Patent Grant
11306573
This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/637,506, filed on Mar. 2, 2018 and entitled “SINGLE STRAIGHT LINE FOR HYDRAULIC FRACTURING FLOWBACK,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Oil and gas exploration requires complex industrial equipment to be interconnected at a well site in a precise manner. Typically, a drilling rig or well head is connected to a pump of some type to drive drilling and mining operations. A particular site may have numerous wells that are drilled. To improve production at these sites, fluids may be pumped down these well holes to fracture subterranean layers and thereby free oil and natural gas. This process is commonly referred to as “hydraulic fracturing” or simply “fracking.” Hydraulic fracturing produces fractures in the rock formation that stimulate the flow of natural gas or oil, increasing the volumes that can be recovered. Fractures are created by pumping large quantities of fluids at high pressure down a wellbore and into the target rock formation.
Fracking requires specialized equipment to pump fluids, at varying pressures, to the holes. This is conventionally done by a “frac” pump supplying fluids (“frack fluids”) to the well head for selective delivery down the well hole. Frack fluids are conveyed from frac pumps to wellheads using interconnected mechanical networks of piping, commonly referred to in the industry as “flow iron.” In essence, the flow iron piping must provide flow paths for varying degrees of pressurized fracking fluids, such as sand, proppant, water, acids, or mixtures thereof. Fracking fluid commonly consists of water, proppant, and chemical additives that open and enlarge fractures within the rock formation. These fractures can extend several hundred feet away from the wellbore. The proppants—sand, ceramic pellets, acids, or other small incompressible particles—hold open the newly created fractures.
Once the injection process is completed, the internal pressure of the rock formation causes fluid to return to the surface through the wellbore. “Flowback” and “flowback fluids” refer to process fluids that are collected in oil and gas operations at the surface after hydraulic fracturing operations are completed. Flowback may contain both the hydraulic fracturing fluids used to frack a well as well as volatile hydrocarbons from the well itself. In fracking operations, flowback must be collected to avoid contamination and is typically stored on site in tanks or pits before treatment, disposal, or recycling. If not properly collected and disposed, the flowback may be dangerous for onsite workers and/or the environment. It is therefore crucial that a fracking operation have a safe and reliable flowback setup.
Connecting hydraulic pumps to wellheads and carrying flowback water from a site are complex operations. Frac pumps and flowback collectors are usually placed away from wellheads along outside terrain that is both subject to weather conditions and often at different non-uniform elevations. Also, frac iron typically needs to be rigid to convey the pressurized frack fluids, but the wellhead and frac pumps are usually at different elevations in undeveloped land. Maintaining tight, rigid connections between such complicated piping requires a substantial amount of set up time and can be difficult due to outside terrain varying in elevation.
The examples and embodiment disclosed herein are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The below Summary is provided to illustrate some examples disclosed herein, and is not meant to necessarily limit all systems, methods, or sequences of operation of the examples and embodiments disclosed herein.
Some aspects disclosed herein are directed to a single straight-line connection between a frac tree coupled to a wellhead and a flowback container. The flowback container includes a first end at an inlet port, and the frac tree includes a second end at an outlet port for dispelling flowback. More specifically, the single straight-line connection includes: one or more pipes and one or more valves. At least one end of the one or more pipes is connected to either the first end of the flowback container or the second end of the frac tree. And the connected one or more valves and the one or more pipes define a straight-line channel for the flowback, the straight-line channel defining a first axis at a constant height between the flowback container and the frac tree.
In some embodiments, the one or more valves comprise at least one of a gate valve or a plug valve.
In some embodiments, the one or more valves are positioned between at least two of the one or more pipes.
In some embodiments, the frac tree defines a second fluid channel for the flowback to flow from the wellhead, the second fluid channel having a second axis that is perpendicular to the first axis of the single straight-line connection.
In some embodiments, the one or more pipes and the one or more valves are connected to form a single conduit between the frac tree and the flowback container, and the single conduit is buttressed by a support between the frac tree and the flowback container.
Additionally, some embodiments include one or more pieces of frac iron connected to the one or more pipes and the one or more valves, the frac iron comprise at least one member of a group comprising: a swivel joint, pup joint, ball injector, crow's foot, air chamber, crossover, rigid hose, tee, wye, or lateral.
In some embodiments, an elbow connected to a top of the frac tree for defining a curved pathway to direct flowback from the frac tree to the straight-line channel. The elbow may define the curved path from a first end to a second end that faces 90 degrees away from the first end.
Additional aspects are directed to a system for directing flowback from a wellhead a frac tree coupled to a wellhead to a flowback container. The system includes one or more pipes, valves, or frac iron connected together along a straight line to form a first single straight-line connection between the frac tree and the flowback container, with the one or more pipes, valves, or frac iron defining a first internal channel for flowback that spans between the frac tree and the flowback container along only a single horizontal axis.
In some embodiments, the frac tree includes at one or more gate valves stacked vertically with a second internal channel defined therethrough for allowing flowback exiting the well to be directed to the first single-straight line connection.
Additionally, a zipper module may be connected to one or more manifolds for delivering frack fluid from one or more frac pumps, and a second single straight-line connection connected to the zipper module and the frac trac and defining a second internal channel for the frack fluid to be delivered to the frac tree for supply to the well.
In some embodiments, the flowback includes a mixture of natural gas and cuttings from the well.
In some embodiments, the flowback container includes an inlet port positioned on an upper side of the flowback container and a rounded body.
Additional aspects are directed to a flowback system for capturing flowback from a well affixed with a frac tree, with the frac tree defining a vertical internal channel for the flowback exiting the well and having an exit port for directing the well along a horizontal axis perpendicular to the vertical internal channel. The flowback system includes a flowback container with an inlet port and a single straight-line connection configured to be connected to the inlet port of the flowback container and the exit port of the frac tree. The single straight-line connection includes a connected arrangement of one or more pipes and at least one valve that together define a straight internal channel from the exit port of the frac tree to the inlet port of the flowback container for the flowback to be communicated to the flowback container.
In some embodiments, the one or more pipes comprise at least two pipes that are separated and connected to the at least one valve.
In some embodiments, the at least one valve comprises at least one of a gate valve or a plug valve.
In some embodiments, the at least one valve is electronically actuatable by a remote computing device.
In some embodiments, the single straight-line connection defines the straight internal channel to have a constant height from the frac tree to the flowback container.
In some embodiments, the single straight-line connection comprises has not bends or turns between the frac tree and the flowback container.
Other aspects, features, and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this disclosure and which illustrate, by way of example, principles of the inventions disclosed.
The accompanying drawings facilitate an understanding of the various embodiments disclosed herein.
Several embodiments for using a single straight-line (or one straight line) connection between different parts of a fracking operation are disclosed herein. For purposes of this disclosure, a “single straight-line” and “one straight-line” connection refers to a series of pipes (e.g., plug, gate, etc.); valves; or other frac iron connected together to define an internal path, or conduit, for frack fluid or flowback to respectively flow therethrough. As described in more detail below, the single straight-line connections formed from the connected pipes, gates, or other frac iron may connect may be used to provide a fluid path for frack fluid between a zipper module and a frac tree (or Christmas tree) or between the frac tree and flowback equipment. The single straight-line connections described herein are made up of the various piping, vales, and frac iron, span from or two the frac tree in one direction along a straight line.
“Straight line,” in reference to the single straight-line connections described herein, means a straight path at a constant height, through a midpoint of a fluid pathway created by the connected pipes, valves, or other frac iron, between a frac tree and zipper module or between two zipper modules. In other words, in some embodiments, the single straight-line connections have no bends, or curves, defining a fluid channel that is a true straight flow path for flowback operations (e.g., frac tree to flowback container) or pressure-pumping operations (e.g., zipper module to zipper module, or zipper module to frac tree). For example, a single straight-line connection may have a straight line between the fluid path within fluid channel of the pipes, valves, or frac iron have an inner midpoint that measures 5, 6, 7, or 10 feet high all the way between a zipper module and a frac tree.
Not all embodiments are limited to a constant height, however. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the single straight-line connections described herein may be angled between the flowback equipment and the frac tree, between the zipper modules described below and the frac tree, or between the zipper modules themselves. For example, in pressure-pumping operations, a single straight-line connection between a zipper module and a frac tree may be angled upward, downward, leftward, or rightward at an angle of 1-15 degrees (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, or 15 degrees). Single straight-line connections may be similarly angled between the frac tree and the flowback container, or between two zipper modules.
Generally, the single straight-line connections disclosed herein may be used to either deliver frack fluid to the frac tree or carry flowback away from the frac tree. The single straight-line connections are much less complicated than conventional connections between zipper modules and frac trees or between flowback equipment and frac trees, providing both single-point and straight connections between frac trees and frac-fluid pumping or flowback equipment.
To aid the reader, the description below and accompanying drawings are set out in the following manner:
The single straight-line connections disclosed herein may be formed by different combinations of “frac iron.” Frac iron, as reference herein, refers to component parts used to frack a well or capture flowback. Frac iron may include, for example, high pressure treating iron, and other pipes, joints, valves, and fittings; swivel joints, pup joints, plug valves, check valves and relief valves; ball injector, crow's foot, air chamber, crossover, hose, pipes/piping, hose loop, ball injector tee body, tee, wye, lateral, ell, check valve, plug valve, wellhead adapter, swivel joint, plug, relief valve; or the like.
Having generally described different implementations of the single straight-line connections disclosed herein, attention is directed to the accompanying drawings.
The wellheads 18a-d are each located at the top or head of an oil and gas wellbore (not shown), which penetrates one or more subterranean formations (not shown), and are used in oil and gas exploration and production operations. The wellheads 18a-d are in fluid communication with the manifold assemblies 12a and 12b via, for example, via zipper modules 22a-d, an iron assembly 24, and an instrument assembly 26.
The zipper modules 22a-d are operably coupled to the wellheads 18a-d, respectively, via single straight-line connections 23a-d, as well as being connected between zipper modules 22a-d via single straight-line connections 25a-c. Together, the zipper modules 22a-d and single straight-line connections 23a-d and 25a-c form a zipper manifold 28 to which the iron assembly 24 is operably coupled. Thus, the fluid conduit 93 of the iron assembly 24 is operably coupled to, and in fluid communication with, the zipper manifold 28. And the instrument assembly 26 is operably coupled to both the iron assembly 24 and the manifold assemblies 12a and 12b. In an exemplary embodiment, the one or more fluid sources 20 include fluid storage tanks, other types of fluid sources, natural water features, or any combination thereof.
System 10 may be used in hydraulic fracturing operations to facilitate oil and gas exploration and production operations. Alternatively, embodiments provided herein may be used with, or adapted to, a mud pump system, a well treatment system, other pumping systems, one or more systems at the wellheads 18a-d, one or more systems in the wellbores of which the wellheads 18a-d are the surface terminations, one or more systems downstream of the wellheads 18a-d, or one or more other systems associated with the wellheads 18a-d.
In several embodiments, the manifold assemblies 12a and 12b are identical to one another and, therefore, in connection with
A flexible joint 114 may be used to connect the iron assembly 24 to a middle connection between the zipper module 22b and 22c. This is one example, whereby a tee connection dispels fluid from the spherical swivel connection to each of the zipper modules 22b and 22c. Alternatively, the flexible joint 114 is positioned directly between the iron assembly 24, the instrument assembly 26, or the manifold assembly 12b and one of the zipper modules 22a-d, which in turn distributes fluid to its respective wellhead 18a-c and also at least one other zipper module 22a-d that are connected in series.
Alternatively or additionally, the skid 34 may be attached to a trailer that is itself moveable or affixed to a truck or railcar. In some examples, the pumps 16a-f are in fluid communication with each of the low-pressure manifold 30 and the high-pressure manifold 32. In some examples, the pumps 16a-f include or are part of a positive displacement pump, a reciprocating pump assembly, a frac pump, a pump truck, a truck, a trailer, or any combination thereof. For example, pumps 16a-f may be an SPM® Destiny® TWS 2250 or 2500 Frac Pump, manufactured by S.P.M. Flow Control, Inc., headquartered in Fort Worth, Tex.
The low-pressure manifold 30 includes longitudinally-extending tubular members, or flow lines 40a and 40b, that are connected to the skid 34 between the transversely-extending end members 38a and 38b thereof. The flow lines 40a and 40b are in fluid communication with the blender 14. In some embodiments, the low-pressure manifold 30 further includes a transversely-extending tubular member, or rear header (not shown), via which the blender 14 is in fluid communication with the flow lines 40a and 40b. In some embodiments, the flow lines 40a and 40b are spaced in a parallel relation, and include front end caps 42a and 42b respectively, and, in those embodiments where the rear header is omitted, rear end caps 44a and 44b.
In some examples, the pumps 16a, 16b and 16c shown in
In some examples, the outlet ports 46a, 46b, 48a, 48b, 50a, and 50b are connected to the flow line 40a. In an exemplary embodiment, the pumps 16a, 16b, and 16c (not shown in
Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, the pumps 16d, 16e and 16f of
In some examples, the outlet ports 52a, 52b, 54a, 54b, 56a, and 56b are connected to the flow line 40b. In some examples, the pumps 16d, 16e, and 16f of
Looking at
In some examples, the high-pressure manifold 32 includes longitudinally-extending tubular members, or flow lines 60a and 60b, and flow fittings 62a-c operably coupled to, and in fluid communication with, the flow lines 60a and 60b. The flow lines 60a and 60b and the flow fittings 62a-c are supported by the skid 34 between the transversely-extending end members 38a and 38b thereof. The flow fittings 62a and 62b are coupled to opposing end portions of the flow line 60a, and the flow fittings 62b and 62c are coupled to opposing end portions of the flow line 60b. As a result, the flow fitting 62b interconnects the flow lines 60a and 60b, and the flow fittings 62a and 62c are located proximate the transversely-extending end members 38a and 38b, respectively, of the skid 34.
In some examples, the flow lines 60a-b through which frack iron is pumped are considered “large bore” flow iron, meaning the flow lines 60a-b have an inner bore diameter of 4-9 inches. For example, the inner bores may be 4, 4½, 5, 5½, 6, 6½, 7, 7½, 8, 8½ inches, or any measurement in between. The inner bore may be any type of internal geometric shapes, e.g., circular, ellipsoidal, rectangular, square, triangular, or the like.
In some embodiments, the pumps 16a, 16b, and 16c shown in
The flow lines 60a and 60b and the flow fittings 62a, 62b, and 62c are mounted to the skid 34 via a combination of vertically-extending high pressure mounts 66a and 66b and mounting brackets 68a, 68b, and 68c. In some examples, the high-pressure manifold 32 is connected to the skid 34 by lowering the high-pressure manifold 32 down and then ensuring that the flow lines 60a and 60b are supported by the high-pressure mounts 66a and 66b, respectively, and that the flow fittings 62a, 62b, and 62c are supported by the mounting brackets 68a, 68b, and 68c, respectively.
In some embodiments, with continuing reference to
The flow fittings 76a and 76b and the valves 78a and 78b are operably coupled to, and in fluid communication with, the flow lines 74a, 74b, and 74c. Specifically, respective opposing end portions of the flow lines 74a, 74b, and 74c are operably coupled to the flow fitting 76a and the valve 78a, the valves 78a and 78b, and the valve 78b and the flow fitting 76b, respectively. As a result, the valve 78a interconnects the flow lines 74a and 74b, the valve 78b interconnects the flow lines 74b and 74c, the flow fitting 76a is operably coupled to the flow line 74a proximate (e.g., within 1, 2, 3, or 4 feet, in some examples) the transversely-extending end member 82a of the skid 72, and the flow fitting 76b is operably coupled to the flow line 74b proximate the transversely-extending end member 82b of the skid 72.
Valves 78a and 78b may be plug valves and/or check valves in different examples. In some examples, the valve 78a is a plug valve and the valve 78b is a check valve.
In an exemplary embodiment, ports 84a and 84b of the flow fitting 76a and/or ports 86a and 86b of the flow fitting 76b may be used to establish fluid communication with the fluid conduit 71, for example using one or more hoses, piping, flowline components, other components, or any combination thereof. Additionally, such fluid communication may be used, for example, to support instrumentation (not shown in
The flow lines 74a, 74b, and 74c, the flow fittings 76a and 76b, and the valves 78a and 78b are mounted to the skid 72 via a combination of vertically-extending high pressure mounts 88a and 88b and mounting brackets 90a, 90b, 90c, and 90d. In some examples, the fluid conduit 71 is connected to the skid 72 by lowering the fluid conduit 71 down and then ensuring that the flow lines 74a and 74c are supported by the high-pressure mounts 88a and 88b, respectively, that the flow fittings 76a and 76b are supported by the mounting brackets 90a and 90d, and that the valves 78a and 78b are supported by the mounting brackets 90b and 90c.
In several exemplary embodiments, with continuing reference to
In some examples, as illustrated in
The flow fittings 98a and 98b are operably coupled to, and in fluid communication with, the flow lines 96a and 96b. Specifically, the flow fittings 98a and 98b are operably coupled to the flow lines 96a and 96b, respectively, and the flow lines 96a and 96b are operably coupled to each other. As a result, the flow fitting 98a is operably coupled to the flow line 96a proximate the transversely-extending end member 102a of the skid 94, and the flow fitting 98b is operably coupled to the flow line 96b proximate the transversely-extending end member 102b of the skid 94. In some examples, ports 104a and 104b of the flow fitting 98a and/or ports 106a and 106b of the flow fitting 98b may be used to establish fluid communication with the fluid conduit 93.
In some examples, the flow lines 96a and 96b and the flow fittings 98a and 98b are mounted to the skid 94 via a combination of vertically-extending high pressure mounts 108a and 108b and mounting brackets 110a, 110b, 110c, and 110d. The fluid conduit 93 may be connected to the skid 94 by lowering the fluid conduit 93 down and then ensuring that the flow lines 96a and 96b are supported by the high-pressure mounts 108a and 108b and the mounting brackets 110b and 110c, respectively, and that the flow fittings 98a and 98b are supported by the mounting brackets 110a and 110d, respectively.
In several examples, with continuing reference to
As indicated above, with continuing reference to
As indicated above, with continuing reference to
In an example, as illustrated in
In some examples, the adjustable zipper skid 184 is configured to displace the zipper stack 182 to align the swivel tee 194 of the zipper module 22a with the corresponding swivel tee 176 of the frac tree 158a, as will be described in further detail below. More particularly, the adjustable zipper skid 184 is configured to displace the zipper stack 182 up and down in the vertical direction, and back and forth in at least two horizontal directions, as indicated by the linear arrows 200, 202, and 204, respectively, in
In an exemplary embodiment, with continuing reference to
The lower carriage plate 208 is operably coupled to the base 206 via, for example, a pair of alignment rails 216 and a plurality of rollers 218 disposed between the base 206 and the lower carriage plate 208. The rotation of a handcrank 220 displaces the lower carriage plate 208 in the horizontal direction 202 and relative to the base 206. More particularly, the handcrank 220 is connected to a threaded shaft 222 that is threadably engaged with a stationary mount 224 on the base 206, an end portion of the threaded shaft 222 opposite the handcrank 220 being operably coupled to the lower carriage plate 208. During the displacement of the lower carriage plate 208 in the horizontal direction 202 and relative to the base 206, the alignment rails 216 engage the lower carriage plate 208, thus constraining the movement of the lower carriage plate 208 to the horizontal direction 202 only.
Similarly, the upper carriage plate 210 is operably coupled to the lower carriage plate 208 via, for example, a pair of alignment rails 226 and a plurality of rollers 228 disposed between the lower carriage plate 208 and the upper carriage plate 210. The rotation of a handcrank 230 displaces the upper carriage plate 210 in the horizontal direction 204 and relative to both the lower carriage plate 208 and the base 206. More particularly, the handcrank 230 is connected to a threaded shaft 232 that is threadably engaged with a stationary mount 234 operably coupled to the base 206 via, for example, one of the alignment rails 216 of the lower carriage plate 208, an end portion of the threaded shaft 232 opposite the handcrank 230 being operably coupled to the upper carriage plate 210. During the displacement of the upper carriage plate 210 in the horizontal direction 204 and relative to both the lower carriage plate 208 and the base 206, the alignment rails 226 engage the upper carriage plate 210, thus constraining the movement of the upper carriage plate 210 to the horizontal direction 204 only.
In several exemplary embodiments, instead of or in addition to the use of handcranks, relative movement between the upper carriage plate 210 and the lower carriage plate 208 may be done by sliding the plate 210 relative to the plate 208, and vice versa, with a lubricant being disposed between the plates 210 and 208 to facilitate the relative sliding movement. Alternatively or additionally, the plates 208 and 210 may also be displaced by the application of external forces by way of a crane or forklift, for example
A pair of mounting brackets 236 operably couples the connection tee 186 of the vertical zipper stack 182 to the upper carriage plate 210, opposite the rollers 228. Additionally, a pair of support brackets 238a and 238b are also coupled to the upper carriage plate 210 on opposing sides of the connection tee 186, the support brackets 238a and 238b being configured to facilitate the interconnection of the zipper modules 22a-d to from the zipper manifold 28, as will be described in further detail below.
As indicated above, with continuing reference to
In operation, a lifting mechanism (not shown), such as, for example, a crane, a forklift, a front-end loader, or the like, engages the lifting pegs 214a-d of the adjustable zipper skid 184 to place the zipper module 22a on the generally horizontal surface proximate the wellhead 18a (to which the frac tree 158a is operably coupled), as shown in
The handcranks 220 and 230 of the zipper module 22a are used to move the carriage plates 208 and 210, respectively, and thus the vertical zipper stack 182, in the at least two horizontal directions 202 and 204, respectively. Such horizontal movement of the zipper module 22a adjusts the horizontal spacing between the swivel tees 176 and 194.
While
Attention is now turned to embodiments that depict single straight-line connections between frac trees and flowback equipment. As previously mentioned, well development and extraction operations may use both setups: the embodiments in
The depicted frac tree 1402, which is but one embodiment, includes valves 1410-1424; a centralized tee block 1426; a spool 1428; and an elbow 1430, arranged in the illustrated manner. Other types of frac tree 158 configurations may alternatively be used. Valves 1410-1423 are shown as manually actuated gate valves. Alternative types of valves may be used, such as, for example with limitation, electronically or hydraulically actuated gate valves; manually, electronically, or hydraulically controlled plug valves; or the like.
Flowback container 1404 is a tank for collecting flowback from frac tree 1402. In some embodiments, a scaffolding 1450 is used to hold the flowback container upright, allowing received flowback to enter the flowback container 1404 at or near its top. Other types of flowback containers or equipment may be coupled to the frac tree using the single straight-line connections described herein. In some embodiments, the flowback container 1404 operates as a gas and/or liquid separator, whereby flowback that enters the flowback container 1404 is separated into gas (e.g., natural gas) that rises to the top of the flowback container 1404 and fluid and debris (e.g., frack fluid with cuttings or shale) that is collected in the bottom of the flowback container 1404. Though not shown, corresponding exit terminals or ports may be positioned at or near the top of the flowback container 1404 for separated gas to exit and at or near the bottom of the flowback container 1404 for fluid to exit at or near the bottom. Separated gas and fluid may then be piped to other containers, reservoirs, torches, or other treatment equipment.
The frac tree 1402 in
Moreover, the flowback container 1404, in some embodiments, has a body that is rounded, or barrel-shaped, to enhance the separation process of flowback captured in the flowback container 1404. In operation, flowback (which may include gas, shale, oil, frack fluid, cuttings, and/or other flowback materials) may be injected—through the inlet port—into the flowback container 1404, and the rounded body may then provide a centrifugal effect on the receive flowback, which in turn enhances the separation of the gas from the liquids and solids in the flowback.
In some embodiments, single straight-line connection 1432 comprises two pipes 1406 and 1407 and a (gate, plug, or other) valve 1442 therebetween. Together, the pipes 1406 and 1407 and valve 1442 define a straight-line fluid channel having an internal midpoint that is the same (or near the same) height between the frac tree 1402 and the flowback container 1404. As shown, flanged end 1440 of the pipe 1406 is connected to end 1439 of the elbow 1430 of the frac tree 1402, and flanged end 1434 of the pipe 1407 is attached to the inlet port, or end 1438, of the flowback container 1404. Respective internal ends 1461 and 1460 of the pipes 1406 and 1407 are connected to gate 1442 at coupling 1463. In operation, flowback flowing up through spool 1428 is angled by elbow 1430 toward and through the single straight-line connection 1432—pipes 1406, gate 1442, and pipe 1407—and into the flowback container 1404.
Alternative embodiments may include additional or alternative piping, gates, or frac iron in the single straight-line connection 1432 to define the channel from the frac tree 158 to the flowback container 1404. For example, only the two pipes 1406 and 1407 may be used, connected together at internal ends 1460 and 1461. Alternatively, the valve 1442 may be positioned between end 1440 of pipe 1406 and end 1438 of elbow 1430, or between end 1434 of pipe 1407 and end 1438 of the flowback container 1404.
Additionally, some embodiments include a support 1470 that buttresses the single straight-line connection 1432. The support 1470 may be take the form of a wooden, metal, plastic, or other type of material used to support the single straight-line connection. Moreover, in some embodiments, the support 1470 may include or be shaped as a ladder enabling servicepeople to reach the single straight-line connection 1432, or specifically the valve 1442 in the single straight-line connection 1432.
The elbow 1430 is shown as having a 90-degree bend. Other embodiments may use different numbers of elbow components combined to together to create a 90-degree angle for flowback to pass through toward the flowback container 1404. For example, two 45-degree elbows or swivels or three 30-degree elbows or swivels may be used. Further still, some embodiments may use various swivels or elbows to create different angles than 90-degrees. Virtually any angle may be created to properly align the single straight-line connection from the wellhead to the flowback container.
Additionally or alternatively, the elbow 1430 may be used as an input for pressure-pumping to frack a well. In this vein, the previously discussed zipper modules in
Specifically, the frac tree defines vertical axis 1502 from wellhead 18 up through gates 1410, 1410; tee block 1426; gate 1422; spool 1428; and part of elbow 1430. Axis 1504 is perpendicular to axis 1502, running through midpoints of gates 1414, 1416, 1418, and 1420. Axis 1506 is defined horizontally, perpendicular to axis 1502, through a part of elbow 1430 and pipe 1406; gate 1442 (e.g., through coupling 1463 shown in
Moreover, the flowback container 1404 may be placed on a skid that can be raised and lowered in order to better facilitate the single straight-line connections described herein. Alternatively, the flowback container 1404 may be placed on a trailer or the scaffold 1450 or flowback container 1404 itself may be equipped with wheels for mobility.
Additionally or alternatively, any of the disclosed valves shown in the zipper modules, frac trees, large-bore iron fluid lines of the assembly manifolds (including the high- and low-pressure lines/manifolds), or the single straight-line connections may be electronically controlled and/or monitored (e.g., opened or closed) by a local or remote computer, either on the skids, trailers, or manifolds, or from a remote location. In this vein, one more computing devices (e.g., server, laptop, mobile phone, mobile tablet, personal computer, kiosk, or the like) may establish a connection with one or more processors, integrated circuits (ICs), application-specific ICs (ASICs), systems on a chip (SoC), microcontrollers, or other electronic processing logic to open and control the disclosed valves, which in some examples, are actuated through electrical circuitry and/or hydraulics.
Although described in connection with an exemplary computing device, examples of the disclosure are capable of implementation with numerous other general-purpose or special-purpose computing system environments, configurations, or devices. Examples of such computing system environments and/or devices that may be suitable for use with aspects of the disclosure include, but are not limited to, smart phones, mobile tablets, mobile computing devices, personal computers, server computers, hand-held or laptop devices, multiprocessor systems, gaming consoles, microprocessor-based systems, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, distributed computing environments that include any of the above systems or devices, and the like.
Aspects disclosed herein may be performed using computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, executed by one or more computers or other devices in software, firmware, hardware, or a combination thereof. The computer-executable instructions may be organized into one or more computer-executable components or modules embodied—either physically or virtually—on non-transitory computer-readable media, which include computer-storage memory and/or memory devices. Generally, program modules include, but are not limited to, routines, programs, objects, components, and data structures that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Aspects of the disclosure may be implemented with any number and organization of such components or modules. For example, aspects of the disclosure are not limited to the specific computer-executable instructions or the specific components or modules illustrated in the figures and described herein. Other examples of the disclosure may include different computer-executable instructions or components having more or less functionality than illustrated and described herein. In examples involving a general-purpose computer, aspects of the disclosure transform the general-purpose computer into a special-purpose computing device when configured to execute the instructions described herein.
Exemplary computer-readable media include flash memory drives, digital versatile discs (DVDs), compact discs (CDs), floppy disks, and tape cassettes. By way of example and not limitation, computer readable media comprise computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media include volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Computer storage media are tangible and mutually exclusive to communication media. Computer storage media are implemented in hardware, are non-transitory, and exclude carrier waves and propagated signals. Computer storage media for purposes of this disclosure are not signals per se. Exemplary computer storage media include hard disks, flash drives, and other solid-state memory. In contrast, communication media typically embody computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and include any information delivery media.
It is understood that variations may be made in the foregoing without departing from the scope of the disclosure.
In several exemplary embodiments, the elements and teachings of the various illustrative exemplary embodiments may be combined in whole or in part in some or all of the illustrative exemplary embodiments. In addition, one or more of the elements and teachings of the various illustrative exemplary embodiments may be omitted, at least in part, or combined, at least in part, with one or more of the other elements and teachings of the various illustrative embodiments.
Any spatial references such as, for example, “upper,” “lower,” “above,” “below,” “between,” “bottom,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “angular,” “upwards,” “downwards,” “side-to-side,” “left-to-right,” “left,” “right,” “right-to-left,” “top-to-bottom,” “bottom-to-top,” “top,” “bottom,” “bottom-up,” “top-down,” etc., are for the purpose of illustration only and do not limit the specific orientation or location of the structure described above.
In several exemplary embodiments, while different steps, processes, and procedures are described as appearing as distinct acts, one or more of the steps, one or more of the processes, or one or more of the procedures may also be performed in different orders, simultaneously or sequentially. In several exemplary embodiments, the steps, processes or procedures may be merged into one or more steps, processes or procedures. In several exemplary embodiments, one or more of the operational steps in each embodiment may be omitted. Moreover, in some instances, some features of the present disclosure may be employed without a corresponding use of the other features. Moreover, one or more of the exemplary embodiments disclosed above, or variations thereof, may be combined in whole or in part with any one or more of the other exemplary embodiments described above, or variations thereof.
Although several “exemplary” embodiments have been disclosed in detail above, “exemplary,” as used herein, means an example embodiment, not any sort of preferred embodiment the embodiments disclosed are exemplary only and are not limiting, and those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many other modifications, changes, and substitutions are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the present disclosure. Accordingly, all such modifications, changes, and substitutions are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure as defined in the following claims. In the claims, means-plus-function clauses are intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents, but also equivalent structures.
This application is a national phase application of Patent Cooperation Treaty Application No. PCT/US2019/020280 filed Mar. 1, 2019, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/637,506 filed Mar. 2, 2018.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2019/020280 | 3/1/2019 | WO | 00 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2019/169261 | 9/6/2019 | WO | A |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8318027 | McGuire et al. | Nov 2012 | B2 |
| 20100206560 | Atencio | Aug 2010 | A1 |
| 20110233143 | McGuire | Sep 2011 | A1 |
| 20120325751 | Renick et al. | Dec 2012 | A1 |
| 20130284455 | Kajaria et al. | Oct 2013 | A1 |
| 20170370172 | Tran | Dec 2017 | A1 |
| 20180058171 | Roesner | Mar 2018 | A1 |
| 20180202274 | Montgomery | Jul 2018 | A1 |
| 20180224044 | Penney | Aug 2018 | A1 |
| 20190010781 | Tran | Jan 2019 | A1 |
| Entry |
|---|
| International Search Report and Written Opinion received in Patent Cooperation Treaty Application No. PCT/US2019/020280, dated May 3, 2019. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20200400003 A1 | Dec 2020 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62637506 | Mar 2018 | US |
