Proppant discharge system and a container for use in such a proppant discharge system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-RE46334-E
Application number	US-201514834520-A
Country	US
Kind code	E1
Filing date	Aug 25, 2015
Priority date	Jul 23, 2012
Publication date	Mar 7, 2017
Grant date	Mar 7, 2017

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 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.

First claim

We claim:

1. A process for delivery of proppant to a fracturing site, the process comprising:
formingproviding a container having an interior suitable for receiving the proppant therein, the container having an outlet at a bottom thereof, said container having and a gate slidably positioned over said the outlet, said the gate being slidable along a horizontal plane, said gate and having at least one pin affixed thereto and extending outwardly thereof;
filling at least a portion of said the container with the proppant;
positioning the container upon a trailer of a vehicle;
moving the vehicle and, the trailer, and the container along a roadway to the fracturing site;
lifting the container from said the trailer;
placing the lifted container upon a conveyor structure having a conveyor such that said the outlet of said the container is positioned directly above said the conveyor, said conveyor structure having the container being aligned with a cradle of the conveyor structure, and a receptacle translatably positioned adjacent a top surface thereof of the conveyor structure when the container is positioned on the conveyor structure, the step of placing comprising:
inserting a portion of the pin of said the gate into said the receptacle;

translating said the receptacle such that the pin causes said the gate to slide in a horizontal place plane so as to open said the outlet of said conveyor the container such that the proppant in said the interior of container is discharged through said the outlet directly downwardly downward toward said the conveyor through the opening in the conveyor structure; and
conveying the discharged proppant to a desired location at the fracturing site.

2. A process for delivering proppant to a fracturing site, the process comprising:
formingproviding a container having an interior suitable for receiving the proppant therein, the container having an outlet, the container having a gate slidably movable in a horizontal plane over saidthe outlet;
filling at least a portion of said the interior of said the container with the proppant;
positioning said the filled container upon a trailer of a vehicle after filling at least a portion of the interior of the container with the proppant;
moving said the vehicle and said, the trailer, and said the container along a roadway to the fracturing site;
lifting said the container from said the trailer;
formingproviding a conveyor structure having a conveyor, saidthe conveyor structure havingbeing arranged to position an actuator adjacent a top surface thereof when the container is positioned on the conveyor structure, saidthe conveyor structure having a hopper positioned below saidthe top surface of saidthe conveyor structure, saidthe hopper having a metering gate at a bottom thereof, saidthe metering gate positioned directly over saidthe conveyor;
placing the lifted conveyor container upon said the top surface of said the conveyor structure such that said the actuator is cooperative with said the gate when the container is positioned on the conveyor structure such that the proppant filling at least a portion of the interior of the container will flow into the hopper when the gate slides along the horizontal plane;
actuating said the actuator so as to slide said the gate in said the horizontal plane so as to open said the outlet of said the container such that proppant is discharged from said the container directly downwardly downward into said the hopper;
metering the proppant from said the hopper at a controlled flow rate onto said the conveyor; and
conveying the metered proppant to a desired location at the fracturing site.

3. The process of claim 2 , further comprising:
placing the filled container upon a train;
transporting the filled container on said the train to a location; and
removing the filled container from said the train.

4. A process for delivery of proppant to a fracturing site, the process comprising:
filling at least a portion of a container with proppant, a container having an interior suitable for receiving the proppant therein, an outlet at a bottom thereof, and a gate slidably positioned over the outlet; positioning the container upon a trailer of a vehicle; moving the vehicle, the trailer and the container along a roadway to the fracturing site when at least a portion of the container is filled with proppant; lifting the container from the trailer; placing the lifted container upon a conveyor structure having a conveyor such that the outlet of the container overlies the conveyor, the step of placing comprising: connecting the container to a receptacle when the container is on a top surface of the container mounting structure; actuating the receptacle such that the gate slides to open the outlet of the container such that the proppant in the interior of container is discharged through the outlet downwardly toward the conveyor through an opening in the conveyor structure aligned with the outlet and extending through the conveyor structure; and directing the discharged proppant to a desired location at the fracturing site.

5. A process for delivering proppant to a fracturing site, the process comprising:
positioning the container filled with proppant upon a trailer of a vehicle, the container having an interior suitable for receiving the proppant therein, an outlet, and a gate slidably movable in a substantially horizontal plane over the outlet; moving the vehicle, the trailer, and the container along a roadway to the fracturing site; lifting the container from the trailer; providing a conveyor structure having a conveyor to direct proppant toward a desired location at the fracturing site, the conveyor structure supporting an actuator adjacent a top surface thereof when the container is positioned on the conveyor structure, the conveyor structure having a hopper positioned below the top surface of the conveyor structure, the hopper having a metering gate positioned at an outlet thereof over the conveyor; placing the lifted container upon the top surface of the conveyor structure such that the actuator is cooperative with the gate when the container is positioned on the conveyor structure and the outlet of the container is aligned with the hopper; actuating the actuator so as to open the gate in the substantially horizontal plane so as to open the outlet of the container such that proppant is discharged from the container directly downward into the hopper; metering the proppant from the hopper at a controlled flow rate onto the conveyor; and directing the metered proppant to a desired location at the fracturing site.

Assignees

• Oren Tech Llc

Inventors

• Oren John
• Oren Joshua

Classifications

• B65D88/12

  specially adapted for transport (associated with vehicles, see the relevant subclasses of B60 - B64) · CPC title

• B65D2231/008

  integral with the container wall · CPC title

• B60P1/56

  the load-transporting element having bottom discharging openings · CPC title

• B65D83/06

  for dispensing powdered or granular material · CPC title

• B65D88/30

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