Method of Delivering, Transporting, and Storing Proppant for Delivery and Use at a Well Site

• US 20140299225A1
• Filed: 06/20/2014
• Published: 10/09/2014
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 9,248,772 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 141/2
• 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 transporting proppant, the method comprising:

a) stacking a plurality of empty containers vertically so that one overlies the other to reduce the footprint of the area required for storage of the containers;

b) filling a plurality of containers with proppant from one or more proppant transporting rail vehicles;

c) transferring the containers with the loader onto a support platform; and

d) discharging the proppant from the containers to one or more proppant transporting road vehicles.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after step b), stacking the proppant filled containers with a loader vertically so that one overlies the other to reduce the footprint of the area required for storage of the proppant.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the support platform is a tiltable support platform, the method further comprising:

tilting the support platform and the container located on the platform to discharge proppant from an opening adjacent an end of the container into the one or more proppant transporting road vehicles.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

conveying the proppant from the one or more proppant transporting rail vehicles to the containers on a first conveyor; and

conveying the proppant from the containers to the one or more proppant transporting road vehicles on a second conveyor.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

channeling the proppant from the containers to the second conveyor through a hopper.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

moving the containers from the storage location, to the one or more proppant transporting rail vehicles, and then to the support platform on the one or more proppant transporting road vehicles.

7. The method of 1, wherein the one or more proppant transporting road vehicles comprises a plurality of proppant transporting road vehicles, and wherein the method further comprises:

staging the plurality of proppant transporting road vehicles so that each of the plurality of proppant transporting road vehicles receives an empty container, delivers the container to the proppant transporting rail vehicle, and then delivers the proppant to the support platform in sequence, thereby increasing the efficiency with which proppant is transferred from the one or more proppant transporting rail vehicles to the plurality of proppant transporting road vehicles.

8. A method of transferring proppant away from a proppant transporting rail vehicle, the method comprising:

a) providing a plurality of containers;

b) transferring proppant from a proppant transporting rail vehicle into at least one of the containers;

c) transporting the at least one of the containers away from the proppant transporting rail vehicle;

d) transferring proppant from the proppant transporting rail vehicle into at least one alternate container;

e) transporting the at least one alternate container away from the proppant transporting rail vehicle;

f) repeating steps b) through e) until a desired amount of proppant is transferred from the proppant transporting rail vehicle to the containers.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein steps b) and d) further comprise:

discharging the proppant from the proppant transporting rail vehicle onto a conveyor; and

conveying the proppant on the conveyor from the proppant transporting rail vehicle to an inlet in the containers.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

after steps c) and e), transferring the proppant from the containers into a proppant transporting road vehicle.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

discharging the proppant from the containers onto a conveyor, the conveyor configured to deliver the proppant to the proppant transporting road vehicle.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

after transferring the proppant from the containers to the proppant transporting road vehicle, returning the containers to the proppant transporting rail vehicle to be filled with proppant.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

after steps b) and d), stacking the proppant filled containers vertically so that one overlies the other to reduce the footprint of the area required for storage of the proppant.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

prior to steps b) and d), stacking the empty containers vertically so that one overlies the other to reduce the footprint of the area required for storage of the empty containers.

15. A method of continuously transferring proppant from a proppant transporting rail vehicle, the method comprising:

a) positioning a conveyor proximate a proppant transporting rail vehicle to receive proppant from the proppant transporting rail vehicle and thereby convey the proppant away from the proppant transporting rail vehicle when the conveyor operates;

b) providing a plurality of containers to receive proppant from the conveyor sequentially so that as one container is filled to a desired level, such container is removed in favor of a container with the capacity to accept more proppant;

c) after removal from the conveyor, transporting the containers that contain proppant away from the proppant transporting rail vehicle.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

prior to step b), stacking the containers vertically so that one overlies the other to reduce the footprint of the area required for storage of the containers.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

subsequent to step c), stacking the containers vertically so that one overlies the other to reduce the footprint of the area required for storage of the containers.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

transporting the containers from the storage location to a proppant transporting road vehicle; and

discharging the proppant from the containers to the proppant transporting road vehicle.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

transporting the containers directly from the conveyor to a proppant transporting road vehicle;

discharging the proppant from the containers to the proppant transporting road vehicle; and

after discharging the proppant from the containers to the proppant transporting road vehicle, transporting the containers to the proppant transporting rail vehicle to receive more proppant.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

d) loading each container onto a tiltable platform;

e) providing a conveyor between the tiltable platform and the proppant transporting road vehicle;

f) tilting the platform to discharge the proppant from the container onto the conveyor; and

g) conveying the proppant to the proppant transporting road vehicle.