# US 12,602,653 B2 · Sand pile completion system and method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,602,653 B2 - Document ID: US12602653B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/569,696 - Filed: 2022-08-12 - Published: 2024-08-08 - Granted: 2026-04-14 - Earliest claimed: 2021-08-12 - Assignees: Schlumberger Technology Corporation - Applicants: Schlumberger Technology Corporation - Inventors: Herbe Gomez Conzatti y Martinez; Karishma Mohini Prasad; Chad Kraemer; Salvador Ayala - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12602653B2 ## CPC - G06Q 10/087: Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders - E21B 43/2607: {Surface equipment specially adapted for fracturing operations} - G06Q 10/08772: {Inventory counting methods} - E21B 2200/20: Computer models or simulations, e.g. for reservoirs under production, drill bits - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS ## Abstract A method for stockpiling sand and/or monitoring a sand stockpile includes obtaining one or more images associated with stockpiling sand used for a fracturing process of a hydrocarbon system and analyzing the one or more images to determine a site location for a sand stockpile and/or an amount of sand in the sand stockpile. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method, comprising: receiving, via one or more image capturing devices, one or more images associated with a region that is proximate to a well site, within the well site, or both; determining a location for a sand stockpile within the region based on the one or more images; generating one or more site plans for the sand stockpile based on the determined location; delivering sand to the sand stockpile based on the one or more site plans by performing one or more operations using equipment within the region; determining that a quantity of the sand in the sand stockpile is below a threshold value, comprising: generating a three-dimensional (3D) digital representation of the sand stockpile, comprising one or more of: receiving, via one or more image capturing devices, one or more digital images associated with the sand stockpile and generating, via a processor-based controller, the 3D digital representation of the sand stockpile based on the received one or more images; or operating one or more lasers to draw a virtual pattern of a surface of the sand stockpile to generate, via the processor-based controller, the 3D digital representation of the sand stockpile; and verifying, via the processor-based controller, a volume of the sand in the sand stockpile by analyzing the 3D digital representation of the sand stockpile to determine that the quantity of sand in the sand stockpile is below the threshold value; and delivering additional sand from a sand mine to the sand stockpile using additional equipment to cause the quantity of the sand in the sand stockpile to be at least at the threshold value. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more image capturing devices comprises: a laser imaging, detection, and ranging (LIDAR) device, a camera, a drone, a satellite, or a mobile device, or a combination thereof. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, comprising generating a topography associated with the region based on the one or more images. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the determining the location for the sand stockpile comprises determining the location based on the topography associated with the region. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, further comprising generating the one or more site plans based on the determined location for the sand stockpile and the topography associated with the region. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a quantity of sand associated with a well operation of a well at the well site. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the quantity of sand is determined based on one or more factors, comprising: a physical dimension associated with a well at the well site, a capacity associated with the well, a production metric associated with the well, historical data associated with one or more historic well operations, or one or more models associated with the well, or a combination thereof. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the quantity of sand is determined using one or more laser imaging, detection, and ranging (LIDAR) devices. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the equipment comprises a metering system configured to deliver the sand to the sand stockpile. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein; the equipment further comprises a blender; the metering system is configured to deliver the sand to the blender before the sand is delivered to the sand stockpile; and the blender is configured to treat the sand based on one or more properties associated with the sand, one or more ambient environmental conditions, or both. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving data from one or more sensors in the region, the data being indicative of one or more properties of sand in the sand stockpile, one or more ambient environmental conditions within the region, or both; and causing second equipment to perform one or more additional operations to treat the sand based on the one or more properties, the one or more ambient environmental conditions, or both. ### Claim 12 A method, comprising: receiving data from one or more sensors in a region that is proximate to a well site, within the well site, or both, the data being indicative of one or more properties of sand in a sand stockpile and one or more ambient environmental conditions of the region affecting the sand, the one or more ambient environmental conditions comprising: a wind velocity, a temperature associated with ambient air, or a humidity level associated with the ambient air, or a combination thereof; performing one or more operations to treat the sand, using equipment, based on the data from the one or more sensors indicative of the one or more properties and the one or more ambient environmental conditions; determining that a quantity of the sand in the sand stockpile is below a threshold value, comprising: generating a three-dimensional (3D) digital representation of the sand stockpile, comprising one or more of: receiving, via one or more image capturing devices, one or more digital images associated with the sand stockpile and generating, via a processor-based controller, the 3D digital representation of the sand stockpile based on the received one or more images; or operating one or more lasers to draw a virtual pattern of a surface of the sand stockpile to generate, via the processor-based controller, the 3D digital representation of the sand stockpile; and verifying, via the processor-based controller, a volume of the sand in the sand stockpile by analyzing the 3D digital representation of the sand stockpile to determine that the quantity of sand in the sand stockpile is below the threshold value; and delivering additional sand from a sand mine to the sand stockpile using additional equipment to cause the quantity of the sand in the sand stockpile to be at least at the threshold value. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more operations comprise applying water to the sand, applying one or more chemicals to the sand, removing water from the sand, or a combination thereof. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more operations treat the sand before the sand is delivered to the sand stockpile. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more operations treat the sand in the sand stockpile. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the data indicative of the one or more properties of the sand in the sand stockpile comprises: a humidity level associated with the sand, a temperature associated with the sand, or a bacteria content associated with the sand, or a combination thereof. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, further comprising: receiving one or more images associated with the region; determining a location for the sand stockpile within the region based on the one or more images; generating one or more site plans for the sand stockpile based on the determined location; and delivering the sand to the sand stockpile based on the one or more site plans by performing one or more operations using second equipment within the region. ### Claim 18 A method, comprising: causing first equipment within a region proximate to a well site, within a well site, or both, to generate a fracturing slurry using sand from a sand stockpile; causing second equipment within the region to initiate delivery of the fracturing slurry to a well associated with the well site; determining that a quantity of remaining sand in the sand stockpile is below a threshold value, comprising: generating a three-dimensional (3D) digital representation of the sand stockpile, comprising one or more of: receiving, via one or more image capturing devices, one or more digital images associated with the sand stockpile and generating, via a processor-based controller, the 3D digital representation of the sand stockpile based on the received one or more images; or operating one or more lasers to draw a virtual pattern of a surface of the sand stockpile to generate, via the processor-based controller, the 3D digital representation of the sand stockpile; and verifying, via the processor-based controller, a volume of the remaining sand in the sand stockpile by analyzing the 3D digital representation of the sand stockpile to determine that the quantity of remaining sand is below the threshold value; and delivering additional sand from a sand mine to the sand stockpile using third equipment to deliver additional sand from a sand mine to the sand stockpile to cause the quantity of the remaining sand in the sand stockpile to be at least at the threshold value.