Rotary clamshell gate actuator for bulk material container

• US 10,640,288 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2015
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Original Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Inventors: Lucas, Bryan Chapman, Stegemoeller, Calvin L., Schaffner, Austin Carl, Warren, Wesley John, Lewis, Bryan John, Miller, Tori H., Hawkins, Thomas W., Fowler, Glenn Ray
• Primary Examiner(s): Myers, Glenn F
• Application Number:
  US15/575,437
• Publication Number:
  US 20180194552A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,749 Days
• Field of Search: 414403, 414414, 414810, 298 38, 298 25, 298 27
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 90/582 having a rotational motion
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 90/623 having a rotational motion

Abstract

In accordance with presently disclosed embodiments, systems and methods for managing dry bulk material efficiently at a well site or other location are provided. Present embodiments are directed to a rotary clamshell gate actuation system and method, where the gate is separate from the one or more actuators used to open/close the gate. The disclosed system may include a portable bulk material container with a clamshell gate for easily dispensing material from the container. The system also includes a support structure equipped with one or more rotary actuators used to actuate the clamshell gate of the container between a closed and open position when the container is positioned on the support structure. The disclosed clamshell gate actuation system is easy to operate, low cost to manufacture, and reliable even when the portable container is not precisely aligned on the support structure.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a support structure; and

a container holding dry bulk material, wherein the container is portable and removably disposed on the support structure, wherein the container comprises a rotary clamshell gate for selectively releasing at least a portion of the dry bulk material from the container; and

wherein the support structure comprises one or more rotary actuators for selectively actuating the rotary clamshell gate of the container between a closed position and an open position, wherein each of the one or more rotary actuators is a fixed length rotary arm rotatably connected to a pivot point on the support structure;

wherein the rotary clamshell gate comprises an engagement mechanism for interfacing with the fixed length rotary arm such that rotation of the fixed length rotary arm about the pivot point actuates the rotary clamshell gate from the closed position to the open position.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the engagement mechanism is disposed on the rotary clamshell gate at a position above a lower surface of the rotary clamshell gate.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the fixed length rotary arm interfaces with the rotary clamshell gate via a frictional engagement.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more rotary actuators are selectively rotatable into a neutral orientation where the one or more rotary actuators are disposed entirely below an upper surface of the support structure.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a control system communicatively coupled to the one or more rotary actuators for operating the one or more rotary actuators to control a position of the rotary clamshell gate.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the rotary clamshell gate comprises a manual actuation engagement feature for enabling manual actuation of the rotary clamshell gate.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more rotary actuators is configured to directly contact the rotary clamshell gate in response to rotation of the rotary arm with respect to the pivot point of the support structure.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein a first rotary actuator of the one or more rotary actuators is configured to move from a position not in contact with the rotary clamshell gate to a position in contact with the rotary clamshell gate via rotation about the pivot point and to actuate the rotary clamshell gate from the closed position to the open position in response to contact of the rotary arm with the clamshell gate and continued rotation of the rotary arm about the pivot point.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the rotary clamshell gate comprises an arc-shaped lower surface extending axially between two end faces, wherein the two end faces are rotatably secured to another portion of the container at pivot points, and wherein the rotary clamshell gate is configured to be rotated about an axis of the pivot points to open and close the container.

10. A system, comprising:

a support structure for receiving a separate and portable container having a rotary clamshell gate for dispensing dry bulk material from the container, wherein the support structure comprises one or more rotary actuators for selectively actuating the rotary clamshell gate of the container between a closed position and an open position by interfacing with an engagement mechanism of the rotary clamshell gate;

wherein each of the one or more rotary actuators is a fixed length rotary arm rotatably connected to a pivot point on the support structure such that rotation of the fixed length rotary arm about the pivot point actuates the rotary clamshell gate from the closed position to the open position.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more rotary actuators comprise a first actuator disposed on a first side of the support structure for actuating the rotary clamshell gate from the closed position to the open position, and a second actuator disposed on a second side of the support structure opposite the first side for actuating the rotary clamshell gate from the open position to the closed position.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more rotary actuators comprise a single bidirectional rotary actuator having the fixed length arm extending from the pivot point to actuate the rotary clamshell gate from the closed position to the open position, and a second fixed length rotary arm extending from the pivot point to actuate the rotary clamshell gate from the open position to the closed position.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more rotary actuators comprise a single rotary actuator comprising the fixed length rotary arm extending from the pivot point, wherein the fixed length rotary arm is rotatable 360 degrees about the pivot point to actuate the rotary clamshell gate between the closed position and the open position.

14. A method, comprising:

receiving a container holding dry bulk material onto a support structure, wherein the container comprises a rotary clamshell gate and is separate from the support structure;

rotating an actuator arm of the support structure in a first direction to engage and actuate the rotary clamshell gate from a closed position to an open position, wherein the actuator arm is a fixed length rotary arm rotatably connected to a pivot point on the support structure; and

dispensing at least a portion of the dry bulk material from the container via the rotary clamshell gate disposed in the open position.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising rotating a second actuator arm of the support structure to engage and actuate the rotary clamshell gate from the open position to the closed position, wherein the second actuator arm is a fixed length rotary arm rotatably connected to another pivot point on the support structure.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising rotating the actuator arm in a second direction opposite the first direction to engage and actuate the rotary clamshell gate from the open position to the closed position.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising biasing the rotary clamshell gate toward the closed position via one or more springs coupled between the rotary clamshell gate and another location on the container.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising maintaining the actuator arm in an orientation such that the actuator arm remains below an upper surface of the support structure while receiving the container onto the support structure.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising engaging and actuating the rotary clamshell gate from the closed position to the open position via the actuator arm when the container is misaligned by up to 2.5 centimeters with respect to the support structure.