Patent ID: 11939853
Assignee: BJ ENERGY SOLUTIONS, LLC
Field: Engines, pumps, turbines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC E  F | IPC E  F

Claim 14:
15. A hydraulic fracturing control assembly to operate a plurality of hydraulic fracturing units, each of the hydraulic fracturing units including a hydraulic fracturing pump to pump fracturing fluid into a wellhead and an internal combustion engine to drive the hydraulic fracturing pump, the hydraulic fracturing control assembly comprising:
an input device configured to facilitate communication of:
rate ramp signals indicative of a rate ramp operational mode to control a flow rate associated with pumping fracturing fluid into a wellhead; and
operational parameters to a supervisory controller, the one or more operational parameters including one or more of a target flow rate, a maximum flow rate, a target pressure, or a pressure range for fracturing fluid supplied to the wellhead;

one or more sensors configured to generate one or more sensor signals indicative of one or more of a flow rate of fracturing fluid or a pressure associated with fracturing fluid; and
a supervisory controller in communication with one or more of the plurality of hydraulic fracturing units, the input device, or the one or more sensors, the supervisory controller being configured to:
receive one or more operational parameters associated with pumping fracturing fluid into a wellhead, the one or more operational parameters including one or more of a target flow rate or a target pressure for fracturing fluid supplied to the wellhead;
receive one or more signals indicative of a blender output upstream of the plurality of hydraulic fracturing units;
determine whether the plurality of hydraulic fracturing units have a capacity sufficient to achieve the one or more of the target flow rate or the target pressure;
increase a flow rate from at least some of the hydraulic fracturing units according to a controlled increasing flow rate schedule toward the one or more of the target flow rate or the target pressure, the controlled increasing flow rate schedule including two or more different rates of change of flow rate corresponding to two or more wellhead pressure ranges and causing operation of the hydraulic fracturing units such that a flow rate of fracturing fluid does not exceed the maximum flow rate and a fracturing fluid pressure substantially remains within the pressure range;
determine, based at least in part on the one or more sensor signals indicative of one or more of the flow rate of fracturing fluid or the pressure associated with fracturing fluid, whether the at least some of the hydraulic fracturing units have achieved the one or more of the target flow rate or the target pressure;
control operation of each of the at least some hydraulic fracturing units based at least in part on the one or more signals indicative of the blender output;
one or more of:
when it has been determined that the one or more of the target flow rate or the target pressure has been achieved, operate the at least some hydraulic fracturing units to maintain one or more of the target flow rate or the target pressure;
when it has been determined that the target flow rate has not been achieved, generate one or more signals indicative of a failure to achieve the target flow rate; or
when it has been determined that the target pressure has not been achieved, operate the at least some hydraulic fracturing units to maintain a maximum flow rate;

monitor fluid pressure at the wellhead; and
when the fluid pressure at the wellhead increases to within an upper range of the maximum fluid pressure, the supervisory controller is configured to two or more of:
generate one or more signals indicative of the fluid pressure being within the upper range of the maximum fluid pressure;
reduce a rate of change of the flow rate provided by the at least some of the hydraulic fracturing units; or
reduce the target flow rate, and following reducing the target flow rate, when the fluid pressure at the wellhead falls below a lower range of the maximum fluid pressure, increase the flow rate provided by the at least some of the hydraulic fracturing units until the fluid pressure at the wellhead returns to within the upper range of the maximum fluid pressure.