HYDRAULIC FRACTURING ADVANCES
Centralized start-stop system
helps reduce fuel consumption,
emissions from idling engines in
hydraulic fracturing operations
Field testing in Permian last year showed
promising results, with significant decreases
in engine idling hours and emissions levels
BY STEPHEN WHITFIELD, ASSOCIATE EDITOR
As the industry continues to deploy inno-
vations like battery energy storage sys-
tems, dual-fuel and natural gas engines
to lower fuel consumption and mitigate
emissions during hydraulic fracturing
operations, another source of NO x , CO 2 and
particulate matter emissions is getting
more attention on the sustainability radar:
idling frac engines.

“These engines that we’re using on frac
sites were never designed to idle. They
were designed to run very efficiently at
50%, 60%, 70% power. The more load they
have on them, the better their lubrication
systems and radiation packages work. But
that means they’re consuming a lot of fuel,”
said Robert Fulks, VP of ESG Technology at
MGB Oilfield Solutions. “Frac engine emis-
sions have come way down because of the
technologies applied by manufacturers, but
they’re not as efficient in their fuel con-
sumption as you’d like them to be.”
Speaking at the 2023 SPE Hydraulic
Fracturing Technology Conference on 2
February in The Woodlands, Texas, Mr
Fulks outlined the development and field
testing of a new start-stop system designed
to mitigate fuel waste from idling engines.

Industrial diesel engines rely on per-
manently mounted batteries to drive elec-
tric starters. When a start-stop system
is added, it automatically shuts down
the engine when it’s not being used and
restarts it when it’s needed. This reduces
idling time and, therefore, fuel consump-
tion. The technology has been used in the
automotive industry for decades and was
adopted into the frac industry within the
past five to six years.

Last year, MGB launched its version of
the start-stop system with the addition
of a centralized power unit. This made
a significant difference as it meant that
each start-stop system would not have to
be manually activated on each individual
engine. By installing the start-stop system
inside the centralized starter unit, an
entire fleet of frac pumps can be started
from a single power source, or be shut
off when the pumps are not needed. This
reduces the time needed to stop/restart
a frac fleet to less than 10 minutes, com-
pared with around 45 minutes for a start-
stop system without a centralized starter
function, according to MGB.

“The big holdup with adopting start-
stop systems has been the amount of
time needed to restart an entire fleet,” Mr
Fulks said. “But now you can press a but-
ton and start-stop an entire frac fleet. You
don’t need to do the old way of having two
people go out to charge the hydraulic pump
on each tractor. This is a big deal if you
want to talk about efficiency.” Additionally,
the start-stop function can be performed
either remotely or autonomously, if used
with third-party automation software.

Different configurations
for system setup
MGB’s centralized hydraulic start-stop system can be configured in two settings –
a daisy chain setting where the main hydraulic supply line runs from the start-stop
unit to the first pump, and then subsequently to each pump on the pad; and a
manifold setting where hydraulic power flows from the start-stop unit to a series of
manifolds to the hydraulic pumps. Either configuration allows an entire fleet of frac
pumps to be started from a single power source.

34 MGB’s start-stop system can be laid out
in two configurations. One is the “daisy
chain,” where the main hydraulic supply
line runs from the hydraulic start-stop unit
to the first pump on a row of frac pumps.

Another hydraulic hose connects to this
first pump and runs to the adjacent pump.

This process repeats for all the pumps on
that row, and the same process repeats for
the other row. The other potential configu-
ration is a manifolded distribution layout,
where hydraulic power from the start-stop
unit runs to a manifold system with a set
M A R C H/A P R I L 2023 • D R I L L I N G C O N T R AC T O R