Methods of storing and moving proppant at location adjacent rail line

• US 9,914,602 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2017
• Issued: 03/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SandBox Enterprises LLC (U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Oren Technologies LLC (U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Oren, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Momper, Anna M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Schwenning, Lynn E
• Application Number:
  US15/589,185
• Publication Number:
  US 20170240363A1
• Time in Patent Office: 309 Days
• Field of Search: 414802
• CPC Class Codes: B61B 1/005 Rail vehicle marshalling systems; Rail freight terminals transferring or trans-shipping at storage areas or railway yards; marshalling yard installations B65G63/00
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 88/022 in multiple arrangement, e.g. stackable, nestable, connected or joined together side-by-side
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 88/70 using fluid jets B65D88/72 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 90/008 Doors for containers, e.g. ISO-containers locking E05B83/12
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 90/34 Venting means vehicle fuel tanks characterised by venting means B60K15/035
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 63/008 for bulk material
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 65/23 Devices for tilting and emptying of containers
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 65/32 Filling devices
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 65/34 Emptying devices conveyor construction B65G15/00 - B65G35/00; devices similar to vehicle tipplers B65G67/48

Abstract

A method of delivering proppant to a well site has the steps of transporting a load of proppant in a vessel to a desired location, moving the load of proppant from the vessel into a container so as to create a proppant-loaded container, unloading the proppant-loaded container into a pneumatic bulk trailer, and transporting the unloaded proppant in the pneumatic bulk trailer to well site. The container is placed onto a bed of a truck and moved in proximity to the vessel. The proppant-loaded container is placed onto a tilting mechanism and then tilted so that the proppant is discharged through a flow gate of a container into a hopper. The proppant in the hopper can then be conveyed to the pneumatic bulk trailer.

Claims

1. A method of storing and moving fracking proppant at a desired location with a plurality of separate containers constructed to store fracking proppant therein, the method comprising:

a) stacking one or more of the plurality of containers having proppant therein on top of one another adjacent a rail line;

b) placing one or more of the plurality of containers from the stack adjacent the rail line onto one or more trailers of one or more vehicles at a desired location by use of a container loader/unloader;

c) moving a first of the plurality of containers when positioned on the one or more trailers away from the desired location; and

d) scaling a number of the plurality of containers according to an amount of proppant required at a particular location, each of the plurality of containers positioned to include an outlet to allow discharge of proppant therefrom, an opening adjacent a top of the container to load proppant therein, a pair of spaced-apart end walls connected to and extending between a bottom of the container and the top, a pair of side walls connected to and extending between the pair of end walls and the top and the bottom, one or more structural support members positioned to support each of the side walls of the pair of side walls and each of the end walls of the pair of end walls, and a flow gate positioned adjacent the outlet to control flow of proppant through the outlet of each of the plurality of containers.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

before step a), transporting proppant on one or more railcars to the desired location, the desired location being adjacent the rail line, each railcar configured to transport an amount of proppant equal to or greater than an amount of proppant required to fill substantially two or more of the plurality of containers.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the moving includes positioning each of the plurality of containers when proppant is contained therein adjacent a fracturing operation of a well site of a production field.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of containers includes four containers, wherein the four containers are positioned in a stack, wherein the stack comprises a first stack, wherein the method further comprises stacking another plurality of containers that each have proppant therein closely adjacent the first stack thereby to define a second stack, and wherein the one or more structural support members include a plurality of support bars.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

tracking an amount of proppant on hand at the desired location with one or more of bar-codes and logging mechanisms.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

injecting air into each of the plurality of containers to enhance flow of proppant from the outlet of each of the plurality of containers adjacent the flow gate when the flow gate is positioned to allow proppant to flow therefrom.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

tracking a mesh size of the proppant in the plurality of containers at the desired location with one or more of bar-codes and logging mechanisms.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising staging a plurality of empty containers at a proppant loading site, and wherein the rail line comprises a rail spur.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the outlet of each of the plurality of containers is positioned adjacent the bottom of the container, wherein the one or more structural support members of each of the plurality of containers includes a first plurality of structural support members, and wherein each of the first plurality of structural support members further includes a second one or more structural members extending between the first plurality of structural support members.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the container loader/unloader comprises a forklift, and the method further comprises:

positioning prongs of the forklift in one or more slots positioned adjacent the bottom of each of the plurality of containers in a defined region thereby to enhance lifting and positioning of the containers for stacking and moving.