Independent control of auger and hopper assembly in electric blender system
AssigneeU.S. Well Services, LLC
InventorsJared Oehring, Brandon N. Hinderliter
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Embodiments relate to a hydraulic fracturing system that includes a blender unit. The system includes an auger and hopper assembly to receive proppant from a proppant source and feed the proppant to the blender unit for mixing with a fluid. A first power source is used to power the blender unit in order to mix the proppant with the fluid and prepare a fracturing slurry. A second power source independently powers the auger and hopper assembly in order to align the hopper of the auger and hopper assembly with a proppant feed from the proppant source. Thus, the auger and hopper assembly can be stowed or deployed without use of the first power source, which is the main power supply to the blender unit.
Claims14
(canceled)
An auger and hopper assembly comprising:
- a hopper with an upper opening to receive proppant;
- an auger connected to the hopper, the auger including:
- an auger inlet to receive proppant from the hopper,
- an auger outlet to release proppant from the auger, and
- an auger blade configured to transport proppant from the auger inlet to the auger outlet;
- and
- a connection to an auger and hopper power supply, the auger and hopper power supply powering one or more actuators that communicate with the auger and hopper assembly to move the auger and hopper assembly from a stowed position to a deployed position.
A method comprising:
- positioning a blender unit proximate to a proppant source, the blender unit disposed on a trailer that includes:
- a blender tub with an upper opening,
- an auger and hopper assembly including (i) a hopper with an upper opening to receive proppant and (ii) an auger with an inlet to receive proppant from the hopper and an outlet to selectively release proppant from the auger, and
- an auger and hopper power supply;
- and
- deploying the auger and hopper assembly from a stowed position to a deployed position, the deployed position being in alignment with a proppant feed from the proppant source, wherein deploying the auger and hopper assembly includes powering one or more actuators with a battery.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.