Adjustable fracturing head and manifold system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10132146-B2
Application number	US-201113242946-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 23, 2011
Priority date	Sep 23, 2011
Publication date	Nov 20, 2018
Grant date	Nov 20, 2018

Abstract

An adjustable fracturing system is provided. In one embodiment, the system includes a fracturing manifold coupled to a fracturing tree having a fracturing head. The fracturing head includes an adjustable body that enables variation of a dimension of the body and facilitates connection of the fracturing manifold to the fracturing tree. Additional systems, devices, and methods are also disclosed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a fracturing manifold; and
a fracturing tree coupled to the fracturing manifold, the fracturing tree including a fracturing head to receive a fracturing fluid from the fracturing manifold and to transmit the fracturing fluid to another portion of the fracturing tree, the fracturing head comprising:
a body having an inlet port, an outlet port, and a bore to enable the fracturing fluid to flow between the inlet port and the outlet port, wherein the body is an adjustable body that permits movement of a first portion of the body having the inlet port with respect to a second portion of the body having the outlet port to enable variation in a dimension of the adjustable body so as to change the distance between the inlet port and the outlet port and to facilitate connection of the fracturing manifold to the fracturing tree; the first and second portions of the body each include a body member having an interior surface that defines a portion of the bore; and the fracturing head is installed such that, during flow of the fracturing fluid between the inlet port and the outlet port, the fracturing fluid flows along and in contact with the interior surface of the body member of the second portion.

2. The system of claim 1 , comprising at least one additional fracturing head with an adjustable body that enables variation in a dimension of the additional fracturing head to facilitate connection of the fracturing manifold to the fracturing tree.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the variable dimension of the adjustable body of the fracturing head is not parallel to the variable dimension of the additional fracturing head.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the variable dimension of the adjustable body of the fracturing head is orthogonal to the variable dimension of the additional fracturing head.

5. The system of claim 2 , wherein the at least one additional fracturing head includes two additional fracturing heads with adjustable bodies, and the fracturing head and the two additional fracturing heads provide three translational degrees of freedom in aligning and connecting the fracturing manifold to the fracturing tree.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the fracturing head and the two additional fracturing heads also provide three rotational degrees of freedom in aligning and connecting the fracturing manifold to the fracturing tree.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fracturing head is a single-bore fracturing head with a single inlet port and a single outlet port.

8. The system of claim 1 , comprising a single flow path between the fracturing manifold and the fracturing tree.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fracturing manifold is mounted on a skid to enable movement of the fracturing manifold with respect to a wellhead.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fracturing tree is coupled to a wellhead.

11. The system of claim 1 , comprising a plurality of fracturing trees coupled to the fracturing manifold.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fracturing tree includes a horizontal fracturing tree.

13. The system of claim 1 , comprising the fracturing fluid.

14. A fracturing head comprising:
a fracturing head body having an inlet port, an outlet port, and a bore to enable a fracturing fluid to flow between the inlet port and the outlet port, wherein the fracturing head body is an adjustable fracturing head body that permits movement of a first portion of the fracturing head body having the inlet port with respect to a second portion of the fracturing head body having the outlet port to enable variation in a dimension of the adjustable fracturing head body so as to change the distance between the inlet port and the outlet port, one of the first or second portions of the fracturing head body is received within the other of the first or second portions of the fracturing head body; and
at least one seal that is positioned in an annular space between the first and second portions of the fracturing head body radially outward of the bore to seal between the first and second portions of the fracturing head body.

15. The fracturing head of claim 14 , comprising an adjustment collar threaded onto the first portion or the second portion.

16. The fracturing head of claim 15 , wherein the adjustment collar is positioned within the annular space between the first and second portions of the fracturing head body and allows an operator to rotate the adjustment collar so as to vary the length of the adjustable fracturing head body between the inlet port and the outlet port and so as to energize the at least one seal that is positioned in the annular space between the first portion and the second portion.

17. The fracturing head of claim 14 , wherein the first portion of the fracturing head includes a flange comprising:
a first plurality of through holes aligned with mating through holes in a flange of the second portion of the fracturing head; and
a second plurality of through holes radially inward from the first plurality of through holes, wherein the second plurality of through holes enables the first portion of the fracturing head to be coupled to the fracturing manifold via a connecting flange.

18. The fracturing head of claim 14 , wherein the bore of the fracturing head includes a bend to change direction of flow of the fracturing fluid through the fracturing head.

19. The fracturing head of claim 14 , wherein the inlet port and the outlet port are aligned with one another along an axis of the fracturing head body and the adjustable fracturing head body enables variation in the dimension along the axis.

20. The fracturing head of claim 14 , wherein the at least one seal includes a first seal and a second seal disposed in the annular space between the first portion and the second portion, and the fracturing head includes a test port that extends from an exterior surface of the fracturing head to the annular space at a position between the first seal and the second seal.

21. A method comprising:
providing a fracturing head having an inlet port and an outlet port;
installing the fracturing head in a fracturing system, wherein installing the fracturing head includes adjusting the height of the fracturing head to vary the distance between the inlet port and the outlet port of the fracturing head, adjusting the height of the fracturing head to vary the distance between the inlet port and the outlet port of the fracturing head includes moving a first portion of the fracturing head having the inlet port with respect to a second portion of the fracturing head having the outlet port, and the first and second portions of the fracturing head each include a body member having an interior surface that defines a portion of a bore extending through the fracturing head from the inlet port to the outlet port; and
routing fracturing fluid from the inlet port to the outlet port through the bore such that the fracturing fluid flows along and in contact with the interior surface of the body member of the second portion.

22. The method of claim 21 , comprising testing integrity of one or more seals of the fracturing head via a test port in the fracturing head.

Assignees

• Guidry Kirk P
• Cameron Int Corp

Inventors

• Guidry Kirk P

Classifications

• E21B19/00

  Handling rods, casings, tubes or the like outside the borehole, e.g. in the derrick; Apparatus for feeding the rods or cables · CPC title

• E21B43/26 Primary

  by forming crevices or fractures · CPC title

• E21B43/2607 Primary

  Surface equipment specially adapted for fracturing operations · CPC title

• F16L27/12751

  the threaded bolt extending longitudinally · CPC title