Proppant dispensing system with knife-edge gate

{
  "publication_number": "US11408247B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Proppant dispensing system with knife-edge gate",
  "abstract": "A proppant container facilitates the transportation of wet sand for use in a hydraulic fracturing operation. A metering conveyor is positioned between a blender tub and a proppant motive mechanism, such as a conveyor or wash system that receives discharge direct from proppant containers of the type normally used to transport sand in support of a hydraulic fracturing operation. The metering conveyor is fitted with equipment including a knife-edge gate that may be used to facilitate flow control operations.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A system for dispensing proppant, comprising: a conveyor having a belt that is endless and rotatable; a hopper positioned over the belt for discharge of proppant onto the belt, the hopper having a top opening that tapers downwardly to a discharge opening located at a bottom of the hopper, the hopper having at least one sidewall with a side opening therethrough, the side opening rising along the sidewall to an elevation above the discharge opening; a pair of opposed channels mounted on the system to taper downwardly along the at least one sidewall proximate the side opening; a plate that is slidingly engaged within the pair of opposed channels to cover the side opening over a selected area of the side opening above the belt, the plate having a straight bottom edge; and a clamp assembly configured to hold the plate at a fixed position with regard to the side opening with the straight bottom edge of the plate being retained at a fixed height when clamped above the belt such that when the belt is rotating and proppant is discharging from the discharge opening and the side opening onto the belt, the proppant forms a ribbon of uniform thickness that is useful in volumetric rate calculations.",
    "2. The system of claim 1, wherein the opposed channels are mounted on the hopper.",
    "3. The system of claim 1, wherein the belt is positioned such that the belt is located beneath the discharge opening, and the clamp assembly is holding the plate at the fixed height above the belt to dispense a ribbon of proppant having a uniform thickness onto the belt.",
    "4. The system of claim 3, wherein the opposed vertical channels are mounted on the conveyor sled.",
    "5. The system of claim 3, the system further comprising a screw mechanism located at a rear section of the hopper remote from the plate, the screw mechanism being configured for selectively adjusting a height of the hopper above the belt.",
    "6. The system of claim 1, further comprising an automated flow controller utilizing program instructions for volumetric rate calculations based in part upon the thickness of the ribbon of proppant in providing proppant according to design specifications in support of a hydraulic fracturing operation.",
    "7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a scale operably configured to sense weight carried by the belt, and an automated flow controller utilizing program instructions for weight in motion calculations based in part upon sense measurements from the scale.",
    "8. The system of claim 7, further comprising a wire mesh covering the top of the hopper, the wire mesh being sized for removal of debris from proppant.",
    "9. The system of claim 8, including a vibrator assembly mounted to the hopper to facilitate flow of proppant through the wire mesh.",
    "10. A method of hydraulic fracturing to stimulate a well, comprising: delivering containers filed with wet sand to a location where a hydraulic fracturing operation is being performed, and using the proppant delivery system according to claim 1 to dispense the wet sand in support of the hydraulic fracturing operation.",
    "11. A method of hydraulic fracturing to stimulate a well, comprising: delivering containers filed with wet sand to a location where a hydraulic fracturing operation is being performed, and using the proppant delivery system according to claim 6 to dispense the wet sand in support of the hydraulic fracturing operation."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "Field of the Invention The presently disclosed instrumentalities pertain to the field of containerized equipment for the transport of sand and, particularly, for the delivery of sand or other proppant for use in hydraulic fracturing operations. Description of the Related Art Hydraulic fracturing is a well-known well stimulation technique in which pressurized liquid is utilized to fracture rock. In the usual case, this liquid is primarily water that contains sand or other proppants that hold open fractures which form during this process. The resulting “frac fluid” may sometimes benefit from the use of thickening agents, but these fluids are increasingly water-based. Originating in the year 1947, the use of fracturing technology has grown such that approximately 2.5 million hydraulic fracturing operations have been performed worldwide by 2012. The use of hydraulic fracturing is increasing. Massive hydraulic fracturing operations on shales now routinely consume more than a million pounds of sand. Hydraulic fracturing makes it possible to drill commercially viable oil and gas wells in formations that were previously understood to be commercially unviable. Other applications for hydraulic fracturing include injection wells, geothermal wells, and water wells.\n\nThe widespread use of hydraulic fracturing creates significant demand for sand and other proppants. Considering the Permian Basin alone, demand has recently increased by almost 70% year over year. The Permian is thought to have consumed approximately 10.8 billion pounds of proppant in 2017. The most common proppant in use is sand.",
  "cpc": [
    "E21B 34/06",
    "B65D 88/30",
    "B65D 88/66",
    "B65D 90/48",
    "B65G 2201/045",
    "B65G 27/16",
    "B65G 65/40",
    "B65G 65/42",
    "B65G 69/06",
    "B65G 69/08",
    "E21B 21/062",
    "E21B 33/10",
    "E21B 43/267"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B65G 27/16",
    "E21B 33/10",
    "E21B 34/06",
    "E21B 43/267"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "PROPPANT EXPRESS SOLUTIONS LLC"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "OEHLER MATTHEW",
    "FISHER MARC KEVIN",
    "WILSON IAN",
    "D'Agostino Scott Joseph",
    "D'Agostino Mark John",
    "Dorfman Brian",
    "SNYDER CORY",
    "Malone William Scott"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2020-04-17",
  "publication_date": "2022-08-09",
  "grant_date": "2022-08-09",
  "priority_date": "2018-08-10",
  "application_number": "US-202016852174-A",
  "family_id": "69405640",
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