Optimization of Parameters of a Hydraulic Mobile Pumping Unit for Hydraulic Fracturing

As part of many units of the oil and gas industry, a manifold is used, which is an element of drilling equipment, included in the design of oil and gas fittings and represented by a whole block of pipelines and valves. Even though most of its components are formed by standard parts, the manifold is unique for each individual design due to the different arrangement of the equipment elements, which necessitates the study of the correctness of its functioning in each specific case. The purpose of this study is to check the strength of the attachment points of the manifold, which determine its overall performance. The objectives of the study are to carry out strength calculations of the fastening points of the manifold to determine their suitability for high-pressure operation, as well as automatic calculation of the flange connection. A 3D model of the manifold of a mobile pumping unit for hydraulic fracturing was used for the study. To determine the strength characteristics, the connection section of the high-pressure manifold transition coil with the pump by means of a flange connection was considered. For this unit, the strength calculation is performed according to Russian GOST 52857.4–2007. For the possibility of conducting the necessary studies in the design and optimization of the parameters of the flange connection, it is proposed to automate the calculation of the strength of flange connections. The computer-aided design system PTC Mathcad was used to automate the calculation. To find the coefficients presented in the standard in the form of graphical dependencies, they were translated into empirical formulae. The obtained results allow us to take the necessary coefficients in the calculation as input parameters and fully automate the calculation. The completed studies may be of interest to students and mechanical engineers who produce similar calculations.