Fluid supply system

Abstract

A fluid supply system having a plurality of tanks in fluid communication via one or more fluid paths with at least one pump, a ball and socket coupling disposed in at least one of the fluid paths, and a wellhead in fluid communication with the pump is disclosed. Placing a plurality of tanks at a well site and pumping a fluid from at least one of the tanks into the wellbore via a fluid path comprising at least one ball and socket coupling is disclosed. Positioning a plurality of tanks at a well site having a wellhead connected to a wellbore penetrating a shale formation, preparing a fracturing fluid by connecting at least one of the tanks to a blender via a fluid path comprising a ball and socket coupling, pumping the fracturing fluid into the wellbore and fracturing the shale formation, and recovering natural gas from the wellbore is disclosed.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX

Not applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments described herein relate to fluid supply systems of the sort that are used in delivering wellbore servicing fluids.

BACKGROUND

Many stages of preparing a wellbore for oil and/or gas production require distribution of fluids and/or delivery of fluids to/from the wellbore. One operation that requires fluid distribution and delivery of fluid to/from a wellbore is a fracturing job. One goal of a fracturing job is to expose at least a portion of a wellbore to high fluid pressure, thereby locally fracturing at least some of earthen formations of the wellbore to increase the permeability of the formation. With higher permeability, oil and/or gas production is often increased because the oil and gas can more easily flow through the fractured formation as compared to the previously unfractured formation.

Some fracturing jobs require enormous volumes of fluid availability. Particularly, when attempting to fracture shale formations, often with the goal of producing natural gas, the volume of required fluids is considerably higher than many other types of fracturing jobs. Accordingly, a large number of fluid containers must be transported to the well site and connected with other fluid handling components to form a fluid supply system to perform the fracturing job. While at first consideration, locating the fluid containers at the well site and connecting them together may not seem to be a difficult task, in practice the above steps can be very time consuming and difficult to perform. Wellbore sites are most often located on property that is privately owned by entities other than the entity performing the fracturing job. Commonly, the well site is leased by the owner for the purpose of oil and gas production. However, it is also common that the physical area actually leased is a very small area resulting in much of the leased area being occupied by the fluid supply system.

Consequently, the components of often very large fluid supply systems must be arranged in a manner that minimizes the area occupied by the components. Further, with the components located very close together, connection of the various components can prove to be more difficult than if the components were spread further apart. Still further, the equipment used to connect the various fluid supply system components can be very heavy and difficult to handle. Accordingly, there is room for improvement in the manner in which components of a fluid supply system are connected at a well site.

SUMMARY

The present application relates to, in one embodiment among others, a fluid supply system for supplying fluid to a wellhead. The fluid supply system comprises a plurality of fluid storage tanks in fluid communication via one or more fluid communication paths with at least one pump, a ball and socket coupling disposed in at least one of the fluid communication paths, and a wellhead in fluid communication with the pump.

The present application also relates to a method of servicing a wellbore by placing a plurality of fluid storage tanks at a well site and pumping a fluid from at least one of the fluid storage tanks into the wellbore via a fluid flow path comprising at least one ball and socket coupling.

The present application further relates to a method of servicing a wellbore by positioning a plurality of fluid storage tanks at a well site having a wellhead connected to a wellbore penetrating a shale formation, preparing a fracturing fluid by connecting at least one of the fluid storage tanks to a blender via a fluid flow path comprising at least one ball and socket coupling, pumping the fracturing fluid into the wellbore and fracturing the shale formation, and recovering natural gas from the wellbore.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure, and for further details and advantages thereof, reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic top view of a fluid supply system;

FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of a portion of the fluid supply system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of another embodiment of a fluid supply system;

FIG. 4 is a schematic top view of a portion of the fluid supply system of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a schematic top view of another portion of the fluid supply system of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is an orthogonal cut-away view of a Wil-loc brand ball and socket coupling; and

FIG. 7 is a schematic top view of a portion of another embodiment of a fluid supply system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 in the drawings, a fluid supply system 100 is shown. Fluid supply system 100 comprises a plurality of fluid storage tanks 102 (sometimes referred to as “frac tanks”), a fluid conditioning unit 104, a blender 106, a pumping manifold 108, and at least one pump 110. Of particular importance, the fluid storage system 100 further comprises flexible hoses 114 and suction manifolds 116 that are used to connect the various components of the fluid supply system 100 together. Further, the fluid supply system 100 comprises pumping suction conduit 117 and pumping discharge conduit 118 that is well suited for connecting the pump 110 to the pumping manifold 108. Still further, the fluid supply system 100 comprises wellhead conduit 119 for connecting the pumping manifold 108 to a wellhead 112.

Fluid storage tanks 102 have high fluid storage capacity, for example, on the order of 500 BBL of fluid storage per fluid storage tank 102. The fluid storage tanks 102 may be of the type supplied by VE Enterprises of Springer, Okla. The fluid storage tanks 102 are generally trailer type tanks that are well suited for transportation on public roadways and which are maneuverable into position at the well site using a tractor. Each fluid storage tank 102 comprises a tank manifold 120 comprising a crosstube 122 with a plurality of tank outlets 124. The tank manifold 120 serves to provide convenient connection points between the fluid storage tank 102 and other fluid supply system 100 components. Specifically, the crosstube 122 serves as a common conduit that allows fluid continuity between the fluids stored in the fluid storage tank 102 and each of the tank outlets 124. The crosstube 122 may comprise a larger inner diameter than the inner diameter of each of the tank outlets 124. In an embodiment, the crosstube 122 comprises an inner diameter of about 8 inches while each of the tank outlets 124 comprises an inner diameter of about 4 inches. The crosstube 122 may be in fluid communication with one or more compartments within fluid storage tank 102 via one or more conduits 123, as shown in FIG. 2.

While the fluid storage tanks 102 are large, the distance between fluid storage tanks 102, the adjacent tank separation distance 126, is relatively small. In this embodiment, the adjacent tank separation distance 126 is small (e.g., approximately 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, or 14 inches), however, the overall distance between the various tank outlets 124 of the various fluid storage tanks 102 can be large. Considering that the fluid stored in fluid storage tanks 102 is distributed to two different components, the fluid conditioning unit 104 and the blender 106, it is desirable to converge the delivery path of the fluid from the many far-spaced tank outlets 124 to a more compact arrangement. Accordingly, suction manifolds 116 are disposed within the fluid path between the various fluid storage tanks 102 and the fluid conditioning unit 104 and the blender 106. In an embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, three suction manifolds 116 are joined end to end with each other to form a singular fluid path joining eight of the twelve fluid storage tanks 102 (the eight fluid storage tanks 102 that supply fluid to the fluid conditioning unit 104) while a single suction manifold 116 is disposed between the remaining four fluid storage tanks 102 that supply fluid to the blender 106. The number of suction manifolds and number of fluid storage tanks connected thereto may be varied depending upon the demands of a particular job.

Each suction manifold 116 comprises a main tube 128 having a large inner diameter (e.g., about 12 inches) while a plurality of manifold inputs 130 are distributed along the length of the main tube 128. The manifold inputs 130 may comprise an inner diameter smaller (e.g., about 4 inches) than the inner diameter of the main tube 128. Further, some of the suction manifolds 116 comprise manifold outputs 132 distributed along the length of the main tube 128. The manifold output 132 may comprise an inner diameter smaller (e.g., about 4 inches) than the inner diameter of the main tube 128. Suction manifolds 116 that do not comprise manifold outputs 132 are generally connected to adjacent suction manifolds 116 so that the flow paths of the adjacent main tubes 128 are connected to allow fluid transfer between the adjacent suction manifolds 116. Further, free ends of the main tubes 128 that are not connected to adjacent suction manifolds 116 are/or are capped and or provided with additional manifold inputs 130. Where a plurality of suction manifolds 116 are connected end to end, the manifold outputs 132 may be located along a single suction manifold 116 to reduce the length of required conduits between the suction manifolds 116 and the component being supplied fluid by the connected suction manifolds 116, in this embodiment, the fluid conditioning unit 104.

The flexible hoses 114 are used as the fluid conduit between the tank outlets 124 and the manifold inputs 130. The flexible hoses 114 each comprise a inner diameter less than (e.g., about 4 inches) the inner diameter of the main tube 128, and in an embodiment about equal to the inner diameter of the tank outlets 124 and/or the manifold inputs 130. Generally, while the flexible hoses 114 are flexible, the length of each flexible hose 114 must be at least about 10 ft to provide beneficial flexibility in response to low forces administrable by workers who manually handle the flexible hoses 114. Accordingly, the flexible hose 114 length being a minimum of about 10 ft contributes to the distance between tank outlets 124 and manifold inputs 130, the tank to manifold distance 134, being at least about 10 ft. Considering the limited area available at the well site, and the associated high cost of leasing the location per unit area, using the flexible hoses 114 is significantly costly. Further, even with a length of about 10 ft, the flexible hoses 114 are very difficult to carry, bend into desired configurations, and to align to the threaded connections of the tank outlets 124 and manifold inputs 130. In fact, connecting a flexible hose 114 between a tank outlet 124 and a manifold input 130 may require at least two workers to carry and attach the flexible hoses 114, further driving up the overall cost of using the flexible hoses 114. Still further, while larger diameter flexible hoses would permit higher fluid flow rates, thereby lowering the number of required flexible hoses, the larger diameter flexible hoses are too difficult to handle due to their weight and stiffness. Another consequence of using flexible hoses 114 is that the distance between the suction manifold 116 and the blender 106, the manifold to fluid conditioning unit distance 136, is also a minimum of about 10 ft. The total distance 138 between the tank outlets 124 and the fluid conditioning unit 104 is a distance of about 21 ft, the sum of the tank to manifold distance 134, the manifold to fluid conditioning unit distance 136, and a one foot distance contributed by the size of the suction manifold 116 itself.

In operation, the fluid stored in eight of the twelve fluid storage tanks 102 is transferred from the fluid storage tanks 102 to the joined suction manifolds 116 through flexible hoses 114, and subsequently to the fluid conditioning unit 104. The fluid stored in the remaining four of the twelve fluid storage tanks 102 is transferred from the fluid storage tanks 102 to a suction manifold 116 through flexible hoses 114. Fluid is also transferred from the fluid conditioning unit 104 and from the singular suction manifold 116 to the blender 106 through flexible hoses 114. Fluid is further transferred from the blender 106 to the pumping manifold 108 through flexible hoses 114. A high pressure fluid output stream is directed from the pumping manifold 108 to the wellhead 112 for delivery into an associated wellbore. Fluid is transferred between the pumping manifold 108 and the pump 110 and between the pumping manifold 108 and the wellhead 112 through both the pumping suction conduit 117 and the pumping discharge conduit 118. Both the pumping suction conduit 117 and the pumping discharge conduit 118 are suitable for transferring abrasive fluid mixtures. The pumping discharge conduit 118 is well suited for high pressure fluid transfer. It will be appreciated that alternative embodiments of a fluid supply system may comprise more than one pump. Particularly, alternative embodiments may comprise pumps specifically designed for the purpose of providing suction (pulling fluid with a low net positive suction head requirement), pumps specifically designed for providing high pressure discharge (maybe even specially designed for pushing abrasive slurries), and/or a plurality of the specifically designed pumps may be included in such alternative embodiments. Further, alternative embodiments of a fluid supply system may comprise pumps coupled individually with each of the blender and fluid conditioning units in addition to the pump and/or pumps associated with the pumping manifold that delivers fluid to the wellhead.

The fluid in the fluid storage tanks 102 may be water that is either transported to the well site from offsite or water that is locally produced at or near the well site. In alternative embodiments, the fluid may be other aqueous and/or non-aqueous liquid fluids (e.g., organic fluids such as petroleum based fluids, biodegradable fluids such as ester-based fluids, etc.) As the water is passed through the fluid conditioning unit 104, gels or other non-abrasive additives may be added to the incoming water to output a mixture containing the gels and/or additives to the blender 106. The water provided to the blender 106 through the singular suction manifold 116 and the mixture provided to the blender 106 from the fluid conditioning unit 104 are combined with proppants, abrasives, and/or other particulate matter to create a final mixture that is supplied to the pumping manifold 108 and ultimately delivered to a wellbore associated with the wellhead 112. In alternative embodiments, other wellbore servicing fluids may be prepared in blender 106 such as cement slurries, drilling fluids, workover fluids, acidizing fluids, flush fluids, spacer fluids, etc. using fluids provided from storage tanks 102 as described herein.

Referring now to FIGS. 3-5, a fluid supply system 200 is shown. Fluid supply system 200 is similar to fluid supply system 100 insofar as fluid supply system 200 comprises fluid storage tanks 202 substantially similar to fluid storage tanks 102, a fluid conditioning unit 204 substantially similar to fluid conditioning unit 104, a blender 206 substantially similar to blender 106, a pumping manifold 208 corresponding to pumping manifold 108, and a pump 210 substantially similar to pump 110. Pump 210 and a wellhead 212 are connected to pumping manifold 208 in substantially the same manner as the connection between pump 110, wellhead 112, and pumping manifold 108. Specifically, the connections to the pumping manifold 208 are made using pumping suction conduit 213, pumping discharge conduit 214, and wellbore conduit 215 substantially similar to pumping suction conduit 117, pumping discharge conduit 118, and wellhead conduit 119, respectively. However, Fluid supply system 200 differs significantly from fluid supply system 100 in that the fluid connections between the fluid storage tanks 202 and the fluid processing unit 204, the fluid connections between the fluid storage tanks 202 and the blender 206, and the fluid connection between the fluid processing unit 204 and the blender 206 are not achieved through the use of flexible hoses and suction manifolds as is the case with fluid supply system 100. Instead, the fluid connections are created using ball and socket couplings 216 as explained infra.

Specifically, the ball and socket couplings 216 are primarily used to join substantially rigid piping structures/components together. The ball and socket couplings 216 are easily handled and assembled by a single worker while also accepting a large degree of misalignment between the interfaces that are being connected. In this embodiment, piping components such as straight joints 218 (of various lengths), tee joints 220, and elbow joints 222 are joined together using ball and socket couplings 216 to form the fluid paths that replace some, most, or all of the fluid paths provided by the flexible hoses 114 in fluid supply system 100. Further, an elbow joint 222 is used to connect directly to an end of each crosstube 224, that is substantially similar to crosstube 122, therefore only one fluid connection to each fluid storage tank 202 is required.

Each ball and socket coupling 216 allows misalignment between the individual rigid piping components being joined together. In this embodiment, the misalignment permitted by each ball and socket coupling 216 is up to about 30 degrees of misalignment. In this embodiment, the ball and socket couplings 216 are illustrated as being of the type manufactured by Bauer GmbH of Voitsberg, Austria, under the product name, HK Coupling. The Bauer HK Coupling systems incorporate sealing o-rings to provide a fluid-tight connection. However, any other suitable design of a ball and socket coupling could be used so long as the coupling provides the ball and socket style articulation and fluid-tight seal between piping components joined by the ball and socket style coupling. The articulation accommodates the previously described misalignment while maintaining a fluid-tight connection. Further, the ball and socket style coupling may be provided as a device for being assembled to ordinary rigid pipes or piping components, or alternatively, the ball and/or socket portions of the ball and socket couplings may be formed as an integral part of rigid pipes and or piping components (e.g., piping sections have a ball and/or socket disposed on either/both ends thereof for mating into a corresponding end of another piping section). Still further, while the ball and socket couplings 216 are illustrated as being held together through the use of a lever closure device 226 (e.g., a lever actuated pincer clamp as provided by Bauer), any other suitable device for fixing the ball and socket portions of the ball and socket couplings 216 may be used in other embodiments. Specifically, it will be appreciated that other designs of ball and socket couplings may be used, such as the Wil-loc Coupling & Pipe System manufactured by Wil-loc Industrial Plumbing of Blaine, Minn., one example of such a coupling being illustrated in FIG. 6.

By using the ball and socket couplings 216, fewer flow paths are needed (as compared to fluid supply system 100) to allow the necessary fluid transfers. With fewer flow paths, sucking the fluid from the fluid storage tanks 202 to the pumping manifold 208 is accomplished with less force (e.g., less total suction head and/or number of pumps). Also, since the individual components (e.g., 218, 220, 222) to be assembled with the ball and socket couplings 216 generally weigh less than an entire 10 foot section of flexible hose 114 (even when the inside diameter of the component is larger than the replaced hoses, e.g., about 4 inches), it is convenient to provide the components with larger diameters (e.g., greater than about 4 inches), which further reduces the force required for transporting fluid. In an embodiment, the elbow joints 222 connected to the crosstubes 224 have inner diameters of about 6 or 8 inches, for example the same inner diameter as the crosstubes 224 themselves. Similarly, the straight joints 218 extending from the elbow joints 222 connected to the crosstubes 224 may also have corresponding 6 or 8 inch inner diameters.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show a series of straight joints 218 joined together with tee joints 220 to form a lengthwise fluid conduit that serves a similar function as the suction manifolds 116 of fluid supply system 100. One benefit of the composite fluid flow path being made up of the straight joints 218 and tee joints 220 is that the fluid path is modular insofar as the length of the fluid flow path is only assembled to be as long as necessary to accommodate the exact number of fluid storage tanks 202. Further, while the inner diameter of the individual straight joints 218 and tee joints 220 may be large (e.g., about 12 inches), the individual components are not too heavy for a single worker to handle and place. Conversely, a suction manifold 116 of similar diameter would necessarily require powered equipment to place the suction manifold 116, at least due to added weight attributable to its overall length.

By increasing the flow path diameter (e.g., to about 12 inches), only a single fluid conduit is required to feed fluid conditioning unit 204. Similarly, only a single fluid conduit is required to feed the blender 206. Further, only a single fluid conduit is required to connect the fluid conditioning unit 204 to the pumping manifold 208. However, in the embodiment shown, four flexible hoses 228 are used to feed the output of the blender 206 to the pumping manifold 208. In an alternative embodiment, the four flexible hoses 228 may be replaced by a larger, single fluid conduit (e.g., an about 12 inch inner diameter) comprised of the necessary straight joints 218 and ball and socket couplings 216. While the straight joints 218, tee joints 220, and elbow joints 222 may be constructed of galvanized pipe or a similar material with the individual components weighing less than 150 lbs, alternative embodiments may construct the components of pipe of less than schedule 40 pipe and of different materials (such as aluminum or plastic) to reduce the weight of the components. Further, it will be appreciated that in alternative embodiments, the inner diameters of piping components may be larger or smaller than specified above (e.g., 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, and/or 16 inch diameters). Still further, it will be appreciated that while the connections between piping components of fluid supply system 200 are shown as mostly being well aligned, in alternative embodiments, one or more of the components may have a significant misalignment, thereby necessitating the use of the ball and socket couplings 216 in a manner that makes an angled connection between the components in spite of the misalignment.

One benefit of eliminating the use of flexible hoses and suction manifolds as described above with reference to FIG. 1 is that the overall distance between the fluid storage tanks 202 and the fluid conditioning unit 204 can be greatly reduced from the 21 ft required by the fluid supply system 100. In fact, the tank to fluid conditioning unit distance 230 can be reduced to less than about 21 ft, less than or equal to about 15 ft, or even less than or equal to about 10 ft. Of course, with any reduction in area required to house the fluid supply system 200 (as compared to the fluid supply system 100) valuable leased area is freed up for other use.

In this embodiment, the fluid supply system 200 is particularly well suited for supplying fluids needed during fracturing processes using very low proppant concentrations for fracturing shale formations (e.g., Barnett shale) with a goal of producing natural gas. Low proppant concentration fracturing processes are sometimes called “waterfracs,” “slickwater treatments,” “hybrid waterfrac treatments,” or “light sand fracs,” where proppant concentration does not typically exceed about 2 lbs/gal. Waterfrac treatments sometimes employ the use of low cost, low viscosity fluids in order to stimulate very low permeability reservoirs. Waterfrac and similar treatments often require high fluid flow rates to the wellbore over a short duration of time. Particularly, it is not uncommon for a waterfrac or similar treatment to require delivery of even hundreds of thousands of gallons of water over the course of the treatment and in a relatively short amount of time. Other waterfrac treatments that can be performed by the fluid supply system 200 may need to deliver equal to or greater than about 100 barrels per minute of water over a time period of equal to or less than about one hour. More specifically, while the fluid supply system 200 may be used to deliver water at a rate of about 40-120 barrels per minute of water, the fluid supply system 200 may be alternatively be used to deliver less than 40 barrels per minute of water or more than 120 barrels per minute of water.

In an embodiment, fluid supply system 200 delivers fluid from eight of the twelve fluid storage tanks 202 through elbow joints 222 attached to the crosstubes 224 into the series of straight joints 218 that are joined by tee joints 220. The components 218, 220, 222, 224 may have a common inner diameter, for example 8 inches. One tee joint 220 is oriented to direct fluid flow from the longitudinal end-to-end series of straight joints 218 and tee joints 220 into the fluid conditioning unit 204. Fluid from the remaining four of the twelve fluid storage tanks 202 is similarly routed to supply the blender 206 with fluid. A single output fluid path (e.g., 12 inch diameter) leads from the fluid conditioning unit 204 to the pumping manifold 208 while four 4 inch flexible hoses 228 direct fluid from the blender 206 to the pumping manifold 208. Once fluid reaches the pumping manifold 208, fluid is pumped by pump 210 under high pressure through wellhead conduit 215 to the wellhead 212 and into an associated wellbore.

Referring now to FIG. 7, a portion of a fluid supply system 300 is shown. Fluid supply system 300 is substantially similar to fluid supply system 200. Fluid supply system 300 comprises fluid storage tanks 302, ball and socket couplings 304, straight joints 306, tee joints 308, elbow joints 310, crosstubes 312, and lever closure devices 314, with each of the listed components being substantially similar to the similarly named components of fluid supply system 200. However, it is clear that two of the ball and socket couplings 304′ (e.g., 12 inch) are accepting an angular deviation (or misalignment) of a first misalignment angle 316 in order to connect to a straight joint 306′. Similarly, it is clear that two of the ball and socket couplings 304″ (e.g., 8 inch) are accepting an angular deviation (or misalignment) of a second misalignment angle 318 in order to connect to a straight joint 306″. Operation of fluid supply system 300 is substantially similar to operation of fluid supply system 200. However, during construction of fluid supply system 300, the ball and socket couplings 304′ and 304″ are rotated to accommodate the misaligned straight joints 306′ and 306″, respectively.

It will be appreciated that in any one or more of the fluid supply systems 100, 200, and 300, one or more of the flexible hoses may alternatively be replaced with piping components that are joined by ball and socket couplings. Conversely, one or more fluid connections made by piping components and ball and socket couplings may alternatively be replaced by flexible hoses. Thus, fluid supply systems comprising any combination of flexible hoses and rigid ball and socket couplings are contemplated herein. Further, it will be appreciated that construction and/or assembly of the fluid supply systems 100, 200, and 300 occurs primarily at the well site. Furthermore, while inner diameters have been called out in various embodiments, outer and/or nominal diameters of various components may be substituted for inner diameter specified herein. For purposes of explanation, fluid flow has been described from tanks 202 to wellhead 212, provided however that fluid may flow in the opposite direction from wellhead 212 to one or more of tanks 202 via fluid supply system 200, for example when recovering a fracturing fluid for recycle and/or disposal.

While various embodiments in accordance with the principles disclosed herein have been shown and described above, modifications thereof may be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and the teachings of the disclosure. The embodiments described herein are representative only and are not intended to be limiting. Many variations, combinations, and modifications are possible and are within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, the scope of protection is not limited by the description set out above, but is defined by the claims which follow, that scope including all equivalents of the subject matter of the claims. Furthermore, any advantages and features described above may relate to specific embodiments, but shall not limit the application of such issued claims to processes and structures accomplishing any or all of the above advantages or having any or all of the above features.

Additionally, the section headings used herein are provided for consistency with the suggestions under 37 C.F.R. 1.77 or to otherwise provide organizational cues. These headings shall not limit or characterize the invention(s) set out in any claims that may issue from this disclosure. Specifically and by way of example, although the headings refer to a “Field of the Invention,” the claims should not be limited by the language chosen under this heading to describe the so-called field. Further, a description of a technology in the “Background” is not to be construed as an admission that certain technology is prior art to any invention(s) in this disclosure. Neither is the “Summary” to be considered as a limiting characterization of the invention(s) set forth in issued claims. Furthermore, any reference in this disclosure to “invention” in the singular should not be used to argue that there is only a single point of novelty in this disclosure. Multiple inventions may be set forth according to the limitations of the multiple claims issuing from this disclosure, and such claims accordingly define the invention(s), and their equivalents, that are protected thereby. The term “comprising” as used herein is to be construed broadly to mean including but not limited to, and in accordance with its typical usage in the patent context, is indicative of inclusion rather than limitation (such that other elements may also be present). In all instances, the scope of the claims shall be considered on their own merits in light of this disclosure, but should not be constrained by the headings set forth herein.

Claims

1. A fluid supply system for supplying fluid to a wellhead, comprising:

a plurality of fluid storage tanks in fluid communication via one or more fluid communication paths with at least one pump;

a ball and socket coupling disposed in at least one of the fluid communication paths; and

a wellhead in fluid communication with the pump.

2. The fluid supply system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the fluid communication paths further comprises a tee joint.

3. The fluid supply system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the fluid communication paths further comprises a plurality of tee joints connected in fluid communication with at least one straight joint, and at least one of the tee joints and the at least one straight joint being connected using the ball and socket coupling.

4. The fluid supply system according to claim 3, wherein the at least one of the tee joints is located between at least one of the fluid storage tanks and a fluid conditioning unit.

5. The fluid supply system according to claim 4, wherein the distance between the at least one of the fluid storage tanks and the fluid conditioning unit is less than about 21 ft.

6. The fluid supply system according to claim 4, wherein the distance between the at least one of the fluid storage tanks and the fluid conditioning unit is less than or equal to about 15 ft.

7. The fluid supply system according to claim 4, wherein the distance between the at least one of the fluid storage tanks and the fluid conditioning unit is less than or equal to about 10 ft.

8. The fluid supply system according to claim 1, wherein the ball and socket coupling provides a fluid-tight seal with adjacent piping components joined by the ball and socket coupling, even when the adjacent piping components are misaligned.

9. A method of servicing a wellbore, comprising:

placing a plurality of fluid storage tanks at a well site; and

pumping a fluid from at least one of the fluid storage tanks into the wellbore via a fluid flow path comprising at least one ball and socket coupling.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising conditioning the fluid prior to pumping into the wellbore.

11. The method according to claim 9, further comprising blending the fluid with one or more components prior to pumping into the wellbore.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein blending the fluid forms a fracturing fluid that is pumped into the wellbore.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the pumping is carried out at a rate of at least about 100 barrels per minute.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the fracturing fluid comprises about two pounds of proppant per gallon of fluid.

15. A method of servicing a wellbore, comprising:

positioning a plurality of fluid storage tanks at a well site having a wellhead connected to a wellbore penetrating a shale formation;

preparing a fracturing fluid by connecting at least one of the fluid storage tanks to a blender via a fluid flow path comprising at least one ball and socket coupling;

pumping the fracturing fluid into the wellbore and fracturing the shale formation; and

recovering natural gas from the wellbore.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the fracturing fluid is a waterfrac mixture.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the fracturing fluid comprises equal to or less than about two pounds of proppant per gallon of fluid.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein the pumping is carried out at a rate of at least about 100 barrels per minute.

19. The method according to claim 15, wherein the fluid storage tanks are positioned within about 21 feet of the blender.

20. The method according to claim 15, wherein at least one ball and socket coupling connects misaligned components within the fluid flow path.