

10. The system as in claim 1 , wherein the ratio of vane maximum height to vane minimum height is greater than about 2.0.

11. The system as in claim 1 , wherein the housing has a side wall defining a housing inner diameter, the side wall spaced radially from the outer diameter of the expeller, and wherein the ratio of housing inner diameter to expeller outer diameter is greater than approximately 1.5.

12. The system as in claim 1 , wherein the blender assembly is capable of blending approximately 200 cubic feet of particulate per minute with a liquid to form a slurry.

13. The system as in claim 1 , wherein the expeller is capable of accelerating particulate from approximately one foot per second at the particulate inlet to approximately three feet per second at the expeller outer diameter.

14. The system as in claim 1 , wherein the expeller is capable of accelerating particulate from an inlet velocity to an outlet velocity, and wherein the ratio of inlet and outlet velocity is greater than 3.0.

15. The system as in claim 1 , wherein the vanes define exit angles of approximately 12-15 degrees.

16. The system as in claim 1 , wherein the leading edge of a vane and a tip of an adjacent vane defines a circumferential vane overlap designed to minimize backflow of fluid into the expeller.

17. The system as in claim 16 , wherein the overlap is approximately 30 degrees.

18. The system as in claim 1 , wherein the expeller further has a plurality of relatively shallow vane extensions extending generally radially from the hub to corresponding expeller vanes.

19. A method for blending particulate material and liquid to create a slurry for use in oilfield operations, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a liquid to a blender assembly;
providing a particulate to the blender assembly;
blending the particulate and the liquid to create a slurry using the blender assembly, the blender assembly for expelling particulate into the liquid and having an expeller mounted for rotation in a blender housing, the expeller having a plurality of generally radially extending, circumferentially spaced vanes, all vanes of the expeller extending upwardly from a circular base plate having a substantially flat bottom surface without downwardly extending vanes, the vanes extending from a vane inner diameter to a vane outer diameter, wherein each vane has a maximum height nearer to the vane inner diameter a different minimum height nearer to the vane outer diameter, and, a plurality of expeller passageways defined between adjacent vanes;
discharging the slurry from the blender assembly;
using the slurry in an oilfield operation.

20. The method as in claim 19 , wherein the step of providing a liquid to the blender assembly further comprises the step of providing the liquid at a first pressure;
wherein the step of discharging the slurry from the blender assembly further comprises the step of discharging the slurry at a second pressure; and
wherein the first and second pressures are in the range of 5-15 psi.

21. The method as in claim 19 , wherein each expeller passageway defines an inlet area and an outlet area, and wherein the ratio of inlet to outlet area is greater than 1.0.

22. The method as in claim 21 , wherein the ratio is greater than 2.5.

23. The method as in claim 19 , wherein the step of providing a liquid further comprises the step of pumping the liquid into the blender assembly.

24. The method as in claim 19 , wherein the step of discharging the slurry from the blender assembly further comprises pumping the slurry using a discharge pump fluidly connected to the blender assembly.

25. The method as in claim 24 , wherein the step of pumping the slurry using a discharge pump further comprises the step of increasing the pressure in the slurry, after the slurry exits the blender assembly, to approximately 60-80 psi.

26. The method as in claim 19 , wherein the ratio of vane maximum height to vane minimum height is greater than about 2.0.

27. The method as in claim 19 , wherein the blender assembly has a housing side wall defining a housing inner diameter, the side wall spaced radially from an outer diameter of the expeller, and wherein the ratio of housing inner diameter to expeller outer diameter is greater than approximately 1.5.

28. The method as in claim 19 , further comprising the step of blending approximately 200 cubic feet of particulate per minute with liquid to form slurry.

29. The method as in claim 19 , further comprising the step of accelerating particulate from approximately one foot per second

Assignees

• Stegemoeller Calvin Lynn
• Heitman Chad A
• Stephenson Stanley V
• Horinek Herbert John
• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Stegemoeller Calvin Lynn
• Heitman Chad A
• Stephenson Stanley V
• Horinek Herbert John

Classifications

• B01F15/0227 Primary

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01F2003/125

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01F5/22

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• E21B43/00

  Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells (applicable only to water E03B) · CPC title

• B01F3/1228

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic