Atmosphere to pressure ball drop apparatus

A ball drop apparatus, the ball drop apparatus comprising:

• one or more ball drop receiver sections connected to one or more atmosphere-to-pressure frac ball injection chambers, the ball drop receiver sections configured to feed one or more frac balls into the atmosphere-to-pressure frac ball injection chamber,
• one or more first seal packs situated between the initial position of the atmosphere-to-pressure frac ball injection chambers and an axial passageway connected to the wellbore,
• an injection ram assembly configured to move the one or more frac balls from the initial position of the one or more atmosphere-to-pressure frac ball injection chambers, through the one or more first seal packs and into the one or more pressure equalization sections and the one or more second seal packs, thereby releasing the one or more frac balls into the wellbore, and
• one or more pressure equalization ports connected to the one or more pressure equalization sections, the one or more pressure equalization ports configured to relieve pressure to an onsite container from the atmosphere-to-pressure frac ball injection chamber situated in the pressure equalization section, after the injection ram assembly is withdrawn from wellbore pressure.

A method of injecting frac balls into a wellbore, the method comprising the following steps:

• positioning an atmosphere-to-pressure ball injection chamber to receive a frac ball from a ball drop apparatus,
• inserting one or more frac balls into an atmosphere-to-pressure frac ball injection chamber from a ball drop apparatus,
• pushing, by an injection ram assembly, the atmosphere-to-pressure ball injection chamber and frac ball through a first seal pack and into a pressure equalization section,
• pressurizing the pressure equalization section with a pressure equalization apparatus until the pressure equalization section reaches wellbore or close to wellbore pressure,
• pushing, by an injection ram assembly, the atmosphere-to-pressure ball injection chamber and frac ball from the pressure equalization section through a second seal pack and into an axial passageway connected to the wellbore, thereby releasing the ball into the wellbore,
• retracting the atmosphere-to-pressure ball injection chamber into the pressure equalization section, and
• returning the pressure equalization section to atmospheric or close to atmospheric pressure by the pressure equalization apparatus.

A method of injecting frac balls into a wellbore, the method comprising the following steps:

• positioning an atmosphere-to-pressure ball injection chamber to receive a frac ball from a ball drop apparatus,
• inserting one or more frac balls into an atmosphere-to-pressure frac ball injection chamber from a ball drop apparatus,
• pushing, by an injection ram assembly, the atmosphere-to-pressure ball injection chamber and frac ball through a first seal pack, a pressure equalization section, a second seal pack, and into an axial passageway connected to the wellbore, thereby releasing the ball into the wellbore, and
• retracting the atmosphere-to-pressure ball injection chamber from the axial passageway connected to the wellbore.