Modular fracturing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9903190-B2
Application number	US-201414525180-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 27, 2014
Priority date	Oct 27, 2014
Publication date	Feb 27, 2018
Grant date	Feb 27, 2018

Abstract

A modular fracturing system including a fracturing fluid manifold and a skid apparatus coupled in fluid communication with the fracturing fluid manifold and only one fracturing tree. The skid apparatus can include an inlet coupled to the fracturing fluid manifold, a single outlet coupled to the one fracturing tree via a fluid conduit, and a valve between the inlet and the single outlet to control flow of fracturing fluid from the fracturing fluid manifold through the skid apparatus to the one fracturing tree.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fracturing system comprising:
a plurality of wellheads installed at respective wells;
a plurality of fracturing trees coupled to the plurality of wellheads;
a fracturing manifold system coupled to the plurality of fracturing trees so as to enable the fracturing manifold system to provide fracturing fluid to the plurality of wellheads through the plurality of fracturing trees, wherein the fracturing manifold system includes a fracturing fluid manifold and a skid apparatus coupled in fluid communication with the fracturing fluid manifold and with only one fracturing tree of the plurality of fracturing trees, the skid apparatus including an inlet coupled to the fracturing fluid manifold, a single outlet coupled to the one fracturing tree via a fluid conduit, and a valve between the inlet and the single outlet to control flow of fracturing fluid from the fracturing fluid manifold through the skid apparatus to the one fracturing tree, and wherein the single outlet coupled to the one fracturing tree via the fluid conduit is the only outlet of the skid apparatus to a well at which the one fracturing tree is positioned and the fluid conduit is the only fluid conduit connecting the skid apparatus in fluid communication with the well at which the one fracturing tree is positioned.

2. The fracturing system of claim 1 , wherein the fracturing manifold system includes multiple skid apparatuses that are each coupled in fluid communication with the fracturing fluid manifold and with only one respective fracturing tree of the plurality of fracturing trees.

3. The fracturing system of claim 2 , wherein the ratio of the number of the multiple skid apparatuses to the number of fracturing trees in the plurality of fracturing trees is one to one.

4. The fracturing system of claim 1 , wherein the fracturing manifold system includes at least one additional skid apparatus that is coupled to multiple fracturing trees of the plurality of fracturing trees.

5. The fracturing system of claim 1 , comprising an additional fluid manifold.

6. The fracturing system of claim 5 , wherein the skid apparatus includes an additional inlet coupled to the additional fluid manifold.

7. The fracturing system of claim 6 , wherein the skid apparatus includes an additional valve between the additional inlet and the single outlet to control flow of another fluid from the additional fluid manifold through the skid apparatus and to the one fracturing tree via the single outlet and the fluid conduit.

8. The fracturing system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of fracturing trees includes a plurality of horizontal fracturing trees.

9. The fracturing system of claim 1 , wherein the fracturing fluid manifold includes multiple branch lines coupled to a splitter.

10. The fracturing system of claim 9 , wherein each of the branch lines is connected to the same number of skid apparatuses of the fracturing manifold system.

11. The fracturing system of claim 1 , wherein the fluid conduit coupling the single outlet of the skid apparatus to the one fracturing tree has a diameter equal to that of a pipe of the fracturing fluid manifold.

12. A fracturing apparatus comprising:
a fracturing manifold;
a plurality of wellhead assemblies; and
a plurality of skid-mounted flow control assemblies, wherein the plurality of skid-mounted flow control assemblies includes multiple modular flow control assemblies each mounted on a separate skid, each coupled to the fracturing manifold to receive fracturing fluid from the fracturing manifold, and each coupled to a wellhead assembly of the plurality of wellhead assemblies such that the plurality of wellhead assemblies is coupled to the fracturing manifold via the multiple modular flow control assemblies to facilitate routing of the fracturing fluid from the fracturing manifold to the wellhead assemblies, and further wherein each wellhead assembly of the plurality of wellhead assemblies coupled to the fracturing manifold is coupled to the fracturing manifold via a different modular flow control assembly that does not couple more than one wellhead assembly of the plurality of wellhead assemblies to the fracturing manifold and via a single fluid line that is coupled between the different modular flow control assembly and the wellhead assembly and is the only fluid line coupled between the wellhead assembly and equipment on the skid on which the different modular flow control assembly is mounted, and the fracturing apparatus does not include any skid having two flow control assemblies coupled between the fracturing manifold and wellhead assemblies of different wells.

13. The fracturing apparatus of claim 12 , wherein each of the modular flow control assemblies includes an inlet to receive fracturing fluid from the fracturing manifold and only one outlet to output the received fracturing fluid toward the wellhead assembly of the plurality of wellhead assemblies that is coupled to the fracturing manifold via that modular flow control assembly.

14. The fracturing apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the fracturing manifold includes connection blocks mounted on the skids of the modular flow control assemblies.

15. The fracturing apparatus of claim 12 , wherein each of the modular flow control assemblies includes an additional inlet to receive fluid from an additional manifold and is configured to route the fluid received from the additional manifold to the one outlet.

16. A method comprising:
pumping a downhole tool to a desired position in a well, wherein pumping the downhole tool to the desired position in the well includes operating a first valve of a skid apparatus to route fluid from a pump-down manifold through a single fluid line coupled between the skid apparatus and a wellhead assembly at the well, wherein the single fluid line coupled between the skid apparatus and the wellhead assembly at the well is the only fluid line coupled between the skid apparatus and the wellhead assembly at the well; and
fracturing the well with a fracturing fluid, wherein fracturing the well includes operating a second valve of the skid apparatus to route the fracturing fluid from a fracturing manifold through the single fluid line to the wellhead assembly.

17. The method of claim 16 , comprising coupling both the fracturing manifold and the pump-down manifold to the skid apparatus.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the skid apparatus has only a single outlet for routing fluid to the well, the method comprising coupling the single outlet to the wellhead assembly with the single fluid line.

19. The method of claim 16 , comprising coupling multiple wellhead assemblies to both the pump-down manifold and the fracturing manifold via a plurality of skid apparatuses.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein coupling multiple wellhead assemblies to both the pump-down manifold and the fracturing manifold via the plurality of skid apparatuses includes coupling each of the multiple wellhead assemblies to a different skid apparatus of the plurality of skid apparatuses.

Assignees

• Cameron Int Corp

Inventors

• Conrad Gregory A
• Lovin James W

Classifications

• E21B43/26 Primary

  by forming crevices or fractures · CPC title

• E21B43/2607 Primary

  Surface equipment specially adapted for fracturing operations · CPC title