US 12,084,297 B2Granted

Remote control bulk material monitoring and delivery system

AssigneeHalliburton Energy Services, Inc.

InventorsKristen Lin, Derek Abel, Derek Williams

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Abstract

The disclosure provides a system comprising one or more supply tanks; a central cement mixing unit; a support unit comprising a compressor and a power supply; a first valve disposed upstream of each of the one or more supply tanks; a second valve disposed downstream of each of the one or more supply tanks; a controller disposed at the central cement mixing unit; and a secondary controller disposed at each of the one or more supply tanks; wherein the one or more supply tanks are coupled to the central cement mixing unit, wherein the compressor is coupled to each of the one or more supply tanks, wherein the power supply is coupled to the compressor and to each of the one or more supply tanks, wherein the controller is communicatively coupled to each of the secondary controllers and to the support unit.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A method for operating a bulk material handling system, comprising:

measuring a height of dry bulk material disposed within one or more supply tanks;
transmitting the measurements of the height of the dry bulk material to a controller;
instructing a compressor, before, during or after measuring the height of the dry bulk material, to pressurize or aerate at least one of the one or more supply tanks;
transmitting instructions, before, during or after measuring the height of the dry bulk material, from the controller to a secondary controller disposed at each of the one or more supply tanks to:
actuate a first valve between first open and closed positions disposed upstream of each of the one or more supply tanks;
and
actuate a second valve between second open and closed positions disposed downstream of each of the one or more supply tanks;
and
activating a first vibration inducing device and a second vibration inducing device disposed at each of the one or more supply tanks, before, during or after measuring the height of the dry bulk material, at a frequency sufficient to dislodge dry bulk material stuck along the inside walls of the one or more supply tanks.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/312,302Filed 4 May 2023 · division
Priority: 10 Sep 2020
Published: US 2023/0271795 A131 Aug 2023
Granted: 10 Sep 2024
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification15 codes

B28C 7/0061
Storage containers, e.g. hoppers, silos, bins: storage container plant
B65G 53/16
Conveying materials in bulk pneumatically through pipes or tubes; Air slides: gas pressure systems operating with fluidisation of the materials
B01F 33/84
Mixing plants; Combinations of mixers: mixing plants with mixing receptacles receiving material dispensed from several component receptacles, e.g.…
B01F 35/2112
Of the operational parameters: level of material in a container or the position or shape of the upper surface of the material

Family

Application17/017,310Parent of this division · filed 10 Sep 2020
US 2023/0271795 A1Pre-grant publication · published 31 Aug 2023
US 11,655,106 B2Parent of this division
US 2022/0073288 A1Published application
US 12,084,297 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.