American Oil and Gas Reporter - August 2019 - 105

SpecialReport: Hydraulic Fracturing Technology
better quality and consistency and all
are located on the outside of the frame
for easier access. Redesigned bull gears
and pinions provide greater surface area
on bull gears to reduce stripping and
stress at high rod loads.
In addition, the hardened steel packing
bore technology in the fluid end is designed
to last the entire life of the fluid end
while eliminating washboarding and minimizing the need to rework or resleeve
the block in the field even after packing
washes, which is a common cause for
damage in fluid ends.
Reducing Maintenance
Collectively, these technological advancements promote longer run times
in the field and extend equipment life
while at the same time reducing maintenance requirements. When maintenance is required, the latest-generation
pump designs make procedures much
easier for personnel with directions
printed directly on key areas of the
pump that link to videos showing users
how to perform maintenance tasks on
both the power and fluid ends. This
simplifies routine maintenance tasks,
saves time in the field and also helps
ensure that maintenance is properly
performed.
Improper maintenance has a significant negative impact on the bottom line.
It not only increases nonproductive time,
but also increases consumables costs.
On one particular frac site, personnel
were improperly maintaining valves and
seats engineered for 40 percent longer
service life than conventional valves
and seats. Specifically, personnel on the
site were replacing the long-life valves
and seats too soon. Not only did this
create unnecessary nonproductive time,
but it also increased the operator's consumable costs.
By following proper maintenance
procedures, the equipment operator reduced monthly consumables cost by a
quoted 28 percent and the operator is
expected to be able to realize up to 40
percent savings based on head-to-head
performance trials as personnel allow
the valves to run for their full designed
life spans. Longer life spans of key
equipment and components also increase
pumping hours. Using the newest pump
design and the long-lasting valves and
seats, this same fleet operator was also
able to extend change outs from 20 to
35 stages.

When it comes to the future frac site,
the multiwell pad will look very different
than it does today. However, some things
are anticipated to remain the same. Efficiency and increased pumping hours will
remain the fundamentals of success while
cost pressures, greater workforce challenges, and potential regulatory changes
will shape the job site.
Pads will have the same horsepower,
but less equipment. Operators likely will
employ greater numbers of large-bore
systems in the field, since these technologies result in fewer leak paths and
fewer pieces of equipment to maintain.
The resulting reduction in nonproductive
time should increase operational efficiency
dramatically, benefitting both the oil and
gas company as well as the frac service
company.
A high-quality, large-bore system
simplifies the frac site and creates a
more linear flow to eliminate hazards
and potential leak paths. These advantages will greatly enable multiwell pads
to be hydraulically fractured with reduced
nonproductive time, rig-up time and
costs while also improving onsite safety
performance.
In addition to simplified large-bore
frac iron, utilizing preassembled, modular
components provides a variety of unique
benefits to deliver efficiency increases
and value to further create distinct competitive advantages. In total, advanced
frac iron systems using a single, largebore design reduce the required connections of a traditional manifold by more
than 50 percent, along with much of the
ground iron, straps and other tripping
hazards.
Less iron on the ground results in less
nonproductive time. Considering workforce challenges, it also means fewer
pieces of frac iron to maintain and fewer
man hours required to properly maintain
that equipment.
High-Horsepower E-Pumps
The potential for regulatory changes
requiring greener electric fracturing
equipment could enable operators to realize significantly greater efficiencies
and cost savings, but also may require
creative workforce solutions. Electric
rather than diesel-powered pumps potentially could reduce fuel costs by up
to 95 percent by generating their power
from field natural gas. Electric fleets
with higher-horsepower pumps than today's norm of 3,000 horsepower or less

also will enable significantly reduced
equipment footprints on frac job sites.
In fact, the newest e-frac pump has a
5,000-horsepower capacity and is rated
for service at 100% of rod load 24 hours
a day even in extreme conditions and
higher-torque applications for true continuous duty using either electric or natural
gas turbine drivers. With one high-horsepower e-frac pump providing the equivalent output of multiple conventional
pumps, maintenance, noise pollution,
safety hazards, emissions and overall operational footprints are reduced.
Even though several "e-fleets" have
been commissioned to prove out the
basic system capabilities, they will make
another step change as they realize the
benefits from a single, much higherhorsepower electric frac pump. As fleet
operators seek to electrify work sites,
they may find it optimal to assign separate
teams to electric sites as well as dedicated
teams to conventional sites to maximize
frac site efficiency and reduce nonproductive time related to standardized
maintenance programs.
As the modern frac site continues to
evolve, the keys to success will remain
unchanged. Whether using electric or
conventional equipment, or perhaps a
combination of both types of equipment,
frac operations undoubtedly will employ
large-bore systems on multiwell sites
and continue to use more durable pump
systems that reduce the total operational
footprint on site. These fundamentals
will enable oil and gas companies as
well as fleet operators to reap the greater
performance and optimization benefits
offered by state-of-the-art hydraulic fracturing equipment.
❒
ZACHERY KOKEL is senior product line manager, pumps, at Weir Oil
& Gas, which has introduced the new
high-performance SPM® EXL Quintuplex frac pump and the SPM® Quintuplex Extended Max 5,000-horsepower e-frac pump. Before joining
the company in 2017, he served in a
variety of leadership roles at TechnipFMC, including director of global
surface technologies research and
development and rapid design centers,
and engineering manager of the fluid
control division. Kokel holds a B.S.
and an M.S. in mechanical engineering
from Texas A&M University.
AUGUST 2019 105

American Oil and Gas Reporter - August 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Oil and Gas Reporter - August 2019