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Buffer Tank Valve Control System

THE CHALLENGE

The ability to manage water tank levels is vital to the success of every frac. Water transfer and management companies are responsible for regulating buffer tank levels to ensure the required volume is delivered to the pressure pumpers – and prevent the tanks from overfilling and spilling on the site. Historically, this has been labour-intensive and prone to operator error.

The goal was to upgrade to a portable, automated valve control system. They wanted a simple, cost-effective solution that provided automated valve control to transfer and recirculate water between a buffer tank and the source tank. A solution that didn’t involve a complex and expensive SCADA setup.

THE SOLUTION

Since the client required a contained system that could be easily transported from one site to the next, we fabricated a three-way butterfly valve manifold using Victaulic 761 MasterSeal valves equipped with 120V electric actuators.

The plug-and-play Walchem Intuition 6 controller made it easy for the operator to program and adjust setpoints for each job. Existing Dwyer PBLT2 sensors drive the controller, with signals transmitted by an Oxbow Branch radio transmitter/receiver. Visual and auditory alarms would alert operators to any concerns.

Our solution allowed the client to maintained a user-selected  water level range in the buffer tank and allowed continuous circulation back to the c-ring. The Intuition-6 controller was programmed to proportionally modulate both valves.

The Intuition 6 controller provided the added benefit of remote monitoring and control via a web-based app, allowing authorized users to change set points on the fly. The client has been extremely satisfied with this custom solution and has been able eliminate the manpower required to monitor tank levels and manually control valves.