Proppant metering and loading in a hydraulic fracturing blender
AssigneeTy-Crop Manufacturing Ltd.
InventorsGary Wayne Teichrob, Ian Breeweg, Kevin James Standeven
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A proppant metering and loading apparatus for a hydraulic fracturing blender unit is provided. A continuous loop conveyor belt receives proppant from a source location on the blender, such as a hopper, and delivers the proppant to a blender device of the blender. A measurement device (e.g. weigh scale) measures and provides an indication of amount (e.g. weight, volume and/or density) of the proppant delivered to the blender device by the conveyor belt.
Claims19
A proppant metering and loading apparatus for forming a physically separate or integrated part of a hydraulic fracturing blender unit, the apparatus comprising:
- an open-topped hopper disposed proximate to ground level nd configured to receive proppant from a mechanically separate proppant source;
- a continuous loop conveyor belt configured to receive the proppant from the hopper at an intake end of the conveyor belt and deliver the proppant to a blender device at the hydraulic fracturing blender unit at an output end of the conveyor belt opposite the intake end;
- and
- a measurement device operatively coupled to the continuous loop conveyor belt and configured to provide an indication of an amount of the proppant delivered to the blender device by the continuous loop conveyor belt.
A method for loading proppant to a blender device of a hydraulic fracturing blender unit, the method comprising:
- receiving, using an open-topped hopper disposed proximate to ground level, proppant from a mechanically separate proppant source;
- transporting proppant from an output of the open-topped hopper to a blender device at the hydraulic fracturing blender unit, using a continuous loop conveyor belt at the hydraulic fracturing blender unit;
- and
- measuring, using a measurement device operatively coupled to the continuous loop conveyor belt, an amount of the proppant delivered to the blender device by the continuous loop conveyor belt
- wherein the open-topped hopper, the continuous loop conveyor belt and the measurement device form a part of the hydraulic fracturing blender unit which is physically separate from or integrated with the blender device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.