Weir's new, simplified system reduces non-productive time
HOUSTON -- Weir Oil & Gas has announced that it has taken an important step in transforming the hydraulic fracturing process. Weir’s latest innovation – the Simplified Frac Iron System – will make the frac process significantly simpler, safer and more productive.
Less iron and fewer connections on the frac site means less non-productive time, enhanced safety, and increased reliability for operators.
Most frac operations today consist of multiple well pads and a complex array of hundreds of moving parts including small bore iron strings to manage very high pressures. All of these pieces of iron and equipment require a lengthy time to set up, assemble, and connect, with every connection posing a potential leak path that must be checked continuously. This laborious task creates substantial non-productive time on site.
To make frac operations safer, more reliable and efficient, Weir has simplified this approach with a more streamlined, fit-for-purpose system that can be tailored to any condition or basin. This linear-flow-path design also prevents directional fluid changes that create accelerated wear, resulting in longer product life and reduced pressure drops in demanding conditions. Additionally, a rotating flange and adjustable height spool is located on the frac stack to enable better alignment.
“Our goal is to not only improve and simplify the fracturing process, but to support it through our world-class service centers throughout every major basin,” said Paul Coppinger, president of Weir Oil & Gas. “It was important that we take a step back and see the bigger picture through an operator’s eyes. The result is a systems approach focused on the idea that less is more, ensuring greater safety and productivity.”
In testing, Weir’s One-Straight Line (OSL), a patent pending component of the simplified frac iron system, completed 80 frac stages with minimal pipe wear. Overall, the system:
- Lasted more than three times longer than similar applications
- Demonstrated approximately 70 percent less pipe erosion compared to similar designs.
- Dramatically reduces the volume of grease and amount of time needed to grease the valve between frac cycles.
In total, the Weir Simplified Frac Iron System includes:
- Seaboard OSL (One Straight Line)
- Seaboard Vertical Zipper with Plug Valve
- Seaboard Frac Stack with Plug Valve
- Seaboard Grease Manifold
Future enhancements to the system will include SPM large bore iron pre-assembled onto modular skids running from the frac pumps to the zipper, and SPM 7-in. directional and isolation valves – an industry first. An integrated monitoring system from the zipper to the frac stack that indicates wear inside the pipes and wellhead pressure is also planned, to name a few.
