US 12,264,759 B1
Unions for high pressure flowline components
E. Lee Colley, III, Jersey Village, TX (US); Mark C. Dille, Magnolia, TX (US); Scott Taylor Donaldson, Spring, TX (US); William Brent Stroebel, Houston, TX (US); and Larry Mitchel Hill, Cypress, TX (US)
Assigned to KHOLLE Magnolia 2015, LLC, Tomball, TX (US)
Filed by KHOLLE Magnolia 2015, LLC, Tomball, TX (US)
Filed on Feb. 14, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/671,061.
Int. Cl. F16L 23/024 (2006.01); E21B 43/26 (2006.01); F16L 23/18 (2006.01)
CPC F16L 23/024 (2013.01) [E21B 43/2607 (2020.05); F16L 23/18 (2013.01)] 45 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for fracturing a well, said system comprising:
(a) a flow line adapted to convey frac fluid discharged from one or more high-pressure pumps to a well head; and
(b) a union joining a first component of said flow line and a second component of said flow line, wherein:
(c) each of said first and second flowline components comprises:
i) a conduit having an end;
ii) an annular bearing surface on an end face of said conduit end;
iii) a plurality of holes arrayed around said annular bearing surface, said holes being adapted to accommodate threaded connectors; and
iv) an annular rabbet in said end face extending around the inner circumference of said bearing surface;
(d) said union comprises:
i) an abutment between said bearing surface of said first flowline component and said bearing surface of said second flowline component;
ii) an annular gland extending axially across and radially inward of said abutment, said gland being formed by alignment of said rabbet of said first flowline component and said rabbet of said second flowline component; and
iii) a seal assembly carried in said gland, said seal assembly comprising:
(1) a metal seal backup ring carried in a center portion of said gland, said backup ring extending axially across said abutment;
(2) a first elastomeric seal ring carried in said gland between said backup ring and a first side of said gland;
(3) a second elastomeric seal ring carried in said gland between said backup ring and a second side of said gland; and
iv) a plurality of threaded connectors extending through said holes in said first flowline component and said holes in said second flowline component, said threaded connectors applying axial load to said abutment to form said union.