US 11,668,172 B2
Remote manifold valve and pump pairing technique for a multi-pump system
Manuel Alfonso Bobadilla Larios, Stafford, TX (US); and Nan Mu, Singapore (SG)
Assigned to Schlumberger Technology Corporation, Sugar Land, TX (US)
Appl. No. 15/746,541
Filed by SCHLUMBERGER TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION, Sugar Land, TX (US)
PCT Filed Jul. 21, 2016, PCT No. PCT/US2016/043217
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jan. 22, 2018,
PCT Pub. No. WO2017/015411, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 26, 2017.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/195,104, filed on Jul. 21, 2015.
Prior Publication US 2018/0209257 A1, Jul. 26, 2018
Int. Cl. E21B 43/26 (2006.01); F17D 5/02 (2006.01); G05D 7/06 (2006.01); E21B 43/267 (2006.01)
CPC E21B 43/2607 (2020.05) [F17D 5/02 (2013.01); G05D 7/0688 (2013.01); E21B 43/267 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of remotely pairing high pressure valves and low pressure valves at a manifold with pumps of a multi-pump system circulating a slurry at an oilfield, the method comprising:
remotely opening all high pressure valves of the manifold;
after opening all the high pressure valves, sequentially remotely opening low pressure valves at the manifold including:
simultaneously opening a selected number of multiple low pressure valves at the manifold after closing all valves and before opening a given low pressure valve, the selected number of the multiple low pressure valves being fewer than a total of the low pressure valves at the manifold;
confirming an absence of any responsive pressure increase in any pump of the multi-pump system; and
upon confirming the absence of any responsive pressure increase in any pump of the multi-pump system, removing the selected number of the multiple low pressure valves from consideration as remaining low pressure valves for pairing, thereby reducing a time to remotely pair the valves of the multi-pump system;
identifying a responsive fluid-based detection in a pump of the multi-pump system via at least one sensor located to monitor for a dedicated fluid flow to the pump upon opening the given low pressure valve, the dedicated fluid flow indicating fluid flowing directly from the given low pressure valve to the identified pump rather than to other pumps of the multi-pump system, thus establishing a pairing between the given low pressure valve and the identified pump;
identifying responsive fluid-based detections at remaining pumps of the multi-pump system to identify individual pairings between the remaining low pressure valves and pumps; and
recording the pairing between each of the identified pumps and the each of the given low pressure valves at a control unit at the oilfield, the pairing enabling each of the pumps to be individually and remotely connected to the multi-pump system by opening the paired valves and pumps, wherein the recorded pairing enables the control unit to close the appropriate paired valves when disconnecting a pump from the multi-pump system when the multi-pump system is operating, thereby maintaining operational integrity of the operating multi-pump system by enabling the multi-pump system to remain operational while the pump is being disconnected from the multi-pump system.