U.S. patent application number 13/660855 was filed with the patent office on 2015-07-02 for proppant discharge system and a container for use in such a proppant discharge system.
This patent application is currently assigned to PlNCH FLATBED, LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is John OREN, Joshua OREN. Invention is credited to John OREN, Joshua OREN.
Application Number | 20150183579 13/660855 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 49555685 |
Filed Date | 2015-07-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150183579 |
Kind Code |
A9 |
OREN; John ; et al. |
July 2, 2015 |
PROPPANT DISCHARGE SYSTEM AND A CONTAINER FOR USE IN SUCH A
PROPPANT DISCHARGE SYSTEM
Abstract
A proppant discharge system has a container with an outlet
formed at a bottom thereof and a gate slidably affixed at the
outlet so as to be movable between a first position covering the
outlet to a second position opening the outlet, and a support
structure having an actuator thereon. The container is removably
positioned on the top surface of the support structure. The
actuator is engageable with gate so as to move the gate from the
first position to the second position. A conveyor underlies the
container so as to receive proppant as discharged from the
container through the outlet. The container is a ten foot ISO
container.
Inventors: |
OREN; John; (Houston,
TX) ; OREN; Joshua; (Houston, TX) |
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Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
OREN; John
OREN; Joshua |
Houston
Houston |
TX
TX |
US
US |
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Assignee: |
PlNCH FLATBED, LLC
Houston
TX
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Prior
Publication: |
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Document Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20140023464 A1 |
January 23, 2014 |
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Family ID: |
49555685 |
Appl. No.: |
13/660855 |
Filed: |
October 25, 2012 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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13628702 |
Sep 27, 2012 |
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13660855 |
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13555635 |
Jul 23, 2012 |
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13628702 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
222/544 ;
414/288 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 88/26 20130101;
B65D 88/022 20130101; B65D 2231/008 20130101; B65D 88/121 20130101;
B65D 88/129 20130101; B65D 90/587 20130101; B65D 83/06 20130101;
B65G 2814/032 20130101; B65G 65/40 20130101; B65G 65/42 20130101;
B65D 88/02 20130101; B65D 88/542 20130101; B65D 2588/12 20130101;
B65G 2814/0319 20130101; B60P 1/56 20130101; B65D 88/30 20130101;
B65D 88/32 20130101; B65G 65/30 20130101; B65G 2201/042 20130101;
B65D 90/66 20130101; B65D 2547/04 20130101; B65D 88/12 20130101;
B65D 2590/664 20130101; B65D 7/00 20130101; B65D 88/54 20130101;
B65D 90/54 20130101; B65D 90/58 20130101; B65D 90/20 20130101; B65D
88/28 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B65D 88/26 20060101
B65D088/26; B65D 83/06 20060101 B65D083/06 |
Claims
1. (canceled)
2. (canceled)
3. (canceled)
4. (canceled)
5. (canceled)
6. (canceled)
7. (canceled)
8. A container for transport and storage of proppant, the container
comprising: a box having a bottom and a pair of side walls and a
pair of end walls and a top, said box having an inlet formed at or
adjacent to said top thereof, said box having an outlet formed at
said bottom; and a gate slidably positioned at said outlet, said
gate being non-pivotally movable in a horizontal plane between a
first position covering said outlet to a second position opening
said outlet.
9. The container of claim 8, further comprising: a first ramp
extending from one of said pair of sidewalls to said outlet; and a
second ramp extending from the other of said pair of sidewalls to
said outlet.
10. The container of claim 9, further comprising: a third ramp
extending from one of said pair of end walls to said outlet; and a
fourth ramp extending from the other of said pair of end walls to
said outlet.
11. A container for transport and storage of proppant, the
container comprising: a box having a bottom and a pair of side
walls and a pair of end walls and a top, said box having an inlet
formed at or adjacent to said top thereof, said box having an
outlet formed at said bottom, said box having a track formed at
said bottom thereof, said track having a first portion adjacent to
an exterior of one side of said outlet and a second position
adjacent to an exterior of an opposite side of said outlet; and a
gate positioned at said outlet, said gate slidably movable in a
horizontal plane between a first position covering said outlet to a
second position opening said outlet, said gate having a first pin
non-pivotally affixed thereto and extending outwardly of one side
thereof, said first pin slidably received in said first portion of
said track, said gate having a second pin non-pivotally affixed
thereto and extending outwardly of an opposite side of said gate,
said second pin slidably received in said second portion of said
track.
12. The container of claim 10, said box having a frame formed on an
exterior thereof, said frame extending across said pair of
sidewalls and said pair of end walls, said first ramp and said
second ramp and said third ramp and said fourth ramp having a
respective exterior surfaces exposed through said frame.
13. The container of claim 8, said box having a capacity of up to
48,000 pounds of proppant.
14. A container for transport and storage of proppant, the
container comprising: a box having a bottom and a pair of side
walls and a pair of end walls and a top, said box having an inlet
formed at or adjacent to said top thereof, said box having an
outlet formed at said bottom, said box being ten foot ISO
container, and a gate positioned at said outlet, said gate being
slidably movable in a horizontal plane between a first position
covering said outlet to a second position opening said outlet.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present invention is a continuation of U.S. application
Ser. No. 13/628,702, filed on Sep. 27, 2012, and entitled "Proppant
Discharge System and a Container for Use in Such a Proppant
Discharge System", presently pending. U.S. application Ser. No.
13/628,702 is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No.
13/555,635, filed on Jul. 23, 2012, and entitled "Proppant
Discharge System Having a Container and the Process for Providing
Proppant to a Well Site", presently pending.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not applicable.
NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT
[0003] Not applicable.
INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIALS SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT
DISC
[0004] Not applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0005] 1. Field of the Invention
[0006] The present invention relates to storage containers. More
particularly, the present invention the relates to proppant
discharge systems wherein proppant can be discharged from the
storage container. Additionally, the present invention relates to a
process for providing proppant to a well site by the transport and
delivery of the proppant containers.
[0007] 2. Description of Related Art Including Information
Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98.
[0008] Hydraulic fracturing is the propagation of fractions in a
rock layer caused by the presence of pressurized fluid. Hydraulic
fractures may form naturally, in the case of veins or dikes, or may
be man-made in order to release petroleum, natural gas, coal seam
gas, or other substances for extraction. Fracturing is done from a
wellbore drilled into reservoir rock formations. The energy from
the injection of a highly-pressurized fracking fluid creates new
channels in the rock which can increase the extraction rates and
ultimate recovery of fossil fuels. The fracture width is typically
maintained after the injection by introducing a proppant into the
injected fluid. Proppant is a material, such as grains of sand,
ceramic, or other particulates, that prevent the fractures from
closing when the injection is stopped.
[0009] With the rise of hydraulic fracturing over the past decade,
there is a steep climb in proppant demand. Global supplies are
currently tight. The number of proppant suppliers worldwide has
increased since 2000 from a handful to well over fifty sand,
ceramic proppant and resin-coat producers.
[0010] By the far the dominant proppant is silica sand, made up of
ancient weathered quartz, the most common mineral in the Earth's
continental crust. Unlike common sand, which often feels gritty
when rubbed between the fingers, sand used as a proppant tends to
roll to the touch as a result of its round, spherical shape and
tightly-graded particle distribution. Sand quality is a function of
both deposit and processing. Grain size is critical, as any given
proppant must reliably fall within certain mesh ranges, subject to
downhole conditions and completion design. Generally, coarser
proppant allows the higher flow capacity due to the larger pore
spaces between grains. However, it may break down or crush more
readily under stress due to the relatively fewer grain-to-grain
contact points to bear the stress often incurred in deep oil- and
gas-bearing formations.
[0011] Typically, in any hydraulic fracturing operation, a large
amount of such proppant is required. Typically, it has been
difficult to effectively store the proppant at the fracturing
sites. Additionally, it has been found to be rather difficult to
effectively transport the proppant to the desired location. Often,
proppant is hauled to the desired locations on the back of trucks
and is dumped onsite. Under such circumstances, the proppant is
often exposed to adverse weather conditions. This will effectively
degrade the quality of the proppant during its storage.
Additionally, the maintenance of proppant in containers at the
hydraulic fracturing site requires a large capital investment in
storage facilities. Typically, the unloading of such storage
facilities is carried out on a facility-by-facility basis. As such,
there is a need to be able to effectively transport the proppant to
and store the proppant in a desired location adjacent to the
hydraulic fracturing location.
[0012] With the development and acceptance of the well stimulation
methodology known as "hydraulic fracturing", a unique logistics
challenge has been created in delivering the massive quantities of
proppant from domestic sand mines to the wellhead. This logistics
challenge affects every stakeholder up-and-down the logistics
chain. In particular, this includes sand mine owners, railroads,
trans-loading facilities, oil-field service companies, trucking
companies and exploration and production companies. The existing
method of delivering sand to the consumer requires the use of
expensive specialized equipment and a high level of coordination.
This makes the process subject to a myriad of problems that disrupt
the efficient flow of proppant to the wellhead. The result of
utilizing the current method is the expenditure of hundreds of
millions of dollars in largely unnecessary logistics costs.
[0013] Sand mines are being rapidly developed all over the United
States to satisfy the demand that the "Shale Boom" has created for
proppant. Most of the recent mines that have come on-line, or are
in varying stages ofdevelopment, have limited transportation
infrastructure to support the export of sand from the sand-pit. As
a result, many mines are building rail-spurs that will accommodate
up to 100 rail cars or more that can be loaded and staged for
transportation to the designated destination. Along with
rail-track, these companies are also investing in expensive
vertical silo storage facilities to store thousands of tons of
proppant. The sand mines are unable to effectively ship proppant to
the shale regions without equal fluid trans-loading and storage
facilities on the receiving end of the logistics chain. This
results in lost revenue and productivity for the mine owner and
higher prices for proppant buyers in the destination region.
[0014] Railroads are a critical part of the logistics chain
required to move proppant from mine to the various shale regions.
Due to the lack of rail track and trans-loading facilities in some
of these remote regions, the railroad companies must be selective
of their customers' delivery locations, and make sure that their
customers have the ability to efficiently off-load rail cars.
Recently, the railroads have seen the allocated fleet of hopper
cars being stranded at those destination where there is no
cost-effective storage option to efficiently off-load those cars.
Consequently, there has been a significant opportunity cost that
the railroads have been forced to pay. As such, a need has
developed for facilitating the ability to quickly and inexpensively
off-load proppant from rail cars so as to enable the railroads to
improve the velocity, turn-around and revenue-generating capacity
of the rail-car fleet.
[0015] Limited storage at trans-loading facilities has severely
limited many of the current facilities' ability to operate
efficiently. Most trans-load facilities are forced to off-load rail
hopper cars by bringing in trucks (i.e. pneumatics) along the rail
siding, and conveying sand directly from rail to truck. This
requires an intense coordination effort on the part of the
trans-loader as well as the trucking community. Long truck lines
are commonplace, and demurrage fees (i.e. waiting time charged by
trucking companies) amount to hundreds of millions of dollars
nationwide. As such, the trans-loader is not able to fully realize
the utilization of conveying and other material handling equipment.
The throughput of these trans-loading terminals severely reduces
costing of the terminal meaningful revenue.
[0016] Additionally, optimal trans-load terminal locations are
immobile and not able to move from one area of the shale pay to
another. Investors in immobile silo and flat storage facilities can
see the utilization and value of those investments tumble. A
potential loss of the investment in such immobile silos can often
scare investment capital away from these types of future projects
so as to further exacerbate the logistics chain problem. As such, a
need has developed for a portable, inexpensive storage and delivery
solution for proppant that would help revive the capital needed to
improve the facilities and maximize the revenue-generating
potential of existing and new trans-load and storage
facilities.
[0017] The lack of efficient trans-load and storage facilities in
shale regions have taken a heavy toll on the efficiencies of
trucking fleets. While trucking companies have typically charged
demurrage fees to compensate for the waiting time and lost
productivity, those types of charges are under significant
resistance from the customer base. When trucking companies are
required to wait in line to be loaded, or wait at a well-site to be
unloaded, the number of turns that the equipment can make in a day
is severely limited. Rather than turning two or three loads in a
single day, the trucks more typically make one trip per day, and
very commonly may make one delivery every two or three days. This
lack of efficient fleet utilization results in the trucking company
having to buy more equipment and hire more drivers to move the same
amount of material than would be necessary. As such, it would be
desirable to eliminate demurrage charges and to present the
opportunity for trucking companies to become more profitable while
making smaller investments in equipment.
[0018] Service companies (such as fracturing companies) are held
captive by the current proppant delivery process. This is the
result of inefficient trans-load facilities and pneumatic (bulk)
truck deliveries. The service company cannot frac a well if it does
not have a supply of proppant. It is widely known that the problems
surrounding the efficient delivery of proppant to the well-site is
one of the primary challenges to the service companies in
successfully completing a frac job. Pressure pumps, coiled tubing
and other well stimulation equipment, often site idle due to the
lack of required proppant at the well-site. "Screening-Out" or
running out of proppant is very common at well locations due to the
lack of control over what is happening up-stream in the proppant
logistics chain. This results in lower profit margins to the
service company. Many small to medium-sized hydraulic fracturing
companies have little or no logistics infrastructure. Some have
entered the marketplace without much thought to the logistics
problems associated with taking delivery of the necessary supplies
to complete a well. In doing so, many of these companies have been
forced to source material and employ very expensive logistics
options in order to survive. This has resulted in above-market
pricing in order to complete wells. There is also a risk of losing
out on otherwise viable hydraulic fracturing contracts. As such,
there is a need to lower costs across the board in order to
properly compete.
[0019] Exploration and production companies, along with the entire
U.S. population, pay the ultimate bill for all of the
inefficiencies and waste that plagues the proppant supply chain.
Service companies are forced to price hydraulic fracturing services
by taking into account the historical costs of supply chain
problems. Exploration and production companies need to pass on the
overall increased cost of production. As such, there is a need to
provide a cost-effective solution to improve the profitability of
stake holders in the proppant logistics chain, while lowering the
overall cost to the consumer.
[0020] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/427,140, filed on Mar.
22, 2012 by the present inventor, describes a system for the
delivery of proppant between a loading station and the well site.
This application describes the steps of placing the storage
container in a location adjacent to a train site such that the
proppant, as delivered by the train, can be discharged into the
container. The container can then be transported for storage in
stacks at the loading area or can be delivered to a tilting
mechanism at the loading station. The tilting station will tilt the
container so as to allow the proppant to flow outwardly therefrom.
This proppant will flow, by a conveyor, to a pneumatic truck. The
truck can then transport the proppant over the highways to the well
site. At the well site, the proppant from the pneumatic truck can
then be discharged into a twenty foot container at the well site.
These twenty foot containers can be stored at the well site in a
stacked configuration. Ultimately, each of the containers can be
transported to another tilting mechanism at the well site so that
the proppant within each of the storage containers can be
discharged onto a conveyor and ultimately for use during the
fracturing operation.
[0021] In this U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/427,140, the
twenty-foot ISO container that is utilized is one of the most
inexpensive and readily-available pieces of transportation
equipment in the world. It was determined that the use of the
twenty-foot container allows for the transportation of proppant
through various minor modifications to the internal walls and
reinforcements of the twenty-foot ISO container. The available
capacity is more than acceptable. It was determined that this
modified twenty-foot container could hold in excess of forty-five
tons of proppant. The cost of an unmodified twenty-foot ISO
container is less than four thousand dollars. This makes it very
affordable compared to the cost of building vertical silos or flat
storage buildings.
[0022] The twenty-foot ISO container was modified by cutting a hole
in the top of the container and constructing a water-tight, hinged
hatch through which the proppant could be poured by anynumber of
readily-available conveying units. There was also a lower hatch in
the twenty-foot ISO container. This lower hatch could be opened to
drain the proppant out of the twenty-foot ISO container.
Alternatively, a square flow-gate was fabricated and welded to the
vertical rear lower side of the twenty-foot container. This gate
hatch allowed the container to be tilted in the manner of a dump
truck bed. As a result, sand could flow out of the flow gate while
moderating the flow of the sand.
[0023] This patent application provided the ability to trans-load
sand via containers from a standard rail hopper car to the
twenty-foot ISO container. It was determined that the container
could be loaded in less than twenty minutes with at least
forty-five tons of proppant. By pre-positioning the container along
the rail track, movable conveyors could work the train from one end
to the other and unload the train in a very efficient and timely
manner. This part of the process eliminated the coordination
eftbrts of calling in pneumatic trucks that could be systematically
loaded by conveying units. This reduced the time necessary to
unload a train's hopper cars by many hours. It also eliminated
truck traffic and demurrage charges at the rail-spur and trans-load
facility.
[0024] Once the proppant is loaded into the container, another
piece of specialized equipment would be used to lift the full
container and to stack the container upon other containers. The
stackable arrangement of containers allows the ability to operate
and store proppant within a very small footprint. The specialized
equipment that was required to lift the full containers was so
heavy and large that it would have to be disassembled into several
pieces before moving from one location to another. This created
some limitations on the flexibility that such equipment lent to the
containerized process.
[0025] By "containerizing" proppant, it was found that an inventory
management system could be added in order to provide real-time,
accurate information pertaining to the volume/inventory of proppant
that the customers own in a particular region. Currently, many
proppant buyers are subject to inaccurate volume reporting from
trans-loading facilities. As such, they may not be certain that the
proppant being delivered to the well-site is, in fact, of the
quality and grade that they have purchased. By applying an
inventory management system, bar coding, and scanning the
containers into and out of inventory, the customers would be
assured that they have received their proppant and would be able
streamline the procurement process when ordering more material.
[0026] In this prior process, since the twenty-foot ISO container
needed to be emptied and trans-loaded into pneumatic trailers for
delivery to the wellhead, a tilting unit was incorporated into the
process. This tilting unit accepted the twenty-foot ISO containers.
The tilting unit is able to lift one end of the container and
create the required angle to wholly empty the container through the
flow gate. Once tilted, the sand would spill onto the belt of the
conveyor and rise vertically into a hopper. The hopper rested on a
steel fabrication stand. This stand is high enough such that a
truck that pulls a pneumatic trailer could drive under the stand
and be gravity fed by the hopper so as to fill up the sand trailer.
These "loading stations" could be replicated along a path so as to
alleviate the bottleneck of trucks at a trans-load facility that
has a limited number of conveyors available to load the trucks.
Once again, trucking demurrage at this trans-load facility could be
dramatically reduced through the process. The railcars can be
off-loaded rapidly and released back to the railroads. This also
reduced or eliminated demurrage fees charged by the railroads for
rail hopper cars that stood waiting to be off-loaded.
[0027] This prior process created an inexpensive storage solution,
improved the efficiencies of the trans-loading process, added
inventory visibility and controls, and reduced both truck and rail
demurrage charges. However, it did have several limitations. For
example, the twenty-foot ISO container, while capable of handling
ninety thousand pounds of proppant, could not be transported
legally over a public road. In most states, the maximum allowable
total weight of a vehicle and its payload is eighty thousand pounds
of gross vehicle weight in order to be considered a legal load. By
law, any load that can be broken down by two units or more, in
order to achieve a legal weight limit, must be divided into
multiple loads. Since proppant is divisible, the law does not allow
for heavy or over-weight loads.
[0028] The angle of repose of a granular material is the steepest
angle of descent or dip of the slope relative to the horizontal
plane when material on the slope face is on the verge of sliding.
When bulk granular materials are poured onto a horizontal surface,
a conical pile will form. The internal angle between the surface of
the pile and the horizontal surface is known as the angle of repose
and is related to the density, surface area and shape of the
particles, and the coefficient of friction of the material. The
angle of repose is also gravity-dependent.
[0029] When analyzing the angle of repose of proppant poured into a
twenty-foot ISO container, it was evident that much of the volume
of such a container was void. Specifically, the upper ends of
twenty-foot ISO container could not be utilized without somehow
manipulating or tilting the container as it was filled by a
conveyor. Moreover, when emptying the container, by way of the
original bottom hatch, the proppant would pour directly out of the
bottom and leave a significant amount of material sitting on the
floor of the container.
[0030] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/555,635, filed on Jul.
23, 2012 by the present inventor, is the parent of the present
application. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/555,635 described
a new generation of the container by taking the original
twenty-foot ISO container and splitting it in half. As such, a ten
foot ISO container was provided. By breaking the container into a
ten foot configuration, it was determined that such a container
could hold approximately 45,000-48,000 pounds of proppant. More
importantly, the total gross vehicle weight of such a fully-loaded
container could be legally transported over a public road. This was
a major breakthrough. The container could be delivered to the
wellhead in advance of a frac crew and eliminate sand deliveries
during the fracturing process. Because all of the required proppant
for any frac job could be delivered and stored on-site, such a
ten-foot ISO container effectively eliminated the occurrence of
trucking demurrage charges at the well-site. Also, the use of such
a ten-foot container effectively eliminated the problems caused by
the angle of repose of the proppant and allowed the volumetric
capacity of such a ten-foot ISO container to be more fully
utilized. It was found to be the optimal configuration, size, and
cost for the process.
[0031] This prior application utilized an insert that is fabricated
and welded within the interior of the ten-foot ISO container. The
insert allowed the proppant, loaded through the top hatch, to fully
flow out of a newly designed bottom flow-gate. The need to
manipulate or tilt the container was eliminated. This ten-foot
container could now be filled and emptied by using only gravity to
do so.
[0032] In the past, various patents have issued relating to storage
and transport facilities. For example, U.S. Patent Publication No.
2008/0179054, published on Jul. 31, 2008 to McGough et al., shows a
bulk material storage and transportation system. In particular, the
storage system is mounted on the trailer of a truck. The storage
system includes walls that define an interior volume suitable for
receiving the aggregate material therein. There are hoppers
provided at the bottom of the container. These hoppers have
inclined walls. The hoppers can extend so as to allow the material
from the inside of the container to be properly conveyed to a
location exterior of the container.
[0033] Actuators are used so as to expand and collapse the
container. U.S. Pat. No. 7,240,681, issued on Jul. 10, 2007 to L.
Saik, describes a trailer-mounted mobile apparatus for dewatering
and recovering formation sand. The trailer is mounted to a
truck-towable trailer so as to receive sand therein. The container
has a pair of sloping end walls. The back end of the container is
suitably openable so as to allow the sand to be removed therefrom.
A pneumatic or hydraulic ram is provided on the forward part of the
container so as to allow the container to be lifted angularly
upwardly so as to allow sand to be discharged through the gate at
the rear of the container.
[0034] U.S. Pat. No. 4,247,228, issued on Jan. 27, 1981 to Gray et
al., describes a dump truck or trailer with a pneumatic conveyor.
The container is mounted to a frame on wheels. A hydraulic ram
tilts the container for dumping through a rear outlet. A pneumatic
conveyor is carried by the frame with an intake at the rear of the
container. A gate allows the solids to be dumped conventionally by
gravity or to be blown to a storage facility by the pneumatic
container. The container has a top hatch formed therein so as to
allow the solids to be introduced into the interior of the
container.
[0035] U.S. Pat. No. 2,865,521, issued on Dec. 23, 1958 to Fisher
et al., shows a bulk material truck that has an interior volume
suitable for the receipt of bulk material therein. A pneumatic
conveyer is utilized so as to allow the removal of such material
from the bottom of the container. A pair of sloping walls are
provided on opposite sides of the container so as to allow the bulk
material within the container to be passed toward the bottom of the
container. A top hatch is provided on the top of the conveyer. The
pneumatic conveyer is connected to the bottom of the container.
[0036] It is an object of the present invention to provide a
proppant storage container that allows proppant to be easily
transported and stored.
[0037] It is another object of the present invention to provide a
proppant storage container that allows the proppant to be easily
and efficiently discharged to the bottom of the container.
[0038] It is another object of the present invention to provide a
proppant storage container which allows for the effective storage
of proppant at the fracturing site.
[0039] It is another object of the present invention to provide a
process for delivering proppants that eliminates the use of
pneumatic trailers.
[0040] It is further object of the present invention to provide a
proppant storage container and a process for delivering proppant in
which of the containers can be moved by a simple forklift.
[0041] It is another object of the present invention to provide a
process for delivering proppants which effectively eliminates
demurrage associated with the loading station and at the well
site.
[0042] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a
process of the deliver proppant which avoids the degradation of the
proppant as a result of repeated handling.
[0043] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a
proppant discharge system which provides a premeasured amount of
proppant to the drill site.
[0044] It is still another object of the present invention to
provide a proppant container which satisfies highway regulation and
which has less void space within the interior of the container.
[0045] These and other objects and advantages of the present
invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached
specification and appended claims.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0046] The present invention is a container for the transport and
storage of proppant. The container comprises a box having a bottom,
a pair of side walls, a pair of end walls and a top. The box has an
inlet formed at or adjacent to the top. The box has a outlet at the
bottom. A gate is positioned at the outlet. The gate is slidably
movable between a first position covering the outlet and a second
position opening the outlet.
[0047] A first ramp extends from one of the pair of sidewalls to
the outlet. A second ramp extends from the other of the pair of
sidewalls to the outlet. A third ramp extends from one pair of end
walls to the outlet. A fourth ramp extends from the other of the
pair of end walls to the outlet. The box has a track formed on the
bottom thereof. The gate is positioned in the track. The gate has a
pin extending outwardly therefrom. The box has a frame formed on an
exterior thereof. The frame extends across the pair of sidewalls
and the pair of end walls. The ramps have exterior surfaces exposed
through the frame. The box has a capacity of up to 48,000 pounds of
the proppant. The box is a ten-foot ISO container.
[0048] The present invention is also a proppant discharge system
that has a container with a pair of sidewalls, a pair of end walls,
a bottom and a top. The container has an inlet formed at or
adjacent to the top. The container has an outlet formed at the
bottom thereof. A gate is slidably affixed at the outlet of the
container so to be movable between a first position covering the
outlet and a second position opening the outlet. A support
structure has a top surface and at least one actuator. The
container is removably positioned on the top surface of the support
structure. The actuator is engageable with the gate so as to move
the gate from the first position to the second position.
[0049] In particular, the gate has a pin extending therefrom. The
actuator has a receptacle. The pin is receivable within the
receptacle.
[0050] A conveyor underlies the top surface of the support
structure so as to receive proppant as discharged from the
container through the outlet of the container. A hopper is
positioned on the support structure below the top surface thereof.
The hopper is positioned directly below the gate of the container.
The hopper has an opening at a bottom thereof. The bottom of the
hopper is positioned above the conveyor. A metering gate is
positioned adjacent to the opening at the bottom of the hopper
metering gate. The metering gate is movable between a closed
position and an open position. The opening at the bottom of the
hopper has a plurality of slots formed therein. The metering gate
also has a plurality of slots formed therethrough. The plurality of
slots of the metering gate are at least partially aligned with the
plurality of slots of the hopper when the metering gate is in the
open position. The opening at the bottom of the hopper has an
inverted V-shape configuration. The metering gate has an inverted
V-shaped configuration matching with the opening at the bottom of
the hopper. The metering gate is slidable relative to the opening
at the bottom of the hopper. An actuator affixed to the metering
gate so as to move the metering gate between the closed position
and the open position.
[0051] A frame is affixed to the conveyor and extends therealong. A
discharge chute is connected to the frame and is cooperative with
the end of the conveyor so as to discharge the proppant from the
conveyor to a desired location. A plurality of wheels can be
rotatably mounted to the frame so as to allow the conveyor to be
transported to the desired location.
[0052] The present invention is also a process for delivering
proppant to a fracturing site. This process includes the steps of:
(1) forming a container having an interior suitable for receiving
the proppant therein and having an outlet at a bottom thereof; (2)
filling the container with the proppant; (3) moving the filled
container along a roadway to the fracturing site; (4) placing the
filled container upon a conveyor structure; (5) discharging the
proppant from the outlet of the container onto the conveyor; and
(6) conveying the discharged proppant to a desired location at the
fracturing site.
[0053] In this process of present invention, the step of forming
includes forming the container so as to have a length of
approximately ten feet. A gate is placed over the outlet of the
container. The gate is movable between a first position closing the
outlet and a second position opening the outlet. The conveyor
structure has an actuator thereon. This actuator is connected to a
receptacle. The gate has a pin extending outwardly therefrom. The
pin is positioned into the receptacle of the actuator and the
actuator is actuated so as to move the gate from the first position
to the second position. The conveyor structure has a hopper is
positioned below a top surface thereof. The hopper has a metering
gate at a bottom thereof. The metering gate is positioned above the
conveyor of the conveyor structure. The filled container is
positioned directly above the hopper of the conveyor structure. The
proppant is discharged from the outlet of the container into the
hopper of the conveyor structure. The proppant is metered through
the metering gate at a control flow rate so as to be discharged
therefrom onto the conveyor.
[0054] The process of the present invention further includes the
steps of placing the filled container upon a train, transporting
the filled container on the train to a location, removing the
filled container from the train, and placing the removed filled
container onto a vehicle.
[0055] This foregoing section is intended to describe, with
particularity, the preferred embodiments of the present invention.
It is understood that modifications to these preferred embodiments
can be made within the scope of the present invention. As such,
this section should not be construed, in any way, as limiting of
the true scope of the present invention. The present invention
should only be limited by the following claims and their legal
equivalents.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0056] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the container in accordance
with the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0057] FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the container in
accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present
invention.
[0058] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the container of
the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0059] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the interior of the container
of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0060] FIG. 5 is an isolated end view showing the support structure
of the system of the preferred embodiment of the present
invention.
[0061] FIG. 6 is a plan view of the support structure of the system
of the present invention.
[0062] FIG. 7 is an end view showing the placement of the container
upon the support structure in accordance with the preferred
embodiment of the system of the present invention.
[0063] FIG. 8 is a side view of the container as place on the
support structure in accordance with the preferred embodiment of
the system of the present invention.
[0064] FIG. 9 is a side elevational view showing a plurality of
containers as placed upon the support structure in accordance with
the system of the preferred embodiment of the present
invention.
[0065] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a plurality of containers as
placed upon the support structure in accordance with the preferred
embodiment of the system of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0066] Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown the container 10 in
accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
The container 10 is in the nature of a box 12 having an exterior
frame 14. The box 12 includes a top 16, a bottom 18, an end wall 20
and a side wall 22. The side wall 24 is opposite to the side wall
22. There also an end wall 26 that is opposite to that of end wall
20. An inlet 28 is formed through the top 16 of the box 12. A hatch
30 is removably or hingedly affixed over the inlet 28 so as to
allow proppant to be introduced into the interior volume of the
container 10.
[0067] In FIG. 1, it can be seen that the frame 14 extends
generally around the exterior of the end walls 20 and 26 and over
the side walls 22 and 24. As such, as will be described
hereinafter, there is a funnel-shaped bottom of the container that
has exterior surfaces exposed through the frame 14. During the
course of international shipment, it is important to avoid closed
spaces within such a container. As such, the exposure of the
surfaces through the openings 32 at the bottom of the frame 14 will
allow inspectors to have visual access to the areas adjacent to
this funnel-shaped area.
[0068] As can be seen in FIG. 2, the container 10 is illustrated as
having the top 16 and the bottom 18. The frame 14 provides
structural support for the container 10 and generally surrounds the
exterior of the container. The frame is formed of a plurality of
vertical bars that extend so as to form a cage-like configuration
around the walls 20, 22, 24 and 26. The bottom 18 is generally of a
planar shape so that the bottom 18 can be placed upon the support
structure (to be described hereinafter). Importantly, the area 32
shows that the funnel-shaped portion 34 is exposed through the
openings of the frame 14. As such, there will be no closed or
sealed areas within the interior of the container 10. The hatch 30
is positioned over the inlet 28 at the top 16 of the container 10.
As a result, the proppant can be introduced through the inlet 28
when the hatch 30 is opened so as to fill the interior volume of
the container 10. The funnel-shaped area 34 defines an outlet 36
located at the bottom 18 of the container 10.
[0069] As can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the container 10 is a
ten-foot ISO container. In accordance with standard ISO
terminology, this means that the container has a length often feet,
a width of eight feet and a height of 8.5 feet. The height can also
be 9.5 feet. This configuration allows between 43,000 and 48,000
pounds of proppant to be introduced into the interior volume of the
container.
[0070] FIG. 3 shows a partial cross-sectional view of the container
10. It can be seen that the container 10 has an interior volume 38.
The outlet 36 is formed adjacent to the bottom 18 of the container
10. A first ramp 40 will extend from the end wall 20 to the outlet
36. A second ramp 42 will extend from the end wall 22 to the outlet
36. The ramps 40 and 42 will serve to funnel the proppant that is
retained within the interior volume 38 of the container 10 toward
the outlet 36. Importantly, a gate 44 is positioned within a track
46 located at the bottom 18 of the container 10. The gate 44 is in
the nature of flat plate which, as shown in FIG. 3, covers the
outlet 36. The gate 44 includes a pin 48 (in the nature of king
bolt) that extends outwardly from the gate 44. When an actuator is
connected to the pin 48, it can move the gate 44 from the position
closing the outlet 36 to a position opening the outlet 36. Arrow 50
shows the movement of the gate 44 between these positions. Since
the gate 44 has a width that generally corresponds to the size of
the outlet 36, the gate 44 will only need to move for a small
amount of travel so as to move the gate 44 to the open
position.
[0071] FIG. 4 is an interior view of the container 10. As can be
seen, the first ramp 40 will extend from the end wall 20 to the
outlet 36. The second ramp 42 extends from the end wall 26 to the
outlet 36. A third ramp 52 will extend from the side wall 22 to the
outlet 36. Another ramp 54 will extend from the side wall 24 to the
outlet 36. As such, the ramps 40, 42, 52 and 54 form the
funnel-like shape so that the proppant that is received within the
interior volume 38 of the container 10 can flow free downwardly
toward the outlet 36.
[0072] In FIG. 4, it can be seen that the gate 44 is positioned
within the track 46. FIG. 4 shows the gate 44 in its closed
position. An actuator can be used so as to move the gate 44 from
the position shown in FIG. 4 in a direction toward either the side
wall 22 or the side wall 24. Pins 48 and 58 are illustrated as
extending outwardly of the sides of the gate 44. As such, a
suitable actuator, such as a hydraulic piston-and-cylinder
arrangement, can be connected to these pins 48 and/or 50 so as to
achieve the requisite movement of the gate 44 from the closed
position to the open position.
[0073] FIG. 5 is an end view showing the support structure 60 as
used in the proppant discharge system of the present invention. The
support structure 60 has a frame 62 which forms a top surface 64, a
bottom surface 66, and sides 68 and 70. The top 64 of the frame 62
has a surface upon which the container 10 can be placed. Suitable
pin connections 72 and 74 extend upwardly from the top surface 64
so as to engage corresponding receptacles on the container 10.
These pins 72 and 74 can be utilized so as to assure that the
container 10 is properly positioned upon the support structure
60.
[0074] A receptacle 76 is positioned at or adjacent to the top
surface 64. The actuator 78 is affixed to the frame 62 and extends
to the receptacle 76. As can be seen, the receptacle 76 has a slot
formed in the top end thereof. The slot of the receptacle 76 is
suitable for receiving one of the pins 48 and 58 of the gate 44 of
the container 10. Once the receptacle 76 receives the pin 48
therein, the actuator 78 can be actuated so as to move the
receptacle (and its received pin) from the first position 80 to a
second position 82. When the receptacle 82 (along with the pin
received therein) is moved to the second position 82, the gate 44
will be opened so that the proppant can be discharged through the
outlet 36 of the container 10. Since pins 48 and 58 are
symmetrically placed, and since the container 10 is rather
symmetrical, the support structure 60 is particularly adapted to
the variety of orientations with the container 10 can be placed
upon the top surface 64.
[0075] In FIG. 5, it can be seen that there is a hopper 84 that is
positioned below the top surface 64. Hopper 84 serves to receive a
portion of the proppant as discharged through the outlet 36 of the
container 10 when the gate 44 is in the open position. As such, the
hopper 84 can be utilized so as to properly meter the proppant onto
the conveyor 86. Conveyor 86 is located below the opening 88 of the
hopper 84.
[0076] As can be seen in FIG. 5, hopper 84 has an opening 88 of a
generally inverted V-shaped configuration. There is a metering gate
90 that is mated with the opening 88 and also has a V-shaped
configuration. The metering gate 90 can be moved a small distance
so as to allow for the selected and controlled discharge of
proppant from the hopper 84 onto the conveyor 86.
[0077] FIG. 6 shows the interior of the hopper 84. Hopper 84
includes side walls 92 and 94 and end walls 96 and 98. The walls
92, 94, 96 and 98 are formed into a funnel-like shape so as to move
the proppant downwardly toward the metering gate 90. In FIG. 6, it
can be seen that the opening 88 of the hopper 84 has a plurality of
slots formed therein. Similarly, the metering gate 90 has a
plurality of slots formed therethrough. The structures between the
slots is solid. As such, when the slots of the metering gate 90 are
aligned with the slots of the opening 88, then proppant can be
discharged onto the underlying conveyor 86. A small movement of the
metering gate 90 in one direction or another, will block the flow
of the proppant through the slots of the opening 88 of hopper 84.
As such, very small actuators 100 and 102 can be used so as to
achieve the proper metering of the proppant onto the conveyor. If a
small flow rate of proppant is desired, then the actuators 100 and
102 will move the metering gate 90 only a small distance. If a
greater flow rate is required, then the actuators 100 and 102 will
move the metering gate 90 so that the slots of the metering gate 90
fully correspond with the slots of the opening 88 so as to achieve
a maximum flow of proppant from the hopper 84 down to the
conveyor.
[0078] FIG. 7 shows the container 10 as placed upon the top surface
64 of the support structure 60. In normal use, a forklift can be
utilized so as to properly position the container 10 in a proper
position upon the pins 72 and 74 of the support structure 60.
Initially, the gate 44 of the container 10 will be closed.
Additionally, the metering gate 90 can also be closed. When the
container 10 is properly positioned, the gate 44 can be moved to an
open position so that the proppant is discharged into the hopper
84. The hopper 84 can then be filled with proppant. When it is
desired to move the proppant from the hopper 84, along the
conveyor, to the desired destination, then the metering gate 90 can
be opened so as to achieve the desired flow rate of proppant
through the opening 88 of the hopper 84.
[0079] FIG. 8 shows a side view in which the container 10 is placed
upon the top surface 64 of the support structure 60. The conveyor
86 is illustrated as extending longitudinally. As such, when the
proppant passes through the metering gate 90 associated with the
hopper 84, any proppant within the interior volume 38 of the
container 10 can be delivered, in a controlled manner, onto the
conveyor.
[0080] FIG. 9 is an illustration of containers 110, 112, 114 and
116 as placed upon the support structure 118. The support structure
118 has a sufficient length so as to accommodate the containers
110, 112, 114 and 116. It can be seen that the conveyor 120 is
arranged beneath the top surface of the support structure 118 and
below the respective hoppers 122, 124, 126 and 128 below the
respective containers 110, 112, 114 and 116. The conveyor 120 is an
endless conveyor that is suitably wound around sheaves and idlers
so as to travel a desired path. The proppant that is discharged
from the containers 110, 112, 114 and 116 is discharged onto the
conveyor 120 so as to travel therealong and along upwardly
extending section 130. The end 132 of the conveyor 120 will open to
a chute 134. The chute 134 can be directed toward the desired
purposes at the fracturing site. As such, the array of containers
110, 112, 114 and 116 can be configured so as to replace existing
storage facilities at the fracturing site. The support structure
118, along with the conveyor 120, can be easily transportable by a
truck upon a roadway because of the use of the wheels 136. The
forward end 138 can be suitably connected to a truck so as to allow
for the easy transport of the system of the present invention.
[0081] FIG. 10 illustrates the placement of the containers 110,
112, 114 and 116 upon the support structure 118. The end 138
includes a suitable hitch connection for attachment to a truck. The
conveyor 120 extends below the containers 110, 112, 114 and 116 so
as to deliver the proppant to the chute 134. FIG. 10 illustrates
that the chute 134 is suitably pivotable in cooperation with the
end 132 of the conveyor 120 so as to allow for the controlled and
directed discharge of the proppant to the desired location.
[0082] The container 10 of the present invention is manufactured as
a single unit. The gate 44 of the container 10 is specifically
engineered to align with the actuator 70 located on the conveying
system. The actuator is hydraulically controlled and accepts the
pin 48 which is attached to the gate 44. When the actuator 70 is
activated, the gate 44 moves horizontally so as to allow for the
discharge of proppant therefrom.
[0083] The container of the present invention can be specifically
applied for transport via rail. In particular, the railcar can be
designed so as to accommodate up to four containers 10. As such,
the railcar can carry approximately 180,000 pounds of proppant when
the four containers are placed on the railcar. The railcar can be
similar to current inter-modal railcars that carry twenty foot,
forty foot and fifty-three foot inter-modal containers. The railcar
would include typical inter-modal load-locks which are evenly
spaced down to chassis of the railcar. The container should be
constructed of materials wide enough to keep the overall loaded
weight of the container under currently regulated railroad weight
guidelines. Additionally, it must be strong enough to bear the load
of the loaded container. This development allows sand mines to load
proppant directly into a container 10 in order to speed up the
loading process. It also eliminates the need to build a silo
storage at the mine site. Once the container arrives at its
designated location or region, trans-load processes to pneumatic
trailers, silos or flat storage, are thus eliminated.
[0084] The present invention is an improved delivery system that
can be used at the well-site. The support structure 60 includes a
fabricated steel frame upon which multiple containers can be
positioned. The containers lock into receptacles that secure the
containers to the frame. The container will then sit above a
conveying system that delivers the proppant from the container as
the gate is opened to a master-conveying belt. The cradle is
outfitted with a hydraulic system which can control the opening and
closing of the gates. The containers of the present invention can
be combined as an attachment or cartridge compatible with existing
devices known as SAND KINGS.TM., SAND CHIEFS.TM. and SAND
DRAGONS.TM.. By replacing existing hoppers on these devices with
the removable containers of the present invention, even greater
efficiencies can be attained in the proppant delivery process.
[0085] The conveying system of the present invention is an
alternative method of delivering proppant from the container to the
blender belt for the mixing unit once delivered to the well-site.
The conveying system of the present invention provides all of the
functionality commonly seen in the SAND MASTER.TM., SAND KING.TM.,
SAND DRAGON.TM., SAND MOVE.TM., etc. As such, the present invention
allows the flow of sand to be metered onto the conveyor belt
through a hydraulic system of flow gates. The container is first
lifted into position onto the support structure. The bottom flow
gate is received by the receptacle of the hydraulic actuator so as
to create a lock between the pin of the gate and the hydraulic
system. The hydraulic system then opens the flow gate and the
proppant so as to gravity-feed into a hopper located on the support
structure. Another set of flow gates associated with the hopper
system are then opened by way of another hydraulic system. This
allows the proppant to be metered and to flow onto a conveyor belt.
The conveyor belt can then deliver the proppant to the blender or
the T-Belt. The proppant can then be mixed with other materials in
the blender.
[0086] Currently, expensive pneumatic bulk trucks are utilized in
the delivery of proppant to a well-site. Once on-site, the trucker
employs a power take-off unit to "blow" the sand into the sand
storage devices. This delivery often takes over one (1) hour to
complete. By delivering sand to the well in the ten-foot containers
of the present invention, the use of expensive pieces of
specialized equipment are eliminated. The container can ride on a
standard flatbed, step-deck, low-boy, or other more commonly-used
trailer. As such, the process of the present invention is able to
tap into a much larger universe of available trucking capacity.
This can reduce the transportation costs to the well. While
pneumatic trailer deliveries are priced in "round trip" miles, the
delivery of the container of the present invention by a more common
piece of equipment (capable of getting a "back-haul") significantly
reduces the overall transportation cost. As an example, there is a
great need for parts, tools and other wellhead equipment to be
taken off the well-site for repair or return to a manufacturer or
rental company. The flatbed trailer, now empty, has the ability to
accept that load while it is on-site rather than calling in another
trucking company to provide that service. The reduced need for
"hot-shot" service is another significant value to the service
company and ultimately the exploration and production company.
[0087] In terms of returning empty containers to the sand
distribution facilities, a total of four (4) empty containers can
be returned by a single flatbed trailer. This provides a 4:1 level
of efficiency in removing the containers from the well-site.
Additionally, a forty foot container chassis will be used in the
movement of both empty and full containers. The support structure,
just like the containers, can be delivered to the well-site by a
typical flatbed truck. The support structure could be towed via
truck to the site in manner similar to any other trailer.
[0088] Another important advantage to the present invention is the
small footprint that the ten-foot ISO containers of the present
invention occupy relative to the capacity of sand that they can
store. When the containers are stacked three high, the containers
can store approximately 135,000 pounds in a footprint of eighty
square feet. The available space at the wellhead, and in potential
proppant trans-loading facilities, can be extremely limited. As
such, the process of the present invention minimizes the footprint
that is required for a given amount of proppant at such a
location.
[0089] Since environmental and safety concerns surrounding
well-site operations is becoming an increasing concern, the present
invention minimizes the amount of particulate matter that is
released into the air. Proppant is currently delivered to the frac
site via pneumatic trailers. Pneumatic pressure is used to
pressurize the trailer and then "blow" the material into a sand
storage unit. This process creates an immense amount of particulate
matter than can then be inhaled by personnel at the frac-site.
Additionally, while blowing the sand into the sand storage
facility, the sand storage facility must vent the pressurized air
to the atmosphere. This creates an even greater exposure to
particulate matter. The constant need to take delivery of proppant
on-site creates a constant environment of dust and small particles
in the air. Since the present invention eliminates pneumatic
deliveries, the process of the present invention significantly
reduces the amount of particulate matter on the frac-site. The
gravity-feed delivery method from the container to the blender
greatly improves the safety of well-site personnel.
[0090] The present invention also serves to reduce trucking
emissions by reducing the amount of trucks that are being used or
waiting. The safety at the wellhead is improved by reducing such
truck traffic.
[0091] The foregoing disclosure and description of the invention is
illustrative and explanatory thereof. Various changes in the
details of the illustrated construction, or in the steps of the
described method, can be made within the scope of the present
invention without departing from the true spirit of the invention.
The present invention should only be limited by the following
claims and their legal equivalents.
* * * * *