Method of delivering, storing, unloading, and using proppant at a well site
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of handling fracking proppant at a well site, the method comprising:
- a) removing one or more proppant containers that contain fracking proppant from a trailer of one or more transport road vehicles when positioned adjacent a well site at a location where hydraulic fracking is to be performed so as to provide a plurality of proppant containers that contain fracking proppant to the well site, each of the plurality of proppant containers having an outlet positioned at a bottom thereof with a plurality of slanted lower inner wall portions positioned to direct the fracking proppant toward the outlet, each of the one or more proppant containers having a closed and substantially rectangular upper proppant containing portion, the plurality of slanted lower inner wall portions being positioned to underlie the upper proppant containing portion and having proppant also positioned therein, a pair of vertically-extending end walls and a pair of vertically-extending side walls defining the closed and substantially rectangular upper proppant containing portion, a frame including a plurality of structural support members positioned to enhance support of the end walls and the side walls when the proppant container is full of fracking proppant, and each of the plurality of containers has an open area positioned about the plurality of slanted lower inner wall portions and below the upper proppant containing portion adjacent a bottom of the respective each of the plurality of proppant containers to allow for visual access of a respective exterior surface of the plurality of slanted wall portions even when the container is full of fracking proppant, the open area being visible through one or more spatial gaps extending through the frame in a location positioned below at least each of the side walls of and above the bottom of the proppant container;
b) transferring, after removal from the trailer of the one or more transport road vehicles, each of the plurality of proppant containers to a support structure positioned at the well site so that each of the plurality of proppant containers is positioned to discharge by gravity feed the fracking proppant therefrom, the support structure including a plurality of cradles that correspond to the plurality of proppant containers transferred thereto; and
c) discharging by gravity feed the fracking proppant contained within each of the plurality of proppant containers when positioned on the support structure and within the plurality of cradles from the outlet positioned at the bottom of each of the plurality of proppant containers so that the fracking proppant passes onto a common conveyor.
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Accused Products
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.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of handling fracking proppant at a well site, the method comprising:
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a) removing one or more proppant containers that contain fracking proppant from a trailer of one or more transport road vehicles when positioned adjacent a well site at a location where hydraulic fracking is to be performed so as to provide a plurality of proppant containers that contain fracking proppant to the well site, each of the plurality of proppant containers having an outlet positioned at a bottom thereof with a plurality of slanted lower inner wall portions positioned to direct the fracking proppant toward the outlet, each of the one or more proppant containers having a closed and substantially rectangular upper proppant containing portion, the plurality of slanted lower inner wall portions being positioned to underlie the upper proppant containing portion and having proppant also positioned therein, a pair of vertically-extending end walls and a pair of vertically-extending side walls defining the closed and substantially rectangular upper proppant containing portion, a frame including a plurality of structural support members positioned to enhance support of the end walls and the side walls when the proppant container is full of fracking proppant, and each of the plurality of containers has an open area positioned about the plurality of slanted lower inner wall portions and below the upper proppant containing portion adjacent a bottom of the respective each of the plurality of proppant containers to allow for visual access of a respective exterior surface of the plurality of slanted wall portions even when the container is full of fracking proppant, the open area being visible through one or more spatial gaps extending through the frame in a location positioned below at least each of the side walls of and above the bottom of the proppant container; b) transferring, after removal from the trailer of the one or more transport road vehicles, each of the plurality of proppant containers to a support structure positioned at the well site so that each of the plurality of proppant containers is positioned to discharge by gravity feed the fracking proppant therefrom, the support structure including a plurality of cradles that correspond to the plurality of proppant containers transferred thereto; and c) discharging by gravity feed the fracking proppant contained within each of the plurality of proppant containers when positioned on the support structure and within the plurality of cradles from the outlet positioned at the bottom of each of the plurality of proppant containers so that the fracking proppant passes onto a common conveyor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method for storing and unloading of fracking proppant at a well site for use when hydraulic fracking is to be performed, comprising:
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a) removing one or more proppant containers that contain fracking proppant from a trailer of one or more transport road vehicles when positioned adjacent a well site at a location where hydraulic fracking is to be performed so as to provide a plurality of proppant containers that contain fracking proppant to the well site, each of the plurality of proppant containers having an outlet positioned at a bottom thereof, each of the plurality of proppant containers having a closed and substantially rectangular upper proppant containing portion, a funnel-shaped portion underlying the upper proppant containing portion, defined by a plurality of slanted inner walls, and having proppant also positioned therein, a pair of vertically-extending end walls and a pair of vertically-extending side walls defining the closed and substantially rectangular upper proppant containing portion, a frame including a plurality of structural support members to enhance support of the end walls and the side walls when the proppant container is full of fracking proppant, and the plurality of proppant containers having open areas adjacent the funnel-shaped portions and bottoms of the proppant containers to allow for visual access inside a portion of the containers, the open areas extending through one or more spatial gaps between adjacent structural support members to enable visual inspection at a location below all side and end walls and above the bottom of the proppant containers even when the container is filled with fracking proppant; b) stacking the plurality of proppant containers in a vertical orientation so that a bottom of one or more of the plurality of proppant containers overlies a top of another one or more of the plurality of containers so as to define a container stack; c) transferring, after removal from the trailer of the one or more transport road vehicles, each of the plurality of proppant containers from the container stack to a support structure that includes a plurality of cradles to receive the proppant containers, each of the plurality of cradles positions the outlet of one of the plurality of proppant containers adjacent a conveyor, the conveyor being positioned to underlie each of the plurality of cradles; d) selectively opening one or more of the outlets of the plurality of proppant containers to discharge by gravity feed the fracking proppant from the outlet positioned at the bottom of each the plurality of containers so that the fracking proppant passes onto the conveyor; and e) conveying the fracking proppant away from the plurality of proppant containers toward a desired location at the well site where hydraulic fracking is to be performed so that the fracking proppant is introduced to fracking fluid for passage into a wellbore at the well site. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method for controlling the unloading of fracking proppant at a well site for use when hydraulic fracking is to be performed, the method comprising:
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a) positioning a plurality of proppant containers that each contain fracking proppant onto a support structure configured to include a plurality of discrete cradles, each of the plurality of proppant containers having an outlet positioned at a bottom thereof, each of the plurality of proppant containers having a closed and substantially rectangular upper proppant containing portion, a funnel-shaped portion underlying the upper proppant containing portion and having proppant also positioned therein, a pair of vertically extending end walls and a pair of vertically extending side walls defining the closed and substantially rectangular upper proppant containing portion, a frame including a plurality of structural support members positioned to enhance support of the end walls and the side walls when the proppant container is full of fracking proppant, the plurality of structural support members being operably fixed to the frame and positioned on an exterior surface of each of the end walls of the pair of end walls and on an exterior surface of each of the side walls of the pair of side walls, and the proppant containers have open areas positioned below the plurality of structural support members and adjacent the bottoms of the proppant containers to allow for visual access of the funnel-shaped portion of the proppant containers through spatial gaps formed between the end frame members at locations below at least each side wall and above the bottom of the proppant container even when the proppant container is filled with proppant, each of the plurality of cradles configured to receive one of the plurality of proppant containers, an outlet of each the plurality of proppant containers positioned to discharge the fracking proppant form the proppant container; b) discharging by gravity feed the fracking proppant contained within each of the plurality of proppant containers from the outlet positioned at the bottom of each of the plurality of proppant containers so that the fracking proppant passes therefrom; c) selectively moving one or more flow gates from a closed to an open position to allow fracking proppant to pass therefrom at a desired flow rate; and d) allowing the fracking proppant to flow away from the plurality of proppant containers toward a desired location at the well site where hydraulic fracking is to be performed so that the fracking proppant is introduced to fracking fluid for passage into a wellbore at the well site; and e) directing the fracking proppant from a common conveyor positioned to underlie the plurality of cradles and to a desired location with a chute attached to the support structure and configured to receive fracking proppant from the common conveyor. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification