Rotatable Fracturing Elbows for Misaligned Wellhead Piping
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hydraulic fracturing piping systems face difficulties in coupling due to misalignment of components, such as hydraulic fracturing manifolds and christmas trees, which complicates the mating process.
Innovation Solution
The use of rotatable connection members, including flanged rotating members and elbows with internally threaded nuts and retainers, allows for alignment and secure coupling between components by enabling rotation to facilitate bolting and fluid flow, even with imperfect alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional threaded and coupled connections are used to connect piping systems, then the piping system can be assembled, but mating becomes more difficult due to misalignment between hydraulic fracturing manifold and christmas tree components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces rotatable connection members (rotatable elbows and flanged rotating members) that can rotate to accommodate misalignment between components. This dynamic capability allows the piping system to adapt to imperfect alignment while maintaining secure connections, directly resolving the contradiction between ease of coupling and alignment flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection members incorporate threaded nuts and retainers that allow for adjustment of connection parameters. The threaded mechanism enables fine-tuning of the connection geometry to accommodate misalignment, while the retainer mechanism locks the adjusted position, providing both ease of operation and adaptability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If misalignment between components is accommodated using conventional connections, then coupling may be achieved, but the complexity of the coupling process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rotatable connection members serve as intermediary elements between the misaligned components. These intermediaries absorb the misalignment through rotation and provide a standardized connection interface, simplifying the overall coupling process while maintaining adaptability to imperfect alignment.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection system is segmented into modular components (rotatable elbows, flanged rotating members, threaded nuts, retainers) that can be independently adjusted and assembled. This segmentation allows for flexible accommodation of misalignment while keeping each component relatively simple in design.
3Reliability
If rotatable connection members with threaded nuts and retainers are used, then precise alignment and secure coupling are achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The retainer mechanism is designed to lock the threaded nut in place after the connection is made. This preliminary action of locking ensures that once the alignment is achieved through rotation and threading, the connection is securely fixed, providing high reliability while the modular design keeps individual components manageable.
Data Source
AI summary
In various implementations, a hydraulic fracturing piping system may include one or more rotatable elbows to connect other components of the hydraulic fracturing piping system. Using rotatable elbows may facilitate connections in the hydraulic fracturing piping system. For example, when using a rotatable elbow, in the assembly of the system, the rotatable elbow may be capable of rotating to different positions to facilitate alignment of the hydraulic fracturing manifold and hydraulic fracturing stack (e.g., christmas tree), when the hydraulic fracturing manifold and the hydraulic fracturing stack are not in alignment. In some implementations, the elbow may include an internal radial transition (e.g., of approximately 90 degrees) to control the media being injected into the wellbore. The internal radial transition of the elbow may create a more uniform media flow and/or less turbulence, which may significantly reduce erosion of the inner surfaces the bore of the elbow.