On-site Fuel Combustion

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to an apparatus having a separator and mixing equipment. The separator is operable to receive exhaust from fuel-burning equipment at a wellsite and separate the exhaust into a gas component and water. The mixing equipment is operable to receive at least one of the gas component and the water to form a subterranean formation treatment fluid. The present disclosure is further directed to a method of operating fuel-burning equipment at a wellsite to form an exhaust and utilizing the exhaust to form a fluid for injecting into a wellbore to treat a subterranean formation into which the wellbore extends.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 operating fuel-burning equipment at a wellsite to form an exhaust; and   utilizing the exhaust to form a fluid for injecting into a wellbore to treat a subterranean formation into which the wellbore extends.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising injecting the fluid into the wellbore. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein utilizing the exhaust to form the fluid forms a fracturing fluid comprising the exhaust, and wherein treating the subterranean formation comprises fracturing the subterranean formation. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  further comprising operating a fracturing pump system to inject the fracturing fluid into the wellbore, wherein the fracturing pump system is a piece of the fuel-burning equipment forming the exhaust, and wherein utilizing the exhaust to form the fracturing fluid utilizes exhaust from the fracturing pump system. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising capturing and cooling the exhaust before utilizing the exhaust to form the fluid. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising separating the exhaust into a gas component and water, wherein utilizing the exhaust to form the fluid comprises forming the fluid utilizing at least one of the gas component and the water. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  further comprising compressing the gas component, wherein:
 forming the fluid comprises forming a foamed fracturing fluid comprising the compressed gas component; 
 compressing the gas component comprises compressing the gas component with a compressor system that is a piece of the fuel-burning equipment forming the exhaust; and 
 utilizing the exhaust to form the fluid utilizes the compressor system exhaust. 
 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6  further comprising compressing the gas component, wherein forming the fluid comprises forming a foamed fracturing fluid by combining the compressed gas component and a mixture comprising the water and a proppant material. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein operating the fuel-burning equipment comprises operating the fuel-burning equipment to burn natural gas at the wellsite to form the exhaust. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  further comprising producing the natural gas from the subterranean formation at the wellsite. 
     
     
         11 . A method comprising:
 combusting a fuel at a wellsite;   separating exhaust from the combustion into a gas component and water; and   forming a subterranean formation treatment fluid comprising at least one of the gas component and water.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11  wherein:
 forming the subterranean formation treatment fluid comprises forming a fracturing fluid comprising at least one of the gas component and water; 
 the method further comprises operating a fracturing pump system to inject the fracturing fluid into the wellbore; 
 the fracturing pump system combusts the fuel to form the exhaust; and 
 separating the exhaust from the combustion comprises separating the exhaust from the fracturing pump system into the gas component and water. 
 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the water is fresh water, wherein the method further comprises combining the fresh water with water produced at the wellsite to dilute the produced water, and wherein forming the subterranean formation treatment fluid comprises forming a fracturing fluid comprising the diluted produced water. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11  wherein combusting the fuel at the wellsite comprises combusting natural gas at the wellsite, and wherein the method further comprises producing the natural gas from a subterranean formation at the wellsite. 
     
     
         15 . An apparatus comprising:
 a system operable to form a compositional component of a subterranean formation treatment fluid at a wellsite, wherein the system comprises:
 a heat exchanger system disposed at the wellsite and operable to receive and cool exhaust from fuel-burning equipment disposed at the wellsite; and 
 a separator disposed at the wellsite and operable to separate exhaust cooled by the heat exchanger into a gas and water, wherein the compositional component is at least one of the separated gas and water. 
   
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 15  further comprising a compressor system operable to compress the separated gas prior to being injected into a wellbore, wherein the compressor system is an instance of the fuel-burning equipment forming the exhaust, and wherein the exhaust received by the separator includes the compressor system exhaust. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 16  wherein the subterranean formation treatment fluid is a foamed fracturing fluid, and wherein the mixing equipment is operable to receive the compressed separated gas to form the foamed fracturing fluid. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 16  wherein the subterranean formation treatment fluid is a foamed fracturing fluid, and wherein the system is further operable combine the compressed separated gas and a mixture comprising the separated water and a proppant material to form the foamed fracturing fluid. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 15  wherein the subterranean formation treatment fluid comprises a fracturing fluid for performing well fracturing operations, and wherein the system further comprises:
 at least one of:
 a gel mixer operable to form a gel comprising the separated water and a hydratable material; and/or 
 a proppant mixer operable to form a slurry comprising the gel and a proppant material; and 
 
 a fracturing pump system operable for injecting the fracturing fluid into a wellbore extending into a subterranean formation, wherein the fracturing pump system is an instance of the fuel-burning equipment forming the exhaust, and wherein the exhaust received by the separator includes the fracturing pump system exhaust. 
 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 15  wherein the fuel-burning equipment is operable to burn natural gas produced from a wellbore extending into a subterranean formation at the wellsite.