BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

High viscosity fluid mixtures or gels comprising hydratable material and/or additives mixed with water and/or other hydrating fluid are utilized in fracturing and other subterranean well treatment operations. These high viscosity fluid mixtures are formulated at the wellsite or transported to the wellsite from a remote location. Hydration is a process by which the hydratable material solvates, absorbs, and/or otherwise reacts with hydrating fluid to create the high viscosity fluid mixture. The level of hydration of the hydratable material may be increased by maintaining the hydratable material in the hydrating fluid during a process step referred to as residence time, such as may take place in one or more hydration tanks.

Hydration and the associated increase in viscosity take place over a time span corresponding to the residence time of the hydratable material in the hydrating fluid. Hence, the rate of hydration of the hydratable material is a factor in the hydration operations, and particularly scrutinized in continuous hydration operations by which the high viscosity fluid mixture is continuously produced at the job site during the course of wellsite operations. To achieve sufficient hydration and/or viscosity, long tanks or a series of large tanks are utilized to provide the hydratable material with sufficient volume and, thus, residence time in the hydrating fluid. Such tanks are transported to or near the wellsite. For example, the hydratable material may be mixed with the hydrating fluid before being introduced into a series of tanks and, as the fluid mixture passes through the series of tanks, the hydratable material may hydrate to a sufficient degree.

A typical gravity-flow hydration tank cannot handle high concentration fluid mixture. Therefore, other tanks having large volumes are utilized to sufficiently dilute the fluid mixture to a sufficiently low viscosity to permit the fluid mixture to pass through the gravity-flow hydration tank. Hydration tanks having large volumes comprise large footprints, are difficult to transport, and/or may not be transportable.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify indispensable features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended for use as an aid in limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter.

The present disclosure introduces a method that includes communicating a substantially continuous stream of gel having a first concentration, communicating a substantially continuous stream of aqueous fluid, and combining the substantially continuous streams of gel having the first concentration and aqueous fluid to form a substantially continuous stream of gel having a second concentration. The second concentration is substantially lower than the first concentration. The method may also include utilizing the gel having the second concentration in a well fracturing operation.

The present disclosure also introduces a method that includes substantially continuously feeding hydratable material and hydrating fluid into a mixer, and substantially continuously operating the mixer to mix the hydratable material and the hydrating fluid to form a first substantially continuous stream. The first substantially continuous stream includes gel having a first concentration of hydratable material and a first viscosity. The method also includes substantially continuously communicating the first substantially continuous stream through an enclosed hydrator to form a second substantially continuous stream. The second substantially continuous stream includes gel having the first concentration of hydratable material and a second viscosity that is substantially greater than the first viscosity. The method also includes substantially continuously combining the second substantially continuous stream and a third substantially continuous stream to form a fourth substantially continuous stream. The third substantially continuous stream substantially includes aqueous fluid. The fourth substantially continuous stream includes gel having a second concentration of hydratable material that is substantially less than the first concentration. The method also includes utilizing gel from the fourth substantially continuous stream in a well fracturing operation.

The present disclosure also introduces an apparatus that includes a system operable to form a substantially continuous supply of gel having a first hydratable material concentration for use in a well fracturing operation. The system includes a mixer to receive and mix hydratable material and aqueous fluid to form a substantially continuous supply of gel having a second hydratable material concentration. The second hydratable material concentration is substantially higher than the first hydratable material concentration. The system also includes an enclosed tank having an internal flow path traversed by the substantially continuous supply of gel having the second hydratable material concentration during a period of time sufficient to permit a viscosity of the substantially continuous supply of gel having the second hydratable material concentration to increase to a predetermined level. The system also includes a diluter operable to dilute the substantially continuous supply of increased viscosity gel having the second hydratable material concentration to substantially continuously supply gel having the first hydratable material concentration.

These and additional aspects of the present disclosure are set forth in the description that follows, and/or may be learned by a person having ordinary skill in the art by reading the materials herein and/or practicing the principles described herein. At least some aspects of the present disclosure may be achieved via means recited in the attached claims.

