TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to transferring bulk materials, and more particularly, to a portable container having multiple compartments for holding and releasing different types of dry flowable materials.

BACKGROUND

During the drilling and completion of oil and gas wells, various wellbore treating fluids are used for a number of purposes. For example, high viscosity gels are used to create fractures in oil and gas bearing formations to increase production. High viscosity and high density gels are also used to maintain positive hydrostatic pressure in the well while limiting flow of well fluids into earth formations during installation of completion equipment. High viscosity fluids are used to flow sand into wells during gravel packing operations. The high viscosity fluids are normally produced by mixing dry powder and/or granular materials and agents with water at the well site as they are needed for the particular treatment. Systems for metering and mixing the various materials are normally portable, e.g., skid- or truck-mounted, since they are needed for only short periods of time at a well site.

The powder or granular treating material (bulk material) is normally transported to a well site in a commercial or common carrier tank truck. Once the tank truck and mixing system are at the well site, the bulk material must be transferred or conveyed from the tank truck into a supply tank for metering into a blender as needed. Well sites typically include one or more supply tanks that are filled pneumatically on location and then connected to the blender through a series of belts (or auger conveyors in some marine applications). The supply tanks provide a large connected capacity of bulk material to be supplied to the blender. Discharge gates on the supply tanks output bulk material from the supply tanks to the conveyors, which then transfer the bulk material to the blender.

Recent developments in bulk material handling operations involve the use of portable containers for transporting dry material about a well location. The containers can be brought in on trucks, unloaded, stored on location, and manipulated about the well site when the material is needed. The containers are generally easier to manipulate on location than a large supply tank trailer. For certain wellbore treatments, it can be desirable to provide large volumes of dry additives for mixing with the bulk material in the blender. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure and its features and advantages, reference is now made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a bulk material/dry additive handling system suitable for releasing bulk material and dry additives from portable containers, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a portable modular container with multiple compartments for providing different types of dry material to the system of FIG. 1 , in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is perspective view of a container base that can be configured with multiple compartments to form a portable modular container for handling dry materials, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a portable modular container with multiple compartments, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of a support structure with electronics that are communicatively coupled to a control system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail herein. In the interest of clarity, not all features of an actual implementation are described in this specification. It will of course be appreciated that in the development of any such actual embodiment, numerous implementation specific decisions must be made to achieve developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system related and business related constraints, which will vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the present disclosure. Furthermore, in no way should the following examples be read to limit, or define, the scope of the disclosure.

Certain embodiments according to the present disclosure may be directed to systems and methods for efficiently managing bulk material (e.g., bulk solid or liquid material) and dry additives to be mixed with bulk material in a blender. Bulk material handling systems are used in a wide variety of contexts including, but not limited to, drilling and completion of oil and gas wells, concrete mixing applications, agriculture, and others.

The disclosed systems may include a modular portable container that can be used to hold multiple types of dry flowable material (e.g., bulk material and/or dry additives) for transportation of the material about a work site. The different types of dry materials can be selectively released from the modular container for mixing with liquid and other materials in a blender. The modular container generally includes a base structure that supports a number of individual, separable, and fully enclosed compartments. The compartments may each hold a different type of dry material, and the compartments may be arranged onto the base structure adjacent one another and removably secured to the base structure so that the compartments can be transported as a single unit about the work site. The modular container may be customizable such that any desired combination of compartments holding different dry materials can be added to the base structure. That way, the modular container can supply a custom combination of dry additives or other materials needed for a specific blender job. Each compartment of the modular container may include its own discharge gate for selectively releasing the contents of that compartment to an outlet location.

The disclosed modular container may be used in a containerized material handling system at a work site. For example, the modular container may be used to supply multiple types of dry additive to a blender unit that also receives a large quantity of bulk material from other portable containers. The blender unit may mix the dry additive from the modular container with bulk material provided from one or more portable containers of bulk material. To that end, the system may include a support structure designed to receive one or more portable containers of bulk material and the modular container, one or more outlets used to direct bulk material from the portable containers on the support structure to a first inlet of the blender unit, and one or more additional outlets for directing dry additives from the modular container on the support structure into the blender unit.

The disclosed techniques may be used to efficiently handle any desirable bulk material having a solid or liquid constituency including, but not limited to, sand, proppant, gel particulate, dry-gel particulate, and others. The dry additive may be any flowable dry material. In general, the dry additive may be different from the bulk material being used, including but not limited to diverting agent, breaker material, and others.

In currently existing on-site material handling applications, bulk material (e.g., sand, proppant, gel particulate, or dry-gel particulate) may be used during the formation of treatment fluids. In such applications, the bulk material is often transferred between transportation units, storage tanks, blenders, and other on-site components via pneumatic transfer, sand screws, chutes, conveyor belts, and other components. Recently, a new method for transferring bulk material to a hydraulic fracturing site involves using portable containers to transport the bulk material. The containers can be brought in on trucks, unloaded, stored on location, and manipulated about the site when the material is needed. These containers generally include a discharge gate at the bottom that can be actuated to empty the material contents of the container toward a desired destination, such as a hopper on a blender unit.

With currently existing equipment, there is not an efficient way to handle metering of dry additives into the mixing compartment of the blender unit for combining with the bulk material released from portable containers. Typically, small volume (e.g., around 50 lb) bags of dry additive can be cut and manually lifted over a screw feeder leading to the blender mixing compartment. The dry additive falls from the bag into the hopper and/or is metered via a screw feeder to the blender mixer. In other instances, large volume (e.g., around 2000-3000 lb) super sacs of dry additive can be lifted by a crane or other overhead lifting means and cut to dump the contents into a hopper of a transferring device, then metered to the mixer. These existing methods of introducing dry additive into the blender can generate large amounts of dust as the bags of dry additive are dumped into the hoppers. In addition, the process of cutting, lifting, and dumping from bags may have to be repeated several times throughout the operation. This can be time consuming and distracting for an operator tending the blender unit. The dry additives are also susceptible to adverse weather conditions when added in this manner.

The disclosed systems and methods for providing multiple dry materials in a single modular container may eliminate the shortcomings associated with existing container handling systems. Specifically, the disclosed systems and methods allow multiple different dry additives to be easily introduced into a blender unit, without the material being manually lifted or suspended via a crane over the blender unit. Instead, the dry additives may be disposed in the modular container and positioned on the support structure. An outlet system coupled to the support structure may route the desired dry additives from the modular container to the blender unit. In some embodiments, this transfer of dry additive from the modular container to the second outlet location could be performed at a predetermined or metered flow rate. Since a modular container is used to hold multiple types of dry additives, the same modular container may be positioned on the support structure once and used to output different types of dry additives at different times throughout the blender job. This enables fewer container swaps by a forklift or other hoisting mechanism that is being used to move containers to and from the support structure.

Turning now to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a bulk material handling system 10. The system 10 includes one or more bulk material containers 12 elevated on a support structure 14 and holding a quantity of bulk material (e.g., solid or liquid treating material). The containers 12 may each utilize a gravity feed to provide a controlled constant supply of bulk material at an outlet 18. The containers 12 are separate from each other and independently transportable about the job site (e.g., for placement on or removal from the support structure 14).

In addition, the system 10 includes at least one modular container 20 elevated on the support structure 14 and holding at least two types of dry flowable material, which may include dry additive material (e.g., diverter materials, breaker material, etc.) and/or another type of bulk material. The modular container 20 includes at least a first compartment 22A holding a first dry material 24A, a second compartment 22B holding a second dry material 24B, and a base structure 26 supporting the first and second compartments 22. As discussed in greater detail below, the modular container 20 may include one or more additional compartments 22 besides the two that are illustrated in FIG. 1. The first and second dry materials 24A and 24B may have different properties (e.g., size and/or chemical properties) from each other. In addition, the first and second dry materials 24 A and 24B may each have different properties (e.g., size and/or chemical properties) than the bulk material that is carried in and released from the portable containers 12 disposed on the support structure 14.

The modular container 20 may utilize individual gravity feeds corresponding to each compartment 22 to provide a controlled constant supply of the different dry materials 24 at one or more outlets 30. In some embodiments, for example, the system 10 may utilize a single outlet 30 to route the dry material 24 from whichever compartment 22 of the modular container 20 is opened at a given time. In other embodiments, the system 10 may utilize multiple separate outlets 30, one corresponding to each compartment 22 of the modular container 20, to route the different dry materials 24 released from the modular container 20 to a similar outlet location. The modular container 20 holding multiple types of dry material 24 is a separate and portable container assembly that is independently transportable about the job site from the portable bulk material containers 12.

In the illustrated embodiment, the support structure 14 may include a frame 16 for receiving and holding the bulk material containers 12 and the modular container 20, a plurality of gravity feed outlets 18 for directing bulk material away from the respective containers 12, and one or more outlets 30 for directing different dry materials 24 away from the corresponding compartments 22 of the modular container 20. The frame 16 of the support structure 14 may include separate bays 32 each designed to receive and hold a different container 12 of bulk material, as well as an additional bay 34 for receiving and holding the modular container 20. The outlets 18 may be coupled to and extend from the frame 16. The outlets 18 may utilize a gravity feed to provide a controlled constant supply of bulk material from the containers 12 to a first outlet location, such as a bulk material inlet on a blender unit 36. The one or more outlets 30 may utilize a gravity feed and a conveying device to provide a controlled constant supply of dry additives from the modular container 20 to a second outlet location, such as a dry additive inlet on the blender unit 36.

Although shown as just one support structure 14 in FIG. 1 , other embodiments of the bulk material handling system 10 may include one or more bulk material containers 12 and/or modular containers 20 disposed on separate support structures 14 that all feed into the blender unit 36. For example, the separate support structures 14 may each hold a single bulk material container 12 or modular container 20. In other embodiments, the support structures 14 may each hold multiple bulk material containers 12 and/or modular containers 20. In still other embodiments, one support structure 14 may hold several bulk material containers 12 while another support structure 14 holds one or more modular containers 20.

As mentioned above, the outlets 18 and 30 may direct bulk material and dry additive, respectively, to the blender unit 36. The blender unit 36 may include a hopper 38 and a mixer 40 (e.g., mixing compartment). The blender unit 36 may also include a metering mechanism 42 for providing a controlled, i.e. metered, flow of bulk material from the hopper 38 to the mixer 40. As illustrated, the outlets 18 may provide the bulk material to the blender hopper 38. However, in other embodiments the blender unit 36 may not include the hopper 38, such that the outlets 18 of the support structure 14 may provide bulk material directly into the mixer 40. As shown, the one or more outlets 30 from the fourth bay 34 may provide a constant supply of dry additive or other dry material to the blender unit 36. The term "dry material" may refer to either dry additive to be mixed into the bulk material from other containers 12 on the support structure or to a different type of bulk material (e.g., 100 mesh) to be supplied to the blender in smaller quantities as compared to the bulk material held in the containers 12. The blender unit 36 may mix dry additive with the bulk material and fluids in the mixer 40. The bulk material and dry additive may be separately metered into a common dry material inlet 44 of the mixer 40.

Water and other additives may be supplied to the mixer 40 (e.g., mixing compartment) through a fluid inlet 46. As those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate, the fluid inlet 46 may include more than the one input flow line illustrated in FIG. 1. The bulk material, dry additive, and water may be combined in the mixer 40 to produce (at an outlet 48) a hydraulic fracturing fluid, a mixture combining multiple types of proppant, proppant/dry-gel particulate mixture, sand/sand-diverting agents mixture, cement slurry, drilling mud, a mortar or concrete mixture, or any other fluid mixture for use on location. The outlet 48 may be coupled to a pump for transporting the treating fluid to a desired location (e.g., a hydrocarbon recovery well) for a treating process.

It should be noted that the disclosed bulk material containers 12 and modular container 20 may be utilized to provide a bulk material/dry additive mixture for use in a variety of treating processes. For example, the disclosed systems and methods may be utilized to provide proppant materials into fracture treatments performed on a hydrocarbon recovery well. In other embodiments, the disclosed techniques may be used to provide other materials (e.g., non- proppant) for diversions, conductor-frac applications, cement mixing, drilling mud mixing, and other fluid mixing applications.

It should be noted that the disclosed system 10 may be used in other contexts as well. For example, the bulk material/dry additive handling system 10 may be used in concrete mixing operations (e.g., at a construction site) to dispense aggregate from the containers 12 along with other types of aggregate from the compartments 22 of the modular container 20 into a concrete mixing apparatus (blender 36). In addition, the bulk material/dry additive handling system 10 may be used in agriculture applications to dispense grain, feed, seed, or mixtures of the same. Still other applications may be realized for transporting bulk material and multiple dry additives via containers 12 and 20 to an elevated location on a support structure 14 and dispensing the bulk material and dry additives in a metered fashion to an outlet location.

As illustrated, the containers 12 and 20 may be elevated above their outlet locations via the frame 16. The support structure 14 is designed to elevate the containers 12 above the level of the blender inlet (e.g., blender hopper 38 and/or mixing tub 40) to allow the bulk material to gravity feed from the containers 12 to the blender unit 36. This way, the containers 12 are able to sit on the frame 16 of the support structure 14 and output bulk material directly into the blender unit 36 via the gravity feed outlets 18 of the support structure 14. The dry additive outlet(s) 30 are integrated into the support structure 14 to direct the different dry materials 24 from the elevated modular container 20 to the blender unit 36.

In some embodiments, the support structure 14 (with the frame 16, the gravity feed outlets 18, and the dry additive outlet(s) 30) may be integrated into the blender unit 36. In this manner, the system 10 may be a single integrated unit for receiving bulk material containers and modular containers 12 and 20 on the support structure 14, feeding bulk material and dry additive from the containers 12 and 20 to their respective blender inlets, and combining the bulk material and dry additives with one or more fluids at the mixer 40 to produce the treatment fluid.-

Although shown as supporting three containers 12 of bulk material and one modular container 20 of multiple dry materials 24, other embodiments of the frame 16 may be configured to support other numbers or combinations of containers 12 and 20. The exact number of containers 12 and 20 that the support structure 14 can hold may depend on a combination of factors such as, for example, the volume, width, and weight of the containers 12 and 20 to be disposed thereon. The bays 32 and 34 may be designed to receive containers 12 of bulk material and modular containers 20 of dry additive having approximately the same container footprint. In any case, the containers 12 and 20 may be completely separable and transportable from the frame 16, such that any of the containers 12 and 20 may be selectively removed from the frame 16 and replaced with another container 12 (or 20). That way, once the contents from one container 12 (or 20) runs low or empties, a new container 12 (or 20) may be placed on the frame 16 to maintain a steady flow of bulk material or dry additive to the outlet locations. In some instances, a container 12 (or 20) may be closed before being completely emptied, removed from the frame 16, and replaced by a container 12 (or 20) holding a different type of bulk material or dry additive to be provided to the outlet location.

A portable bulk storage system 50 may be provided at the site for storing one or more additional bulk material containers 12 and/or modular containers 20 to be positioned on the frame 16 of the support structure 14. The containers 12 and 20 may be transported to the desired location on a transportation unit (e.g., truck). The bulk storage system 50 may be the transportation unit itself or may be a skid, a pallet, or some other holding area. One or more containers 12 (or 20) may be transferred from the storage system 50 onto the support structure 14. This transfer may be performed by lifting the container 12 (or 20) via a hoisting mechanism, such as a forklift, a crane, or a specially designed container management device.

When the one or more containers 12 of bulk material are positioned on the support structure 14, discharge gates 52 on one or more of the containers 12 may be opened, allowing bulk material to flow from the containers 12 into the respective outlets 18 of the support structure 14. The outlets 18 may then route the flow of bulk material directly to an outlet location (e.g., into the hopper 38 or mixer 40 of the blender unit 36). In addition, when it is desired to provide the first dry material 24A to the blender unit 36, a discharge gate 54A on the corresponding compartment 22A of the modular container 20 may be opened, allowing the dry material 24A to flow from the container 20 into the respective outlet 30 of the support structure 14. As shown, the support structure 14 may include a hopper 55 for each compartment 22 of the modular container 20. The hopper 55A may feed the dry material 24A from the first compartment 22A directly into the corresponding outlet 30. The outlet 30 may then transfer and/or meter the dry material 24A to the blender unit 36 for mixing with the bulk material. Each hopper 55 may include its own metering device, such as a gate, feeder, or sand screw disposed either between the hopper 55 and the corresponding outlet 30 or along the outlet 30.

At a later time, it may be desirable to switch from adding the first dry material 24A to adding the second dry material 24B for mixing with the bulk material in the blender unit 36. The discharge gate 54A may be closed and a discharge gate 54B on the corresponding compartment 22B of the modular container 20 may be opened, allowing the dry material 24B to- flow from the container 20 into the respective outlet 30. The hopper 55B may feed the dry material 24B from the second compartment 22B directly into the corresponding outlet 30. The outlet 30 may then transfer and/or meter the dry material 24B to the blender unit 36 for mixing with the bulk material.

Although discussed as directing one type of dry material 24A or 24B from the modular container 20 to the blender unit 36 at a time, the system 10 may also be designed to provide two or more dry materials 24 to the blender unit 36 at the same time for mixing with the bulk material. To that end, the system 10 may include separate outlets 30 for each compartment 22 of the modular container 20 to route the desired materials 24 A and 24B to the blender unit 36 at the same time so that they can then be mixed into the bulk material in a desired ratio at the blender unit 36.

After one or more of the containers 12 (or 20) on the support structure 14 are emptied, the empty containers 12 (or 20) may be removed from the support structure 14 via a hoisting mechanism. In some embodiments, the one or more empty containers 12 (or 20) may be positioned on another bulk storage system 50 (e.g., a skid, a pallet, or some other holding area) until they can be removed from the site and/or refilled. In other embodiments, the one or more empty containers 12 (or 20) may be positioned directly onto a transportation unit for transporting the empty containers 12 (or 20) away from the site. It should be noted that the same transportation unit used to provide one or more filled containers 12 (or 20) to the location may then be utilized to remove one or more empty containers 12 (or 20) from the site.

As illustrated, the containers 12 may each include a discharge gate 52 for selectively dispensing or blocking a flow of bulk material from the container 12. In addition, each compartment 22 of the modular container 20 may include a corresponding discharge gate 54 for selectively dispensing or blocking a flow of the dry material 24 from that compartment 22. In some embodiments, the discharge gates 52 and 54 may each include a rotary clamshell gate, as shown. However, other types of discharge gates 52 and 54 that can be actuated open and closed may be used. When the discharge gates 52 and 54 are closed (as shown on containers 12A, 12B, and compartments 22A and 22B of the modular container 20) the gates 52 and 54 may prevent bulk material/dry additive from flowing from the corresponding containers 12 and 20 to the outlets 18 and 30. The discharge gates 52 and 54 may be selectively actuated into an open position (as shown on container 12C) to release the bulk material/dry additive from the containers 12 and 20.

When rotary clamshell gates are used, this actuation may involve rotating the discharge gate 52 (or 54) about a pivot point relative to the container 12 (or compartment 22) to uncover an opening at the bottom of the container 12 (or compartment 22), thereby allowing bulk material (or dry additive) to flow through the opening and into the outlet 18 (or 30). When linearly actuated gates are used, this actuation may involve linearly translating the discharge gate 52 (or 54) relative to the container 12 (or compartment 22) to uncover the opening. When it is desired to stop the flow of bulk material/dry additive, or once the container 12 (or compartment 22) is emptied, the discharge gate 52 (or 54) may then be actuated (e.g., rotated or translated) back to the closed position to block the flow of bulk material/dry additive.

In some embodiments, the support structure 14 may include one or more actuators 56 used to actuate the discharge gates 52 and 54 of whatever containers 12 and 20 are positioned on the support structure 14. The one or more actuators 56 may be entirely separate from the containers 12 and 20 and their corresponding discharge gates 52 and 54. That is, the one or more actuators 56 and the discharge gates 52 and 54 may not be collocated on the same structure. The same actuators 56 may be used to open and/or close the discharge gates 52 and 54 of multiple containers 12 and 20 that are positioned on the support structure 14 over time. The one or more actuators 56 may be rotary actuators, linear actuators, or any other desired type of actuators for engaging and moving the discharge gates 52 and 54 of the containers 12 and 20 between closed and open positions. The actuators 56 may be automated and, in some instances, may allow for manual override of the automated system.

The support structure 14 may also include one or more indicators 58 (e.g., indicator lights) disposed on the support structure 14 for providing various information about the operating state of the support structure 14 and/or the containers 12 and 20 disposed thereon. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the support structure 14 may include at least one indicator 58 corresponding to each actuator 56 on the support structure 14. The indicators 58 may include lights designed to indicate whether any discharge gates 52 and 54 of the containers 12 and 20 disposed on the bays 32 and 34 of the support structure 14 are in an open position or whether they are in a closed position, based on the operating state of the corresponding actuators 56.

Presently disclosed embodiments are directed to the use of the modular container 20 for holding and transporting multiple types of dry flowable material 24 about a work site. As mentioned above, the modular container 20 generally includes multiple compartments 22 for holding and keeping the multiple types of dry material 24 separate from each other while the modular container 20 is transported about the work site. The modular container 20 may be similar in size (e.g., having an approximately equivalent volume capacity) to the portable containers 12 used on location to supply bulk material to the blender unit 36. The modular container 20 may be positioned on the fourth bay 34 of the support structure 14, as shown, to supply multiple different types of dry material 24 to the blender unit 36 as needed from a single container 20.

The modular container 20 may have the same footprint as the bulk material containers 12, in order to enable efficient placement of either type of container 12 or 20 onto the frame 16 of the support structure 14 and in other locations about the job site. Keeping the two types of containers 12 and 20 with the same footprint may enable the containers 12 and 20 to be stacked atop one another at a bulk storage facility 50 or transportation unit.

As mentioned above, the compartments 22 of the modular container 20 may be equipped with similar discharge gates 54 to those used on the bulk material containers 12. For example, both types of containers 12 and 20 may utilize rotary clamshell gates 52 and 54 that are actuated via a similar rotary actuation mechanism (e.g., 56) on the support structure 14. In some embodiments, the compartments 22 on the modular container 20 may include smaller discharge openings than the bulk material containers 12, due to the shape and constraints of the compartments 22 and the outlet system 30 used to direct different dry materials 24 from the container 20 to the outlet location.

By adding the extra bay 34 to the frame 16 of the support structure 14 and utilizing the same type of hoisting mechanism, base structure actuators 56, and a similar container footprint, the efficiencies that are available for handling the containerized bulk material on location can be extended to handling multiple types of dry additive or other dry materials on location as well. The efficient, containerized system may be extended to other types of bulk material/dry additive transfer operations that are commonly used during fracturing operations, and in other contexts as well. The disclosed bulk material/dry additive handling system 10 provides a more efficient mechanism for providing dry additive to a blender than is currently available using large bags of dry additive simply dumped onto a metering screw.

The multiple compartment container 20 may capitalize on the efficiencies of moving a group of containers (i.e., compartments 22) as a single unit, since the compartments 22 are all secured onto a common base structure 26 with the same footprint as the containers 12. In addition, by using the disclosed modular container 20 having multiple compartments 22, the material handling system 10 may more quickly and easily switch between outputting different types of dry material to the blender unit 36 for mixing with liquid and bulk material from the other containers 12. The multi -compartment container 20 provides a reduction in the number of times a forklift driver would have to swap the container 20, since there are multiple different dry materials 24 within the connected capacity of the base structure 14.

FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of the modular container 20 that may be utilized to hold and release different types of dry flowable material to the outlet on the support structure of FIG. 1. The different dry flowable materials held in the compartments 22 of the modular container 20 may each have different chemical properties. As described above, the modular container 20 includes multiple compartments 22 and a base structure 26. The multiple compartments 22 are removably secured to the base structure 26 so that the base structure 26 can be manipulated about the work site with the multiple compartments 22 supported on top of the base structure 26. In the illustrated embodiment, the modular container 20 includes three compartments 22. However, other numbers and arrangements of compartments 22 may be utilized to form the container 20.

The compartments 22 may each include a frame 1 10 and an enclosure 1 12 secured to the frame 1 10. As illustrated, the frame 1 10 of each compartment 22 may be formed along and/or secured to corners of the enclosure 1 12. A lower portion 1 14 of each frame 1 10 may be placed directly onto and mechanically connected to the base structure 26 of the modular container 20. In general, the compartments 22 may each have a rectangular prism shape that helps with the placement and arrangement of adjacent compartments 22 onto the same base structure 26.

In the illustrated embodiment, one compartment 22B on the base structure 26 of the container 20 may have a volume that is roughly twice the volume of the other two compartments 22A and 22C. The larger compartment 22B may have a width dimension 1 16 that is roughly twice a width dimension 1 18 of the other two compartments 22A and 22C. The other dimensions (length 120 and height 122) of the compartments 22 may each be approximately the same. That way, when placed on the base structure 26 as shown, the three compartments 22 may be disposed adjacent one another such that they generally cover the entire available footprint of the base structure 26. The frames 1 10 of the adjacent compartments 22 may be mechanically secured to one another to increase the stability of the modular container 20. The enclosures 1 12 are designed to hold a dry material therein such that each compartment 22 is separate from the other compartments and fully enclosed. That way, the dry material in each compartment 22 is kept separate from the dry material in adjacent compartments 22, and no dry material can escape from the compartments 22 of the modular container 20 until a specified gate on the container 20 is opened. In the illustrated embodiment, the enclosures 112 of the compartments 22 may include walls made from a rigid material (e.g., metal or plastic) that are coupled together to form the enclosure 1 12. The walls of the enclosure 1 12 may be coupled together via welds or some other type of mechanical connection to form the corners of the enclosure 112. In other embodiments, the modular container 20 may utilize compartments 22 with a bag-type, semi-rigid, or laminate enclosure construction. As illustrated, the enclosure 1 12 may be funneled at the bottom to direct the flowable dry material toward an opening when the discharge gate for that compartment 22 is opened.

The modular container 20 may allow multiple dry flowable materials to be transported about a work site and moved as a single unit. This may be increasingly important as the proppant rate of the blender unit (e.g., 36 of FIG. 1) increases and a forklift driver has to move containers more efficiently. In addition, the transported dry materials disposed in the fully enclosed compartments 22 may be better protected from the elements and potential loss of product, as compared to existing dry additive methods where a bag can be accidently ripped or punctured during movement about the work site. The disclosed modular container 20 may provide the ability to run larger volumes of multiple dry additives than is currently available in bulk material handling systems, due to the multiple compartments 22. Furthermore, a blender operator may be able to focus more attention on the equipment and processes of the blender unit, rather than spending time and energy cutting sacks of dry additive to dispense into a blender hopper.

As described above, the modular container 20 may have a base structure 26 that is designed with the same base or footprint size as other containers (e.g., 12 of FIG. 1) used for transporting just a single type of bulk material on location. FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of the container base structure 26 that may be used for the modular container 20. As shown, the base structure 26 may generally include a perimeter frame 148 defining the footprint of the modular container 20. The frame 148 may support the compartments later positioned thereon. The base structure 26 enables the placement and movement of multiple bins of material within a single container envelope defined by the frame 148. The base structure 26 may have the same area dimensions (length 150 and width 152) as the non-modular containers (e.g., 12) used on location.

The base structure 26 may include features that allow that modular container (e.g., 20 of FIG. 2) to interact with various equipment (e.g., support structure, forklift, etc.) in ways similar to the non-modular containers (e.g., 12) used on location. For example, the base structure 26 may include interfacing features that allow the modular container (e.g., 20) to be mounted onto the support structure (e.g., 14 of FIG. 1) and held in position on the support structure in the same manner as the other containers (e.g., 12). Specifically, the base structure 26 may include ISO corners 154 at each of the four corners of the base structure 26 designed to interface with corresponding locator pins on the support structure (e.g., 14). The non-modular containers (e.g., 12) may also include ISO corners for interfacing with the support structure (e.g., 14) in the same manner. In addition, the base structure 26 may include forklift pockets 156 to facilitate easy movement of the completed modular container (e.g., 20) around the location. The non-modular containers (e.g., 12) may include similar forklift pockets along their bases as well.

The base structure 26 may provide a relatively open space 158 extending between the frame 148 and between the forklift pockets 156. This space 158 may allow dry material released from the compartments (e.g., 22) disposed on the base structure 26 to flow into a hopper (e.g., 55) or other component of the outlet (e.g., 30) for routing the dry material to the blender unit.

Turning back to FIG. 2, the compartments 22 that form the modular container 20 may be mechanically fastened to the frame 148 of the base structure 26 through the use of ISO locks or another mechanical locking mechanism. Before being locked onto the base structure 26, the individual compartments 22 may each be filled with dry material and independently set in a storage warehouse or similar storage location. The compartments 22 of dry material may later be loaded and locked onto the base structure 26 at a field camp or distribution point for the dry additive to form the complete modular container 20. The modular container 20 may then be transported to the work site where it can be moved as a single unit, e.g., onto the support structure for emptying into the blender.

The exact configuration of the compartments 22 disposed on the base structure 26 to form the modular container 20 may vary depending on the desired types and amount of dry additive or other dry material required for a blending operation. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the modular container 20 may include two smaller "quarter-sized" compartments 22A and 22C (i.e., taking up one quarter of the total support area of the base structure 26) and one larger "half-sized" compartment 22B (i.e., taking up one half of the total support area of the base structure 26). However, the same base structure 26 could instead be fitted with two "half-sized" compartments 22D and 22E, as shown in an embodiment of the modular container 20 in FIG. 4. It should be noted that any other combination of numbers or sizes of compartments 22 may be arranged on the base structure 26 to form the modular container 20. For example, the modular container 20 may include four "quarter-sized" compartments, or even a greater number of smaller compartments arranged adjacent one another on the base structure 26.

The modular container 20 may be configurable to include any desired arrangement of compartments (e.g., compartment sizes and number of compartments) to account for the different types and the amount of dry materials that are needed based on the blender job design. For example, a custom blender job may utilize certain ratios of different chemical dry additives to be mixed into the bulk material at different times. The modular container 20 may be initially put together with compartments 22 holding different dry materials in a combination that enables the correct ratio of the dry materials needed for the custom blender job. For example, if the blender job calls for approximately equal volumes of two dry materials to be provided to the blender, the modular container 20 may be loaded out with two "half-sized" compartments 22D and 22E (as shown in FIG. 4), each holding a different dry material. If the blender job calls for three types of dry material with one dry material being run at a higher concentration than the other two, the modular container 20 may be loaded out with two "quarter-sized" compartments 22A and 22C and one "half-sized compartment 22B (as shown in FIG. 2), each holding a different dry material. Each of the compartments 22 of the modular container 20 may be interchangeable with one or more different compartments 22 of dry material. This allows the modular container 20 to be fully customizable before transportation to and use at the work site.

In general, relatively smaller quantities of dry additive are needed for a predetermined blender job as compared to the bulk material into which the dry additive is being mixed via the blender. Accordingly, the smaller quantity compartments 22 on the modular container 20 may supply a total amount of each of the multiple dry additives (or other dry materials) needed for the blender job while the system may cycle through multiple containers 12 worth of bulk material. For example, to supply the treatment fluid for one fracturing stage, the blender unit may utilize 15 or more containers 12 of bulk material along with one modular container 20 of dry additive.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating various electronic and control components that may be used throughout a well site with the disclosed support structure 14 for discharging dry materials from the modular container 20 as well as bulk material from other containers 12. The support structure 14 may include a number of electronic components, and these components may be communicatively coupled (e.g., via a wired connection or wirelessly) to one or more controllers 170 (e.g., automated control system) at the well site. The control system 170 may be communicatively coupled to several other well site components including, but not limited to, the blender unit 36, a hoisting mechanism (e.g., forklift) 172, and various sensors 174.

The control system 170 utilizes at least a processor component 176 and a memory component 178 to monitor and/or control various operations and inventory at the well site. For example, one or more processor components 176 may be designed to execute instructions encoded into the one or more memory components 178. Upon executing these instructions, the processors 176 may provide passive logging of the operational states of one or more components at the well site, as well as the amount, type, and location of bulk material/dry additives at the well site. In some embodiments, the one or more processors 176 may execute instructions for controlling operations of certain well site components (e.g., support structure electronics). This may help to control sequencing of discharge gates on the bulk material containers and modular containers, metering of dry additive into the blender, and other operations related to material transfer at the well site.

As shown, the controller 170 may be coupled to a user interface 180, which enables an operator to input instructions for execution by the control system 170. The user interface 180 may also output data relating to the operational state of the bulk material/dry additive handling system.

As shown, the control system 170 may be communicatively coupled to a number of sensors 174 disposed on the support structure 14 and/or about the well site. Based on feedback from these sensors 174, the control system 170 may determine when to actuate discharge gates to switch between different bulk material containers and dry additive compartments that are positioned on the support structure 14. The control system 170 may also be communicatively coupled to a number of controllable components disposed on the support structure 14, the blender unit 36, and/or the forklift 172. The control system 170 may actuate certain of these controllable components based on sensor feedback.

The support structure 14 may include a number of electronic components such as, for example, the automated actuators 56 described above with reference to FIG. 1. These actuators 56 may be controlled to open and/or close a discharge gate of one or more containers (or compartments of the modular container) elevated on the support structure 14. The support structure 14 may also include one or more indicators 58 (e.g., indicator lights) disposed on the support structure for providing various information about the operating state of the support structure 14.

In addition, the support structure 14 may include various sensors 182 (e.g., fill level sensors, cameras, load cells, etc.) designed to take measurements and provide sensor feedback to the control system 170. The sensors 182 may be used to detect levels of bulk material and dry additive present in the hopper and/or output chutes, information regarding the number of containers disposed on the support structure 14, as well as the fill level of bulk material or dry additive within the individual containers or compartments on the support structure 14. The control system 96 may actuate the discharge gates on different containers with precisely controlled timing based on the received sensor feedback.

As part of these sensors 182, the support structure 14 may include one or more load cells on the fourth bay 34 used to detect loads from the modular container 20. In embodiments where the gate actuators 56 are controlled to release dry material from just one compartment 22 of the modular container 20 at a time, a single load cell may be utilized to determine the net change in load from the modular container 20. The control system 170 may utilize this load change, along with information regarding which compartment is open based on the position of the gate actuators 56, to determine the change in the amount of dry material that has been discharged from each compartment 22 of the modular container 20. In embodiments where the gate actuators 56 are controlled to release dry material from multiple compartments 22 of the modular container 20 at the same time, individual load cells corresponding to each compartment 22 on the modular container 20 may be utilized on the support structure 14.

Further, the support structure 14 may include one or more dry additive system motors and/or actuators (e.g., controllable gates) 184 used to meter dry additives from one or more compartments 22 of the modular container 20 on the support structure 14 to an outlet location at a predetermined rate. The control system 170 may actuate these various motors/actuators 184 to provide the desired type and amount of dry additive for mixing with the bulk material based on, for example, a known treatment schedule. This may involve adjusting a speed of the motor operating the conveying device of the dry additive outlet system, opening or closing gates at certain locations within the dry additive outlet system, or a combination thereof.

The controller 170, the support structure electronics, or both, may utilize power from an external power source 186, as shown. In other embodiments, the support structure 14 may include its own power source 186 for operating the onboard electronics and sensors.

The sensors 174 may include one or more load cells or bin full switches for tracking a level of bulk material or dry additive in a portable container or a modular container compartment and indicating whether the container or compartment is empty, full, or partially full. Such sensors 174 may be used for any given container or modular container compartment, one or more blender hoppers, a silo (not shown), a forklift, or any other component at the well site.

In some embodiments, the controller 170 may be communicatively coupled to an inventory management system 188 that monitors the inventory of bulk material and different dry additives on location. Operation of such an inventory management system 188 is described in greater detail in PCT Application No. PCT/US2015/061618. The inventory management system 188 may include a separate control/monitoring system or may be incorporated into the controller 170. The inventory management system 188 may track bulk material inventory and dry additive inventory on location through the use of RFID technology or other identification tracking techniques. Each portable container and each modular container compartment may feature an identification component (e.g., RFID tag) used to provide an indication of the particle size, bulk volume, weight, type, material, and/or supplier of the bulk material or dry additive present in the container or compartment. In some embodiments, the identification components may be rewritable such that the bulk material or dry additive inventory of individual containers or compartments can be updated after discharging a portion of its contents at the support structure 14. The inventory management system 188 may be communicatively coupled to an RFID reader disposed in proximity to the containers being moved about the well site.

The controller 170 may provide control signals to the actuators 56 used to open and/or close the container/compartment discharge gates with appropriate timing for maintaining a steady supply of bulk material and dry additive to the blender unit 36. In some embodiments, an operator may use the user interface 180 to manually sequence and initiate gate actuations of any desirable bulk material containers or dry additive compartments (of the modular container) on the support structure 14. Additional manual override techniques may also be available using, for example, manual hydraulic, pneumatic, or mechanical controls.

Although the present disclosure and its advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the following claims.