US 11,702,916 B2
Controlling the flow of fluid to high pressure pumps
Travis Lee Bolt, Conroe, TX (US); Zachary Daniel Baker, Cleveland, TX (US); Eric O'Reilly Sears, College Station, TX (US); and Jonathan Tyler Maxwell, Willis, TX (US)
Assigned to NATIONAL OILWELL VARCO, L.P., Houston, TX (US)
Filed by NATIONAL OILWELL VARCO, L.P., Houston, TX (US)
Filed on Dec. 22, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/247,769.
Prior Publication US 2022/0195856 A1, Jun. 23, 2022
Int. Cl. E21B 43/26 (2006.01); E21B 34/02 (2006.01)
CPC E21B 43/26 (2013.01) [E21B 34/02 (2013.01); E21B 34/025 (2020.05); E21B 43/2607 (2020.05)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A hydraulic fracturing system comprising:
a well head;
a pump system that includes:
one or more high-pressure pumps to deliver fluid to the wellhead, the fluid including proppant; and
a number of valve apparatuses to supply the fluid to the one or more high-pressure pumps;
a control system to:
determine a target flow rate sufficient to maintain the proppant in solution within the one or more high-pressure pumps;
determine a valve apparatus actuation scheme based on the target flow rate, the valve apparatus actuation scheme indicating a state for individual valve apparatuses of the number of valve apparatuses of the pump system to achieve a minimum flow rate of the fluid through the one or more high-pressure pumps to maintain the proppant in solution within the one or more high-pressure pumps; and
send an actuation signal to one or more valve apparatuses of the number of valve apparatuses of the pump system to actuate individual flow control members of the one or more valve apparatuses of the pump system; and
a fluid and power delivery system coupled between the pump system and a fluid source, the fluid and power delivery system to deliver the fluid to the pump system from the fluid source.