Stackable container system, operating system using container system, and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10279989-B2
Application number	US-201615148723-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 6, 2016
Priority date	May 6, 2016
Publication date	May 7, 2019
Grant date	May 7, 2019

Abstract

A stackable container system configured to carry material includes at least one container having a first end and a second end, a holding area for the material, the holding area extending from the first end to the second end, a first opening at the second end, the material controllably releasable from the holding area through the first opening, and a chute that passes through the holding area, the chute extending from the first end to the second end, a first end of the chute including a receiving portion having a larger area than a combined area of the first opening and a second end of the chute.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A stackable container system configured to carry material, the container system including a first container and a second container stackable on the first container, each container having a first end and a second end and each container comprising:
a holding area for the material, the holding area extending from the first end to the second end, a first opening at the second end, the material controllably releasable from the holding area through the first opening; and,
a chute that passes through the holding area, the chute extending from the first end to the second end, a first end of the chute including a receiving portion having a larger area than a combined area of the first opening and a second end of the chute;
wherein, when the second container is stacked on the first container, the first opening of the second container and the second end of the chute of the second container are arranged to dispense material from the second container into the receiving portion of the chute of the first container to pass the material from the second container through the first container without entering the holding area of the first container.

2. The stackable container system of claim 1 , wherein the second container further comprises a second opening at the second end of the second container, the material in the second container controllably releasable from the holding area of the second container through the second opening, the chute of the second container interposed between the first and second openings of the second container.

3. The stackable container system of claim 2 , wherein the second container further comprises a first side and a second side, the first and second sides extending between the first and second ends of the second container, wherein the first opening of the second container is disposed between the first side and the chute of the second container, and the second opening is disposed between the second side and the chute of the second container.

4. The stackable container system of claim 1 , wherein the holding area of the first container includes at least one filling aperture at the first end of the first container, and the holding area of the second container includes at least one filling aperture at the first end of the second container.

5. The stackable container system of claim 1 , wherein the holding area of the second container includes first and second walls, the chute of the second container disposed between the first and second walls, each wall sloped downwardly towards the first opening of the second container, wherein material within the holding area of the second container is slidable on the first and second walls towards the first opening of the second container due to gravity.

6. The stackable container system of claim 1 , wherein the first opening of the second container includes a movable gate arranged to selectively block and reveal the first opening of the second container.

7. The stackable container system of claim 1 , wherein the receiving portion of the first container is substantially funnel shaped.

8. The stackable container system of claim 1 , wherein material in the holding area of the first container is separated from an interior of the chute of the first container by walls of the chute of the first container.

9. The stackable container system of claim 1 , wherein the first container includes a first supporting frame, and the second container includes a second supporting frame, and the second supporting frame is removably stackable on the first supporting frame in at least two different orientations.

10. The stackable container system of claim 9 , wherein the at least two different orientations includes a first orientation and a second orientation rotated 180 degrees from the first orientation, wherein the material in the second container is dispensable from the second container into the chute of the first container in both the first and second orientations.

11. The stackable container system of claim 1 , wherein material passed through the chute of the second container passes directly into the chute of the first container.

12. The stackable container system of claim 1 , further comprising a third container stacked on the second container, wherein a first opening of a holding area of the third container and an end of a chute of the third container are arranged to dispense into the receiving portion of the chute of the second container.

13. An operating system comprising:
a material receiving member; and,
the stackable container system of claim 1 ;
wherein material from the holding area of the second container that is passed through the chute of the first container bypasses the holding area of the first container and discharges to the material receiving member.

14. The operating system of claim 13 , wherein the material receiving member is one of a conveyor belt, hopper, blender tub, and material injection apparatus.

15. The operating system of claim 13 , wherein the material is a bulk solid material for a hydraulic fracturing fluid.

16. The operating system of claim 13 , further comprising a blender configured to receive the material from the container system.

17. The operating system of claim 16 , wherein the blender blends a hydraulic fracturing fluid using the material, and further comprising a high pressure fracturing pump configured to receive the hydraulic fracturing fluid from the blender.

18. A method of dispensing material from the stackable container system of claim 1 , wherein the material in the first container including is a first container material and the material in the second container is a second material, the method comprising:
providing the first material in the first container and providing the second material in the second container;
stacking the second container onto the first container to align the first opening of the second container and the second end of the chute of the second container with the receiving portion of the chute of the first container; and,
selectively releasing the second material from the holding area of the second container through the first opening of the second container into the chute of the first container.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein selectively releasing the second material includes passing the second material from the chute of the first container onto one of a conveyor belt, blender tub, and hopper.

20. The method of claim 18 , further comprising selectively releasing the first material from the holding area of the first container through the first opening of the first container and onto a material receiving member.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein selectively releasing the first and second materials from the holding areas of the first and second containers through the first openings of the first and second containers includes controlling a movable gate at each first opening of the first and second containers.

22. The method of claim 18 , wherein the second container includes a second opening at the second end of the second container, the second material controllably releasable from the holding area of the second container through the second opening of the second container, the second end of the chute of the second container interposed between the first and second openings of the second container, and stacking the second container onto the first container includes aligning the second container onto the first container in either of a first orientation or a seco

Assignees

• Sanders Robert W
• Hunt Jay J
• Baker Hughes A Ge Co Llc

Inventors

• Sanders Robert W
• Hunt Jay J

Classifications

• E21B43/267

  reinforcing fractures by propping · CPC title

• E21B43/26

  by forming crevices or fractures · CPC title

• B65D88/30

  specially adapted to facilitate transportation from one utilisation site to another (collapsible hoppers B65D88/52) · CPC title

• B65D90/64

  having multipart closure members, the parts being brought into closing position one by one according to need · CPC title

• B65D88/32

  in multiple arrangement · CPC title