Embodiments of systems and methods for generating power in the vicinity of a drilling rig are disclosed. During a drilling operation, heat generated by drilling fluid flowing from a borehole, exhaust from an engine, and/or fluid from an engine's water (or other fluid) jacket, for example, may be utilized by corresponding heat exchangers to facilitate heat transfer to a working fluid. The heated working fluid may cause an ORC unit to generate electrical power.

An alternative chemical injection path system that includes a conduit and a manifold. The conduit has a first injection point configured at a first distance from a first end of the conduit and a second injection point configured at a second distance from the first end, with the second distance being different than the first distance. The manifold has an inlet and first and second outlets. The inlet is configured for receiving a chemical, while the first outlet is fluidly coupled to the first injection point, and the second outlet is fluidly coupled to the second injection point. The manifold is configured to distribute the chemical to the first injection point and the second injection point according to a location of a clog in the conduit.

A closed-loop hydraulic drilling system generates choke characteristic curves or data that more accurately reflects the relationship between the commanded choke valve position and the resulting pressure drop across the choke valve for a given flow rate and fluid density. The choke characteristic curves may be generated through a calibration procedure and then used during normal operations to more accurately monitor return flow and manage wellbore pressure. The specific gravity of an injected calibration fluid and pressure drop across the choke valve may be determined and correlated to the current choke valve position to reflect the choke characteristic curve in situ, thereby providing for more precise control of wellbore pressure and enabling condition monitoring of the choke valve. In addition, an improved closed-loop hydraulic drilling system does not require a flow meter, enabling the adoption of MPD systems in low-specification and economically constrained applications.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed toward a choke valve system including a choke valve body and a plurality of choke trims. The plurality of choke trims comprises a plug and cage choke trim, an external sleeve choke trim, and a drilling choke trim, wherein the drilling choke trim is configured to enable a fluid flow rate greater than the plug and cage choke trim and the external sleeve choke trim, and wherein each of the plurality of choke trims is configured to be mutually exclusively secured within the choke valve body.

Fracturing systems with frac valves having gates for controlling flow of fracturing fluid are provided. In one embodiment, a fracturing apparatus includes a frac valve having a housing with a cavity transverse to a bore. A gate is positioned in the cavity and is movable between open and closed positions to selectively block flow through the bore. The gate includes a seal assembly positioned to seal against a sidewall of the cavity to surround the bore and block flow through the frac valve when the gate is in the closed position. The seal assembly can be actuated between a less-energized state and a more-energized state following movement of the gate within the cavity from the open position to the closed position. Additional systems, devices, and methods for fracturing are also disclosed.

An activatable choke assembly is arranged in communication with a BOP function manifold. The choke assembly may be placed before a point of distribution (POD). The choke assembly can be activated to dampen acceleration or deceleration of the hydraulic fluid in the BOP function manifold.

An apparatus includes a conduit forming part of a drilling fluid return path from a wellbore. The the conduit has at least one well outflow control in the conduit. The at least one well fluid outflow control has at least two annular flow restrictors each separately operable to close to a respective inner diameter.

Measurement data including data of a sand production rate from a sand metering sensor, pressure data from a pressure sensor, and data of a metal loss value from a metal loss sensor is obtained. A maximum sand erosional velocity ratio and a pressure drawdown are determined. An optimum choke valve setting is determined based on a predefined correlation between the sand production rate, the pressure drawdown, and the maximum sand erosional velocity ratio, in response to determining that the maximum sand erosional velocity ratio is not within a predetermined maximum sand erosional velocity ratio limit. An updated pressure drawdown produced by the determined optimum choke valve setting is within a predetermined pressure drawdown operating window. The surface choke valve is set based on the determined optimum choke valve setting. The well is shutdown by triggering an emergency shutdown device in response to determining that the obtained metal loss value has reached a predefined metal loss limit value.

Disclosed herein are various embodiments of a method for minimizing formation damage while drilling an oil or gas well. An Annular Pressure Control Diverter is designed to be positioned below the conventional blowout preventer stack, and is activated during near balanced drilling operations to seal the annulus between the drill pipe and the production casing. Returned drilling fluid and produced fluids are diverted up the annulus between the production casing and intermediate casing and through a well head located below an all-inclusive BOP stack. The seal elements within the Annular Pressure Control Diverter do not rotate. Doors are provided on each side of the Annular Pressure Control Diverter to permit changing of the seal elements. The Annular Pressure Control Diverter also is used to ensure the capture of methane while drilling in a hydrocarbon bearing reservoir.

Provided is a hydrocarbon well choke system that includes a choke valve and a choke control system adapted to obtain production data from production sensors of the well (e.g., including flowrate, wellhead pressure, wellhead temperature, water cut and gas-oil-ratio (GOR) data obtained by way of respective sensors of the well), generate (based on the data) a well profile that is indicative of the flow of production from the well for different settings of the valve, receive (from a well control system) a target production rate, determine (based on the well profile) whether the rate is obtainable, in response to determining that the rate is obtainable, determine (based on the well profile) a choke setting that corresponds to the rate, and control the choke valve to operate at the setting, and, in response to determining that the rate is not obtainable, communicate (to the well control system) a corresponding alert.