Hydraulic Fracturing Pump

Overview

A hydraulic fracturing pump is a high-horsepower reciprocating plunger pump that injects proppant-laden fluid into a well at the pressures needed to crack the reservoir rock. Several units pump in parallel during a frac stage, so a single pump may run at 2,250 brake horsepower or more and deliver fluid at up to 15,000 psi. The machine is split into two functional halves bolted together: a power end that creates the reciprocating motion and a fluid end that does the pumping. The whole assembly is trailer- or skid-mounted for rapid field deployment.

Pumping abrasive sand slurry at extreme pressure is punishing, so the fluid end is treated as a consumable and the power end is built for sustained shock loading.

How it works

A diesel engine or the electric Drive Motor feeds the Reduction Transmission, which reduces speed and drives the Power End. There a forged crankshaft turns five connecting rods and crossheads, converting rotation into the linear stroke of the plungers.

Each crosshead pushes a plunger into the Fluid End. On the suction stroke the plunger draws slurry past the spring-loaded suction valves; on the pressure stroke it forces that fluid out through the discharge valves into the manifold. High-pressure packing seals each plunger against the forged block, and the valves and seats are hardened to survive the sand.

Because five plungers fire in sequence, the raw discharge is pulsating. The Pulsation Dampener, a nitrogen-charged bottle, absorbs those pulses so the flowline sees steady pressure. The Lubrication System continuously circulates filtered, cooled oil through the power-end bearings and crosshead guides, and the Instrumentation Package package watches discharge pressure and rate so the treatment stays within the well's limits.