Proppant mixing and metering system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10065812-B2
Application number	US-201715437158-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 20, 2017
Priority date	May 27, 2011
Publication date	Sep 4, 2018
Grant date	Sep 4, 2018

Abstract

An oilfield material reservoir is disclosed. The oilfield material reservoir has a body, the body having an upper end, a lower end, a sidewall extending between the upper and lower ends, the sidewall defining a recess within the body, an opening defined by the upper end, and a first orifice defined by the lower end. The oilfield material reservoir is also provided with a metering gate connected to the body at the lower end. The metering gate has a base having a second orifice aligned with the first orifice, and a knife gate connected to the base. The second orifice has a substantially trapezoidal shape. The knife gate is configured to slidably cover the second orifice. A method is also disclosed for controlling a discharge rate of oilfield material within the oilfield material reservoir by adjusting a metering open area of the second orifice according to mathematical modeling equations.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An oilfield material reservoir, comprising:
a body, the body having an upper end, a lower end, a sidewall extending between the upper end and the lower end, the sidewall defining a recess within the body, an opening defined by the upper end, and a first orifice defined by the lower end;
a metering gate connected to the body at the lower end, the metering gate comprising a base having a second orifice and a knife gate connected to the base, the knife gate configured to slidably cover the second orifice, wherein the second orifice overlaps with the first orifice; and a control system comprising an actuator and a computer, the actuator adapted to move the knife gate relative to the second orifice, wherein the actuator is controlled by the computer controlling a discharge rate of an oilfield material by adjusting the knife gate in accordance with an equation:

Y
=

L
⁡

(

B
-
A

)

_
2

⁢

(

X
/
L

)

2

+

LA
⁡

(

X
/
L

)

(

Equation
⁢

⁢
I

)

wherein:
Y represents an opening area of the metering gate;
L represents a height of the second orifice of the metering gate;
A represents a top length of the second orifice of the metering gate;
B represents a bottom length of the second orifice of the metering gate; and
X represents a height of the opening area of the metering gate, and wherein logic for the equation is stored on the computer.

2. The oilfield material reservoir of claim 1 , wherein the second orifice has a substantially trapezoidal shape.

3. The oilfield material reservoir of claim 1 , wherein the second orifice has a substantially rectangular shape.

4. The oilfield material reservoir of claim 1 , wherein the second orifice has a substantially triangular shape.

5. The oilfield material reservoir of claim 1 , wherein the actuator retracts to slidably cover the second orifice with the knife gate, and extends to slidably uncover the second orifice.

6. The oilfield material reservoir of claim 1 , wherein the actuator is a hydraulic cylinder.

7. The oilfield material reservoir of claim 1 , wherein the body has a chute extending along an exterior surface of the body, the chute being in communication with the recess of the body through an opening formed within the sidewall of the body, the chute configured to enable disbursement of an additive to a mixer.

8. A method, comprising:
providing a hopper having an opening for receiving an oilfield material and a first orifice for discharging the oilfield material; providing a metering gate at the first orifice, the metering gate having a second orifice overlapping with the first orifice; and controlling a discharge rate of the oilfield material by adjusting a metering open area of the second orifice in accordance with equation:

Y
=

L
⁡

(

B
-
A

)

_
2

⁢

(

X
/
L

)

2

+

LA
⁡

(

X
/
L

)

(

Equation
⁢

⁢
I

)

wherein:
Y represents the metering open area of the metering gate;
L represents a height of the second orifice of the metering gate;
A represents a top length of the second orifice of the metering gate;
B represents a bottom length of the second orifice of the metering gate; and
X represents a height of a metering open area of the metering gate.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein said first and second orifice cooperate to form a substantially trapezoidal shape.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein said first and second orifice cooperate to form a substantially triangular shape.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein said first and second orifice cooperate to form a substantially rectangular shape.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the hopper is gravity fed.

13. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
dete

Assignees

• Schlumberger Tech Corporaton
• Schlumberger Technology Corp

Inventors

• Pham Hau Nguyen-Phuc
• Lopez Miguel Angel
• Coquilleau Laurent Yves Claude

Classifications

• G05D7/0605

  specially adapted for solid materials · CPC title

• B65G65/40

  Devices for emptying otherwise than from the top · CPC title

• E21B21/062

  by mixing components · CPC title

• E21B43/267 Primary

  reinforcing fractures by propping · CPC title

• B65D88/54

  characterised by means facilitating filling or emptying · CPC title