Haynesville shale pump
experience
This article by Weir in 2012 shows the evolution of pumps for
fracking with the increased demands in a new basin
Reciprocating
plunger pumps have been used for decades to propel a mixture of water, sand and
chemicals into a well at pressures as high as 15,000 psi, and flow rates at
times above 100 barrels per minute. The evolution of the frac pump has occurred
throughout the history of hydraulic fracturing with pumps increasing in size,
horsepower rating and pressure capabilities to meet the increasing demand of
pressure pumping service companies
The Haynesville Shale has put
increased pressure on pumping equipment due to the severe pumping requirements
of the wells. The average Haynesville wells are currently being fracced at
pressures around 13,500 psi with frac stages numbering as high as 20 per well.
In the Barnett, a pump may operate onsite for 6 to 8 hours, complete the job and
then be returned to the shop for maintenance before being sent out on another
job. In the Haynesville Shale, however, hydraulic fracturing operations might
last several days with continuous pumping intervals of 3 to 4 hours and only a
limited window between stages for rapid maintenance procedures while the next
frac stage is prepared. These difficult operating conditions have required
operators to place upwards of 50 percent spare horsepower capacity onsite to
instantly replace any equipment that may fail during operation, whether it is
the engine, transmission or pumping system. In addition to increased pressure
requirements, Haynesville wells often require extremely hard synthetic proppant
(sand). The new synthetic proppant, such as bauxite, wear pump expendable
components and fluid ends at increasingly rapid rates. Design engineers must
further enhance the mechanical integrity of the frac pump to support higher
pumping pressures, ensuring longer times between maintenance events, and making
the maintenance activity itself safer, easier and faster.