Abstract
This article presents the environmental and financial benefits that have been achieved through continuous wellsite mixing techniques during pumping operations. Traditionally excess fluid volumes have been pre-mixed either at the base facility or at the wellsite prior to the start of most treatments. This excess was needed to compensate for the ‘dead volume’ remaining at the bottom of a storage tank, and in some cases to prepare for the optimum treatment volume which could only be determined during or after the pumping operation.
Mixing at the wellsite facilitates better control of the chemical composition, density and rheological properties of the fluid before pumping the complex mixture into the well. Such mixing reduces the environmental risks (3), (9) as all the chemical handling is done under controlled conditions and preventive measures are implemented to contain any fluid spill. Additionally, continuous wellsite mixing cuts the cost of operation by eliminating waste disposal and tank cleaning following the completion of treatment.
The practices of continuous wellsite mixing are explained through the use of two specially designed mixing systems in operation today. Resulting environmental and financial benefits are shown through the implementation of these systems in pumping operations.
