APPARATUS, SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SWAPPING HYDRAULIC FRACTURING PUMPS

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of a priority claim to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/587,913, filed Oct. 4, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure generally relates to production of oil and/or gas. In particular, the disclosure relates to an apparatus, a system and a method for swapping pumps during a pumping operation at an oil and/or gas well.

BACKGROUND

Hydraulic fracturing, also referred to as fracking, is a known operation for completing a non-conventional oil and/or gas well. When a wellbore has been drilled, cased and cemented, it is divided into different stages for production. High-pressure fluids, often times carrying proppant and/or specific chemicals, are delivered into one or more stages for creating small cracks within the geologic formation that surrounds the wellbore. The small cracks enhance the permeability of the geologic formation, thereby increasing the fluid communication between the reservoir of oil and/or gas within the geologic formation and the wellbore.

Currently the fracturing industry has increased interest in improved efficiencies, such as but not limited to decreased non-pumping time (NPT). Decreased NPT translates into lower daily costs for having a fracturing team and equipment present at the well site. However, decreased NPT puts a greater demand on maintaining and/or replacing the fracturing equipment because the equipment is running, often times, at higher rates and for longer continuous periods.

The increased demand for maintaining and/or replacing fracturing equipment can translate into an increase in the number of times or amount of time that individuals have to work within what is referred to as the red zone at the well site. The red zone is an area of the well site where equipment that is carrying the high-pressure fluids are present. The high-pressure fluids pose a potential danger if there is a loss-of-containment incident.

SUMMARY

Some embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method for operating a hydraulic fracturing system. The method comprises the steps of: establishing fluid communication between a pumping unit and a fracturing missile; stopping the fluid communication between the pumping unit and the fracturing missile; and establishing fluid communication between the pumping unit and a bleed-off receiver that is operatively connected between the pumping unit and the fracturing missile.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a system that comprises: a pumping unit for pressurizing fluids from a source; a fluid conduit for communicating the pressurized fluids to a fracturing missile; a valve for regulating fluid flow between the pumping unit and the fracturing missile; a first valve assembly for regulating a flow of fluids from the pumping unit to a bleed-off receiver that is operatively connected between the pumping unit and the fracturing missile.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method for changing a footprint of a dynamic redzone. The method comprises the steps of: establishing a first footprint of the dynamic redzone by operating a pumping system; stopping operation of the pumping system; actuating one or more valve assemblies for directing high pressure fracturing fluids to a bleed-off receiver and for stopping a supply of fluids from a source to the pumping system; and establishing a second footprint of the dynamic redzone, wherein the second footprint is smaller than the first footprint.

Without being bound by any particular theory, the embodiments of the present disclosure may allow an operator to complete a current hydraulic fracturing stage faster or to perform longer continuous-pumping operations by allowing the operator to swap fracturing pumps out by safely isolating and relieving pressure of the desired pump. The embodiments of the present disclosure also allow an operator to disconnect the desired pump, move the desired pump out of its physical position and then position a replacement pump (including the desired pump after being repaired or subjected to another maintenance procedure) into position, connecting the replacement pump, priming the replacement pump, pressure testing the replacement pump and the associated fluid conduits, equalizing the pump-side pressure with the fracturing-missile pressure and then opening up the applicable valve-assembly so the replacement pump can be brought online with the other pumps and start contributing high-pressure fracturing fluids (HPFF) to the hydraulic fracturing operation.

Without being bound by any particular theory, the embodiments of the present disclosure establish a dynamic red-zone within a well site where a hydraulic fracturing operation is being performed. The embodiments of the present disclosure allow an operator to open and close one or more valve assemblies that then can isolate HPFF within a desired set of conduits and equipment, thereby changing the portion of the wellsite that may be dangerous due to proximity to HPFF. The ability to remotely open/close the valves between the pump and the fracturing missile/manifold may allow a person to safely isolate a pump, bleed off high pressure on its connected lines and then allow that or another person to physically enter and manually make/break the connections from the missile, supply lines, fuel/energy lines, control lines, and any other type of connection that might need to be made or broken, safely.

Without being bound by any particular theory, the embodiments of the present disclosure may also reduce the amount of specialized equipment that is required, such as a hydraulic latch system to make and break high pressure connections while those connections are still within the boundary of the red zone.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features of the present disclosure will become more apparent in the following detailed description in which reference is made to the appended drawings.

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a system for use with one or more pumps on a well pad for delivering high-pressure fluids to one or more of three wellheads via one or more isolation valves, according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the system of FIG. 1, where the position of the one or more isolation valves is different and the high-pressure fluid is not delivered to one or more of the three or more wellheads.

FIG. 3 is a is a top plan view of a system for use with one or more pumps on a well pad for delivering high-pressure fluids to one or more of three wellheads via one or more isolation valves, according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a schematic of a system for use with one or more pumps on a well for delivering high-pressure fluids to one or more of three wellheads via one or more isolation valves as regulated by a controller, according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a schematic that shows features of a controller circuit for use with the systems described herein, wherein FIG. 5A shows features of the controller circuit; and, FIG. 5B shows features of a microcontroller and/or a client computing device.

FIG. 6 is a schematic that shows steps of a method for reducing non-pumping time of the system during a well fracturing operation.

FIG. 7 is a is a top plan view of a further system for use with one or more pumps on a well pad for delivering high-pressure fluids to one or more of three wellheads via one or more isolation valves, according to embodiments of the present disclosure, wherein FIG. 7A shows the system with a boundary between a red zone and a green zone that is larger than the boundary shown in FIG. 7B.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a system and process for reducing the amount of time that a worker needs to be present within a potentially dangerous area of a wellsite, referred to herein as a red zone. The red zone is the portion of the well site where equipment, such as pumps, conduits, valves and connectors are present in order to conduct high-pressure fracturing fluids to and from a well.

Definitions

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

As used herein, the term “about” refers to an approximately +/−10% variation from a given value. It is to be understood that such a variation is always included in any given value provided herein, whether or not it is specifically referred to.

FIG. 1 shows a non-limiting embodiment of a well pad 200 that includes three oil and gas wells W1, W2 and W3. Each well defines a wellbore (not shown) that extends from the surface of the well pad 200 down into a geological formation that holds a reservoir of oil and/or gas. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the well pad 200 may have more or less than three wells. Each well can be placed in fluid communication with a source of fracturing fluids S by opening and closing one or more valves that are deployed at the well pad 200. For example, a system 10 may be deployed at the well pad 200 that comprises a source valve assembly 100 that can be positioned between the source S and a high-pressure pumping unit 102 via one or more fluid conduits 104. When the system 10 is configured as shown in FIG. 1 this may be referred to as the first configuration, in that fluids may flow from source S to one or more of the wells W1, W2 or W3. As described herein further below, the system 10 may also be configured in a second configuration so that fluids do not flow from the source to one or more of the wells W1, W2 or W3.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the source S of fracturing fluid may contain a mixture of liquid, gas and/or solids (proppant) that is mixed together either at the source S or at another location and delivered to the source S. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the source S may also include further chemicals that are added to enhance the fracking process. For the sake of clarity, reference to a single conduit also includes more than one conduit. Furthermore, the movement of fluid in the direction from the source S towards the wells W1, W2 and W3 is referred to herein as downstream, whereas movement of fluid in the opposite direction (from the wells towards the source S) is referred to herein as upstream.

Also, shown in FIG. 1 is a boundary 202 that delineates the interior red zone and the exterior green zone. If an individual is within the boundary 202 and inside the red zone they are at risk of being injured if any of the high pressure conduits or equipment therein lose containment of the high operational pressures. An individual outside the boundary 202 and in the green zone is at substantially less risk of such injury.

For example, a first conduit 104A conducts the fracturing fluid into the pumping unit 102 where the fracturing fluids are pressurized to levels suitable for hydraulic fracturing of the geologic formation. For example, the deeper the portion of the geologic formation that is targeted for fracturing or the tighter the geologic formation, the higher the pressure requirement of the high-pressure fluids. In some fracturing operations the high-pressure fluids can be pressurized in excess of 60,000 KPa (over 8700 psi). As such, the after being pressurized by the pumping unit 102, of the high-pressure, fracturing fluid (HPFF) is conducted by a second conduit 104B and, therefore, the contents of the second conduit 104B are also very high and may be in excess of 60,000 KPa. The HPFF contents of the all equipment and conduits within and between the second conduit 104B and the well W1, W2, W3 receiving the HPFF will also be very high and may be in excess of 60,000 KPa. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the fluid within the first conduit 104A may be pressurized by a lower pressure, priming pump in order to deliver the fluids from the source S, via the first conduit 104A, to the pumping unit 102. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the pumping unit 102 may comprise a single pump or multiple pumps acting in concert.

The conduits within the system 10, such as the first conduit 104A, the second conduit 104B and some or all of the conduits upstream and downstream of the pumping system 102 may be operatively connected between two pieces of equipment by a connector 101 at each end to provide a connection therebetween. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the connector 101 may provide a fluid-tight connection, for example where deployed to connect a fluid-conveying conduit, including a fuel-conveying conduit, with a piece of equipment or another conduit. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the connector 101 may provide an operable connection, for example where deployed to connect an electrical conduit, a communications conduit, a data-conveying conduit with a piece of equipment.

While FIG. 1 labels the connector 101 positioned at the connection point between the pumping unit 102 and the second conduit 104B, it is understood that the same filled rectangular shape indicated in the drawings identify various other connections points where the connector 101 may be positioned. For example, a first end of the second conduit 104B may be operably connected to a fluid output of the pumping unit 102 and a second end of the second conduit 104B may be operably connected to a fluid intake of a first valve assembly 105. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, connectors 101 may be also deployed at all input and output fluid ports, including but not limited to a pump discharge, a pump bleed off, the pump supply, the pump output, a fuel supply input, and a pump-supply purge (P, as discussed further below). In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the connectors 101 may be manual connectors, referred to as hammer unions, hammer lug unions, wing unions, hub unions or flanged unions. The manual type of connector 101 may require one or more individuals each with a hammer, hydraulic torque wrench or other torqueing device to tighten or loosen the manual type pf connector 101. For example, when installing the manual connection types of connectors 101, a hammer may be used to strike a flange of the manual connector 101 and tighten an individual manual connector 101 so that there is a fluid tight seal present at the given connection point. The tightening of each manual connector 101 may need to be higher for those connections that have HPFF running therethrough. Similarly, an individual with a hammer can strike the flange of the manual connector 101 (in the opposite fashion) so as to loosen a given manual connector 101, thereby permitting the release of one end of a conduit from the equipment it was operatively connected to.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the connector 101 may be a controlled by a machine or other piece of equipment so that a user can actuate the connector 101 between a connected position and a disconnected position—for operatively connecting or disconnecting two pieces of equipment or a conduit therebetween-without having to use a hammer. For example, a controlled type of connector 101 may be a hydraulic latch assembly (HLA) that comprises a fluid connection to a hydraulic power supply unit that provides the hydraulic power required to latch or unlatch the HLA. HLAs may latch equipment together with a pin end and a box end that mate together, once within an allowable distance from being truly mated lag pins, blocks or cam retainers can be engaged to secure the union remotely. Additionally, testing of the seals on the connector 101, whether of the manual type or the controlled type, can be performed according to methods known in the art.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the pumping system 102 may comprise the pump-supply purge P that is configured to provide a fluid circuit for delivering a pressurized purge-fluid, such as water, gas for removing any settled debris, such as sand, fluid, from the pumping system 102 when it is disconnected from the system 10.

The second conduit 104B is in switchable and operable communication with the first valve assembly 105. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the first valve assembly 105 may be a single valve, such as a such as a two-port/two-position, a three-way valve or a four-way valve, or the first valve assembly 105 may include more than two valves. The first valve assembly 105 can be actuated between an open position, whereby the HPFF received by the second conduit 104B can be conducted by a third conduit 104C towards the wells W1, W2, W3. The first valve assembly 105 can also be actuated to a closed position, whereby the HPFF within the second conduit 104B are directed towards a bleed-off receiver 103 and not further along the third conduit 104C towards the wells W1, W2, W3. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the bleed-off receiver 103 may be tank, a bladder, a pit, a pond, a spout for atmospheric delivery, a conduit for fluidly connecting back to the supply S or the first conduit 104A or combinations thereof. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the first valve assembly 105 is actuated to the closed position, the supply valve 100 may also be actuated to a closed position to prevent further fluids from being conducted from the source S to the pumping unit 102 via the first conduit 104A.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first valve assembly 105 comprises a first valve 106 and a second valve 108. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first valve 106 is an option. Each of the first valve 106 and the second valve 108 can be actuated between an open position (as shown for the first valve 106 in FIG. 1) and a closed position (as shown for the second valve 108 in FIG. 1). When the first valve 106 is in the open position, the HPFF within the second conduit 104B can flow through the first valve 106 and be conducted via the third conduit 104C towards the wells W1, W2, W3. When the first valve 106 is in the closed position (as shown in FIG. 2), the HPFF within the second conduit 104B cannot flow through the first valve 106.

When the second valve 108 is in the closed position, the HPFF within the second conduit 104B cannot flow through the second valve 108. When the second valve 108 is in the open position the HPFF may flow through the second valve 108 and be directed elsewhere, and other than towards the wells W1, W2, W3, such as to the bleed-off receiver 103.

For example, when the first valve 106 is in the open position the second valve 108 may be in the closed position. In this orientation of the first and second valves 106, 108, the HPFF may be conducted towards the wells W1, W2 and W3 via the third conduit 104C. In contrast, when the first valve 106 is in the closed position and the second valve 108 is in the open position, the HPFF within with the conduit 104 may be directed to the bleed-off receiver 103.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first valve assembly 105 is a connection 101 so that if valve 114 is closed and valve 108 is opened, the HPFF would bleed off any substantial pressure within the third conduit 104C and then the second conduit 104B can be disconnected from the valve 108 and the pumping unit 102 can be repaired, maintained or replaced.

As such, the system 10 may be configured to bleed off the HPFF within the second conduit 104B and/or the third conduit 104C to the bleed-off receiver 10.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a first sensor 110 can be operatively coupled to at least the second conduit 104B for detecting and reporting one or more fluid conditions of the HPFF flowing through the second conduit 104B. The fluid conditions that are detectable by the sensor 110 include, but are not limited to: a pressure of the HPFF contents within the second conduit 104B, the flow rate of a fluid, such as the HPFF delivered from the pumping unit 102, within the second conduit 104B or both the pressure and the flow rate. While the sensor 110 is depicted as being a single sensor operatively coupled to the second conduit 104B between the pumping unit 102 and the first valve 106, it is understood that the sensor 110 may be more than one sensor that detects and reports the same or different fluid conditions of the contents of the first conduit 104A, the second conduit 104B, the third conduit 104C, a fourth conduit 104D or any other conduit within the system 10.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a further sensor 110A can be operatively coupled with the pumping unit 102 for determining the operational status of the pumping unit 102. For example, the further sensor 110A may be one or more of: a pump stroke sensor (to determine if the pump is stroking), a pump gear sensor (to determine if the pump is in gear and thus likely pumping), a pump clutch sensor, a pump drive shaft sensor, a pump engagement sensor (to determine if the pump is engaged and can increase pressure on the pumping unit's fluid output) or any combination thereof. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the data obtained by the further sensor 110A may be deployed as part of the pumping unit 102's data acquisition system (DAS).

The third conduit 104C extends from the first valve assembly 105 to a second valve assembly 107. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the second valve assembly 107 may be a single valve, such as a two-port/two-position valve, a three-way valve or a four-way valve, or the first valve assembly 107 may include more than two valves. The second valve assembly 107 may be actuated to an open position, whereby the HPFF within the third conduit 104C may pass therethrough and be conducted downstream of the wells W1, W2, W3 via the fourth conduit 104D. The second valve assembly 107 may also be actuated to a closed position, whereby HPFF within the third conduit 104C does not enter the fourth conduit 104D.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second valve assembly 107 comprises a third valve 112 and a fourth valve 114. Similar to the first valve 106 and the second valve 108, the third valve 112 and the fourth valve 114 can each move between an open position and a closed position. When the third valve 112 and the fourth valve 114 are in the open position, fluid communication is established, via the fourth conduit 104D, between the first valve assembly 105 and a fracturing missile 118. The fracturing missile 118 may also be referred to herein as a frac missile, or a frac header or a fracturing header. If either of the third 112 or fourth valve 114 are actuated to the closed position, fluid communication between the first valve assembly 105 and the missile 118 is stopped. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the third valve 112 or the fourth valve 114 or both, may be a check valve that actuates to a closed position when a pressure differential of a predetermined amount exists across the check valve.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the valves of the first valve assembly 105 and the second valve assembly 107 can be actuated manually or remotely by an actuator (not shown) and such actuators may be hydraulically powered, pneumatically powered, electronically powered or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the actuator may actuate a valve partially or completely between the open and closed positions, as dictated by a particular operation being performed.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a second sensor 116 can be operatively coupled to at least the fourth conduit 104D for detecting and reporting one or more fluid conditions of the HPFF flowing through the fourth conduit 104D. The fluid conditions that are detectable by the second sensor 116 include, but are not limited to: a pressure of the HPFF contents within the fourth conduit 104D, the flow rate of a fluid, such as the HPFF delivered from the pumping unit 102, within the fourth conduit 104D or both the pressure and the flow rate. While the second sensor 116 is depicted as being a single sensor operatively coupled to the fourth conduit 104D between the second valve assembly 107 and the missile 118, it is understood that the second sensor 116 may be more than one sensor that detects and reports the same or different fluid conditions of the contents of the fourth conduit 104D.

The HPFF is received by the fracturing missile 118 via the fourth conduit 104D. The fracturing missile 118 is configured to direct the HPFF, via a fifth conduit 104E, towards a fracturing manifold 120 that then directs the HPFF towards the well—W1, W2 or W3—that is receiving the fracturing operation via conduits 104 that are operatively associated with each of the wells.

FIG. 2 shows the system 10 in a second configuration wherein fluid cannot flow downstream from the source S to one of the wells W1, W2 or W3. For example, in the second configuration the second valve assembly 107 is actuated to a closed position so that no HPFF can flow from the third conduit 104C to the fourth conduit 104D. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the closed position of the second valve assembly 107 is achieved by actuating a single valve of the second valve assembly 107 or one of or both of the third valve 112 and the fourth valve 114. While FIG. 2 shows the non-limiting example with only the fourth valve 114 as being closed, it is understood that the third valve 112 may be closed with the fourth valve 114 either open or closed in order to achieve the closed position of the second valve assembly 107. In the embodiments of the present disclosure where the second valve assembly 107 includes the third and fourth valves 112, 114, these two valves may provide a desired safety-redundancy with it being understood that the second valve assembly 107 may only comprise a single valve (either of valves 112 or 114). While the system 10 is in the second configuration, the supply valve 100 is actuated to prevent the flow of fluids from the source S to the pumping unit 102. While the system 10 is in the second configuration, first valve assembly 105 is actuated to prevent the flow and HPFF therethrough and into a bleed-off position so that any fluids upstream of the second valve assembly 107 will be directed into the bleed-off receiver 103.

In the second configuration, all HPFF are contained downstream of the second valve assembly 107, for example between the fourth conduit 104D and the well that most recently received the HPFF. Accordingly, when all HPFF upstream of the second valve assembly 107 has bled off, the boundary 202 shifts so that the red zone is decreased to only be downstream of the second valve assembly 107. In other words, the footprint of the boundary 202 has changed by decreasing in size.

In the second configuration, when the boundary 202 shifts to a decreased size (also referred to as a decreased footprint) this allows an individual to approach any equipment that is in the green zone, such as upstream of the second valve assembly 107 to perform maintenance or a replacement operation thereon with less risk of injury. Any of the connectors 101 can be released and any conduit or piece of equipment can be subjected to a maintenance or replacement operation. For example, long running times on the pumping unit 102 may require that the pumping unit 102 is subjected to a maintenance procedure or replaced, for example by a second pumping unit 102A. Optionally, the second pumping unit 102A may be connected in series with the first pumping unit 102 or it may be connected in parallel or it may be connected directly to the source S. In some embodiments of the present disclosure the second pumping unit 102A connected in parallel with the source S.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second pumping unit 102A may be operatively connected to the fracturing missile 118 by a conduit 105. While not shown, it is understood that the conduit 105 may actually be multiple conduits that connect a sensor (akin to sensor 110), a first valve assembly (akin to valve assembly 105), a bleed off receiver (akin to received 103) and a second valve assembly (akin to valve assembly 107). Accordingly, the second pumping unit 102A may also define a boundary (akin to boundary 202) that defines a red zone.

If the first pumping unit 102 is replaced by the second pumping unit 102A (in the embodiments where the second pumping unit 102A is not already operatively connected to the fracturing missile 118), which may also be referred to herein as swapping of pumping units, the embodiments of the present disclosure facilitate a quicker swapping of pumping units by decreasing the footprint of the red zone and employing connector 101. Without being bound by any particular theory, the embodiments of the present disclosure may facilitate quicker swapping of pumping units and, therefore, reducing or substantially eliminating non-pumping time (NPT). As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, safely taking a pumping unit 102 out of the redzone may be beneficial to allow an operator to complete the current stage/job should a leak at the pumping unit 102 or any of the conduits 104 develop.

Each of the valves within the system 10 may be actuated manually or in an automated fashion. For example, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first valve assembly 105 and the second valve assembly 107 may each, independently of each other, be actuated between the open and closed position by a manual actuator, such as a wheel, a lever and the like. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first valve assembly 105 and the second valve assembly 107 may each, independently of each other, be actuated between the open and closed positioned by an actuation system 304 that is powered by hydraulic power, pneumatic power, electronic-powered motors or any combination thereof.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic of features of the system 10 wherein the systems 10 further comprises a controller circuit 300, the actuation system 304 and a user interface 1010. The controller circuit 300 comprises a microcontroller 302 that is configured to receive sensory information from one or more sensors of the system 10. The microcontroller 302 may also be referred to herein as a controller unit, may be configured to send one or more actuation commands based upon commands received from the user interface 1010, or otherwise, for example to change the position of a valve of the system 10 via the actuation system 304. Additionally or alternatively, the microcontroller 302 may send one or more visual signals to the user interface 1010 indicating that the microcontroller 302 has determined, based upon the sensory information received, that it is safe to actuate a valve or that it is not safe to actuate a valve. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the valve may be actuated directly-meaning by a manual operation of a valve actuator or remotely, via the actuation system 304.

The controller circuit 300 comprises the A169629 microcontroller 302, the actuation system 304 and a series of conduits that conduct sensory information from the sensors 110, 110A, 116 of the system 10 and for sending actuation commands from the actuation system 304 to either or both of the valve assemblies 105, 107. As shown in FIG. 4, the microcontroller 302 can receive sensory information signals via a conduit 110C from the first sensor 110 and/or via a conduit 116C from the second sensor 116. These sensory information signals provide fluid condition information to the microcontroller 302 of each sensor's respective conduit (as shown in FIG. 1). The person skilled in the art will appreciate that the system 10 may also comprise further sensors to provide further sensory information to the microcontroller 302. For example, the first valve assembly 105 and the second valve assembly 107 may each comprise one or more sensors that are configured to detect the position of each valve assembly and to transmit that detected position to the microcontroller 302. In the non-limiting embodiment depicted in FIG. 4, the first valve assembly 105 may comprise the first valve 106 and the second valve 108. The first valve 106 may comprise a first valve position sensor 106B and the second valve 108 may comprise a second valve position sensor 108B. Similarly, the second valve assembly 107 may comprise the third valve 112 that comprises a third valve position sensor 112B and the fourth valve 114 that comprises a fourth valve position sensor 114B. Each of the valve position sensors 106B, 108B, 112B and 114B are each configured to detect the position of their respective valves and to transmit that detected position to the microcontroller 302 via their respective conduits 106C, 108C, 112C and 114C. Based upon the sensory information received or based upon a user input command, the microcontroller 302 may send one or more actuation signals to the actuation system 304, via a conduit 302A, which in turn can send an actuation command to one or both of the first valve assembly 105 and the second valve assembly 107, via a conduit 304A. In the non-limiting embodiment depicted in FIG. 4, the first valve 106 comprises a first valve actuator 106A, the second valve 108 comprises a second valve actuator 108A, the third valve 112 comprises a third valve actuator 112A and the fourth valve 114 comprises a fourth valve actuator 114A. These actuators 106A, 108A, 112A and 114A may each be configured to receive the actuation command as one or more of an electronic signal, a pneumatic signal or a hydraulic signal, wherein these signal may be directed power (e.g. electronic power, pneumatic power or hydraulic power) so that upon receipt of an actuation command, each actuator 106A, 108A, 112A and 114A actuates it respective valve 106, 108, 112 or 114 between an open position and a closed position, or vice versa.

The position of a given valve that has HPFF flowing therethrough may be determined directly with a valve position sensor, such as sensors 106B, 108B, 112B and 114B. Additionally or alternatively, the position of a given valve may be determined indirect with a valve position sensor that is operatively coupled to a control valve that controls the position of a valve that has HPFF flowing therethrough. Furthermore, a remote valve actuation systems may have a position sensor that indirectly determines the position of a valve that has HPFF flowing therethrough. All of this sensory information (collectively depicted as 310 in FIG. 4), whether direct or indirect valve position sensory information, can be transmitted (via a conduit 310C or wirelessly) to the microcontroller 302.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the sensory information and command signals of the system 10 may be conducted by physical conduits that transmit electrical, acoustic or fluid-based information. Alternatively, the sensory information and command signals may be conducted wirelessly to and from the microcontroller 302. When such signals are conducted wirelessly, each component of the system 10 that receives a command signal is further equipped with the requisite hardware and source of power in order to receive and act upon the command signal received. For example, FIG. 5A shows another view of a controller circuit 1000 that is similar to controller circuit 300, wherein one or more sensors 1004 can detect one or more operational conditions of the system 1000, such as the fluid conditions of one or more conduits within the system 10 and/or the position of one or more valves within the system 10. The sensors 1004 can transmit the detected operational conditions to a microcontroller 1002, which in turn can send commands to one or more actuators 1006. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the microcontroller 1002 and the microcontroller 302 have the same or many of the same components and functionalities. For example, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the microcontroller 1002 generally comprises one or more control circuits that are configured to receive sensory information (including data) from one or more sensor assemblies 1004, such as the sensors 110, 1116, 106B, 108B, 112B or 114B.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the microcontroller 1002 may comprise a processing structure 1020 coupled to a memory and one or more input/output interfaces for communicating with the one or more sensor assemblies 1004 and the one or more actuators 1006, such as actuators 106A, 108A, 112A and 114A. The microcontroller 1002 may execute a management program or an operating system (e.g., a real-time operating system) for managing various hardware components and performing various tasks.

As shown in the non-limiting examples of FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B, the microcontroller 1002 may further comprise a networking module 1008 for communicating with one or more user interfaces 1010, which may also be referred to as a client computing device examples of which include, but are not limited to: Human Machine Interface (HMI), a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet, a smartphone, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) and the like, all of which may be the user interface 1010 described above, through a network (not shown) such as the Internet, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), and/or the like, via suitable wired and wireless networking connections. In some embodiments of the present disclosure where the microcontroller 1002 is in communication with a variety of sensor assemblies 1004 and regulators 1006 and performs sophisticated applications, the microcontroller 1002 may have sophisticated hardware and software structure and may be considered a server computer.

While the hardware and software structure of the microcontroller 1002 generally has features and functionalities more suitable for real-time processing, in various embodiments, the microcontroller 1002 may have a hardware and software structure similar to the client computing device 1010, or may have a simplified hardware and software structure compared thereto.

As shown in FIG. 5B, generally, the microcontroller 1002 and the client computing device 1010 may comprise a processing structure 1022, a controlling structure 1024, memory or storage 1026, a networking interface 1028, a coordinate input 1030, a display output 1032, and other input and output modules 1034 and 1036, all of which are functionally interconnected by a system bus 1038. Depending on the implementation, the microcontroller 1002 may not comprise all above-described components (e.g., the coordinate input 1030 and/or display output 1032) and may comprise other components that are suitable for operations that monitor fluid conditions and valve positions during a fracturing operation or other oil and gas well operation.

The processing structure 1022 may be one or more single-core or multiple-core computing processors such as INTEL® microprocessors (INTEL is a registered trademark of Intel Corp., Santa Clara, CA, USA), AMD® microprocessors (AMD is a registered trademark of Advanced Micro Devices Inc., Sunnyvale, CA, USA), ARM® microprocessors (ARM is a registered trademark of Arm Ltd., Cambridge, UK) manufactured by a variety of manufactures such as Qualcomm of San Diego, California, USA, under the ARM® architecture, or the like.

The controlling structure 1024 may comprise a plurality of controlling circuitries, such as graphic controllers, input/output chipsets and the like, for coordinating operations of various hardware components and modules of the controller circuit and the user interfaces.

The memory 1026 may comprise a plurality of memory units accessible by the processing structure 1022 and the controlling structure 1024 for reading and/or storing data, including input data and data generated by the processing structure 1022 and the controlling structure 1024. The memory 1026 may be volatile and/or non-volatile, non-removable or removable memory such as RAM, ROM, EEPROM, solid-state memory, hard disks, CD, DVD, flash memory, or the like. In use, the memory 1026 is generally divided to a plurality of portions for different use purposes. For example, a portion of the memory 1026 (denoted as storage memory herein) may be used for long-term data storing, for example, storing files or databases. Another portion of the memory 1026 may be used as the system memory for storing data during processing (denoted as working memory herein).

The networking interface 1028 comprises one or more networking modules for connecting to other computing devices or networks through the network by using suitable wired or wireless communication technologies such as Ethernet, WI-FIR, (WI-FI is a registered trademark of Wi-Fi Alliance, Austin, TX, USA), BLUETOOTH® (BLUETOOTH is a registered trademark of Bluetooth Sig Inc., Kirkland, WA, USA), ZIGBEE® (ZIGBEE is a registered trademark of ZigBee Alliance Corp., San Ramon, CA, USA), 3G, 4G, 5G wireless mobile telecommunications technologies, and/or the like. In some embodiments, parallel ports, serial ports, USB connections, optical connections, or the like may also be used for connecting other computing devices or networks although they are usually considered as input/output interfaces for connecting input/output devices.

The display output 1032 may comprise one or more display modules for displaying images, such as monitors, LCD displays, LED displays, projectors, and the like. The display output 1032 may be a physically integrated part of the processor and/or the user interfaces (for example, the display of a laptop computer or tablet), or may be a display device physically separate from, but functionally coupled to, other components of the processor and/or the user interfaces 1010 (for example, the monitor of a desktop computer).

The coordinate input 1030 may comprise one or more input modules for one or more users to input coordinate data, such as touch-sensitive screen, touch-sensitive whiteboard, trackball, computer mouse, touch-pad, or other human interface devices (HID) and the like. The coordinate input 1030 may be a physically integrated part of the processor and/or user interfaces (for example, the touch-pad of a laptop computer or the touch-sensitive screen of a tablet), or may be a display device physically separate from, but functionally coupled to, other components of the processor and/or user interfaces (for example, a computer mouse). The coordinate input 1030 may be integrated with the display output 1032 to form a touch-sensitive screen or touch-sensitive whiteboard.

The microcontroller 1002 and the client computing device 1010 may also comprise other inputs 1034 such as keyboards, microphones, scanners, cameras, and the like. The microcontroller 1002 and the client computing device 1010 may further comprise other outputs 1036 such as speakers, printers and the like. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, at least one processor and/or user interface may also comprise, or is functionally coupled to, a positioning component such as a Global Positioning System (GPS) component for determining the position thereof.

The system bus 1038 interconnects the various components described herein above enabling them to transmit and receive data and control signals to/from each other.

Without being bound by any particular theory, the apparatus and systems described herein may also be used in conjunction with a further system that is configured to manage an operational position of one or more further valves on the wellsite. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the system 10 may interact with another controller 303, for example via the microcontroller 202. The controller 303 may be configured to receive sensory information from sensors that are operatively coupled to one or more conduits and one or more other valves on the wellsite. These sensors may provide one or more of fluid-based information, object-based information, position-based information or any combination thereof for determining whether or not it is safe to change an operational positon of a valve on the wellsite. A non-limiting example of such a system is described in PCT/CA2019/050890 entitled Apparatus, System and Process for Regulating A Control Mechanism of a Well, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. In these embodiments, the system 10 can exchange sensory information and determined information to provide a more holistic view of the dynamic operational conditions occurring on the wellsite.

In operation, the system 10 can be used to monitor the fluid conditions within one or more conduits that connect the source S of fracturing fluids, the pumping unit 102 and one or more wells W1, W2 and W3. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the system 10 can also monitor the operating conditions of the pumping unit 102. During well fracturing operations, at least one of the well will receive the HPFF because the system 10 is configured in the first configuration. However, if it is determined that the pumping unit 102 requires maintenance or replacement, the pumping unit 102 will be stopped and the system 10 will enter into NPT. Once the pumping unit 102 has stopped, the system 10 can be configured into the second configuration so that the footprint of the red zone is decreased and at the least the pumping unit 102 is in the green zone, rather than the red zone.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method 600 for reducing NPT of the system during a well fracturing operation. As shown in FIG. 6, the method 600 comprises the steps of: monitoring 602 the fluid conditions within at least the second conduit 104B and the fourth conduit 104D. For example, the sensory information generated by the first sensor 110 and the second sensor 116 can be transmitted to the controller circuit 300 for displaying the fluid conditions to a user, via the display output 1032. Optionally, operational conditions of the pumping unit 102 can be determined by one or more of the further sensor 110A and such generated information can also be transmitted to the controller circuit 300. The user can then perform a step of assessing 604 whether or not the fluid conditions within the first and second conduits 104B, 104D meet a pre-determined requirement. For example, meeting a pre-determined requirement may be a fluid condition value that is lower than, higher than, equal to or not equal to a predetermined threshold value. If the fluid conditions meet the pre-determined requirement, then the user can actuate the first valve assembly 105 to prevent any further flow of HPFF, or other fluids into the third conduit 104C, for example by actuating the first valve 106 to a closed position, and to bleed off any HPFF trapped within the first conduit 104B, for example by actuating the second valve 108 to the bleed-off position. Some non-limiting examples of pre-determined requirements include: HPFF determined pressure is at, below or higher than a pre-determined threshold; pump stroke sensor equals zero, pump clutch sensor determines no clutch engagement, pump drive shaft sensor equals zero, pump gear sensor determines pump not in gear or combinations thereof.

The user can also actuate the second valve assembly 107 to a closed position (either by closing a single valve, such as the third valve 112 or the fourth valve 114, or both). In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second valve assembly 107 may be actuated to the closed position first, followed by actuating the second valve 108 to the bleed-off position so that any fluids within the second conduit 104B and the third conduit 104C are directed to the bleed-off receiver. Next, the user can monitor the fluid conditions in the second conduit 104B and the fourth conduit 104D. If the fluid conditions within the second conduit 104B meet a pre-determined safety requirement, and the fluid conditions in the fourth conduit 104D also meet a predetermined safety requirement, then the user can perform a step of confirming 606 that the footprint of the red zone has decreased. Upon confirming 606 the decreased footprint of the red zone, then one or more operators may perform a step of disconnecting 608 one or more of the connector 101 so as to allow the pumping unit 102 to be disengaged from the system 10. For example, the connector 101 at least at the downstream end of the second conduit 104A may be released so as to disengage the first conduit 104A from the pumping unit 102; the connector 101 at the upstream end of the second conduit 104B may also be released. At this point, a step of maintaining or moving 610 the pumping unit 102 may occur whereby the pumping unit 102 is subjected to a maintenance operation or it may be moved and replaced with a second pumping unit 102A. When either the maintenance operation is completed or the second pumping unit 102A is moved into the place of the pumping unit 102, the released connectors 101 may be subjected to a step of connecting 612 the respective connection points on the second pumping unit 102A. At this point, the system 10 can be subjected to various pressure tests, also referred to as a step of testing 614, to ensure that all connectors 101 have (or continue to have) the requisite fluid-tight seal, and then the second pumping unit 102A can be started and the system 10 can be configured back into the first configuration so that pumping of HPFF into one of the wells W1, W2, W3 can resume, also referred to as a step of resuming 616 the hydraulic fracturing operation.

FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B show another embodiment of a system 200A that has many of the same features as system 10. The primary differences between the system 10 and the system 10A is that FIG. 7 shows the system 10A as further comprising a pump system control system 400, which may itself comprise a data collection system and a source of power 402 for the pumping system 102, with a front end 102A proximal to the system 400 and the source of power 402 and a back end 102B opposite to the front end 102A. A further difference is that the system 10A has a different arrangement of valves, comprising valve 100, 108, 112 and 114, as described hereinabove. The difference between FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B is that in FIG. 7B the supply valve 100 and valves 112, 114 are closed and valve 108 is open. This results in a decreased size of the red zone boundary 202.

FIG. 7 also shows a blast shield system 404 that comprises one or more blast shields that are configured to protect a worker from a high-pressure event when the worker is physically located close to the boundary. Various types of blast shields are contemplated herein. The blast system 404 may be positioned about a connection 101 where HPFF may still be present, even after the valves are actuated to direct the HPFF to the discharge fluid receiver 103 and the supply valve 100 is closed and power to the pumping system 102 is turned off.