This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the presently described embodiments. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present embodiments. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
In order to meet consumer and industrial demand for natural resources, companies often invest significant amounts of time and money in searching for and extracting oil, natural gas, and other subterranean resources from the earth. Particularly, once a desired subterranean resource is discovered, drilling and production systems are often employed to access and extract the resource. These systems may be located onshore or offshore depending on the location of a desired resource. Further, such systems generally include a wellhead assembly through which the resource is extracted. These wellhead assemblies may include a wide variety of components, such as various casings, valves, fluid conduits, and the like, that control drilling or extraction operations.
Additionally, such wellhead assemblies may use a fracturing tree and other components to facilitate a fracturing process and enhance production from a well. As will be appreciated, resources such as oil and natural gas are generally extracted from fissures or other cavities formed in various subterranean rock formations or strata. To facilitate extraction of such resources, a well may be subjected to a fracturing process that creates one or more man-made fractures in a rock formation. This facilitates, for example, coupling of pre-existing fissures and cavities, allowing oil, gas, or the like to flow into the wellbore. Such fracturing processes typically include injecting a fracturing fluid—which is often a mixture including sand and water—into the well to increase the well's pressure and form the man-made fractures. A fracturing manifold may provide fracturing fluid to one or more fracturing trees via fracturing lines (e.g., pipes). But the fracturing manifolds and associated fracturing tress are typically large and heavy, and may be mounted to other equipment at a fixed location, making adjustments between the fracturing manifold and a fracturing tree difficult.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds