Method of delivering, transporting, and storing proppant for delivery and use at a well site

1. A method of loading and transporting proppant to a well drilling site, the method comprising:

a) positioning a plurality of empty proppant containers, each located on a trailer of a respective proppant transporting road vehicle and structurally strengthened to receive a large volume of proppant having a substantially spherical shape therein, at a selected first location so that each of the plurality of empty proppant containers substantially underlies a source of proppant to load into each empty proppant container, each of the plurality of empty containers being separate and removable from the trailer of the respective proppant transporting road vehicle and including at least a first end surface and at least a second different end surface and each of the first and second end surfaces having a plurality of upright structural support members thereon to enhance integrity of the container for stacking and so that heavy weight from the proppant can be stored therein;

b) filling the plurality of empty proppant containers with proppant thereby to produce a plurality of proppant filled and structurally strengthened containers;

c) staging a plurality of proppant transporting road vehicles so that each trailer of the plurality of proppant transporting road vehicles receives one or more of the plurality of proppant filled and structurally strengthened containers, such that each container of the plurality of proppant filled and structurally strengthened containers is moved from a vertically stacked configuration via a loader and placed onto a bed of the trailer of one of the plurality of proppant transporting road vehicles;

d) transferring the plurality of proppant filled containers with the plurality of proppant transporting road vehicles to a selected second location at the well drilling site, thereby to increase the efficiency with which proppant is transferred by the plurality of proppant transporting road vehicles;

e) unloading each of the plurality of proppant filled containers with an unloader; and

f) vertically stacking the plurality of proppant filled and structurally strengthened containers with a loader at the selected second location so that one of the plurality of proppant filled and structurally strengthened containers overlies another one of the plurality of proppant filled and structurally strengthened containers to reduce the footprint of the area at the well drilling site required for storage of the proppant.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:

delivering the container to a third location, thereby increasing the efficiency with which proppant is transferred by the plurality of proppant transporting road vehicles.

3. The method as defined in claim 1 , further comprising tracking, with bar codes associated with each of the plurality of proppant containers, one or more of the following: (1) an amount of proppant available in the plurality of containers at a location based on bar codes associated with the plurality of proppant containers; (2) a mesh size of proppant in the plurality of proppant containers based on the bar codes associated with the plurality of proppant containers; and (3) an amount of proppant available at a location based on mesh size of the proppant as indicated by bar codes associated with the plurality of proppant containers.

4. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of proppant containers includes an outlet and a flow gate positioned adjacent the outlet so as to retain proppant within a proppant container when the flow gate is in a closed position and allow proppant to flow from the outlet when the flow gate is an open position, the method further comprising opening the flow gate with one or more of hydraulic power and pneumatic power to allow large volumes of proppant to flow therefrom when in the open position.

5. A method of loading and transporting proppant to a well drilling site, the method comprising:

a) positioning two or more empty proppant containers, each located on a trailer of a respective proppant transporting road vehicle and structurally strengthened to receive a large volume of proppant having a substantially spherical shape therein, at a selected first location so that each of the two or more empty proppant containers substantially underlies a source of proppant to load into each empty proppant container, each of the two or more empty containers positioned to be separate and removable from the trailer of the respective proppant transporting road vehicle and positioned to include at least a first end surface and at least a second different end surface and each of the first and second end surfaces positioned to have a plurality of upright structural support members thereon to enhance integrity of the container for stacking and so that heavy weight from the proppant can be stored therein;

b) filling the two or more empty proppant containers with proppant thereby to produce two or more proppant filled and structurally strengthened containers;

c) staging a plurality of proppant transporting road vehicles so that each trailer of the plurality of proppant transporting road vehicles receives one of the two or more proppant filled and structurally strengthened containers, each container of the two or more proppant filled and structurally strengthened containers positioned to be moved from a vertically stacked configuration via a loader and placed onto a bed of the trailer of one of the plurality of proppant transporting road vehicles;

d) transferring the two or more proppant filled and structurally strengthened containers with the plurality of proppant transporting road vehicles to a selected second location at the well drilling site, thereby to increase the efficiency with which proppant is transferred by the plurality of proppant transporting road vehicles;

e) unloading each of the two or more proppant filled containers with an unloader; and

f) vertically stacking the two or more structurally strengthened containers with a loader at the selected second location so that one of the plurality of proppant filled and structurally strengthened containers overlies another one of the plurality of filled and structurally strengthened containers to reduce the footprint of the area at the well drilling site required for storage of the proppant.

6. The method as defined in claim 5 , wherein each of the two or more proppant containers includes an outlet and a flow gate positioned adjacent the outlet so as to retain proppant within a proppant container when the flow gate is in a closed position and allow proppant to flow from the outlet when the flow gate is an open position, the method further comprising opening the flow gate with one or more of hydraulic power and pneumatic power to allow large volumes of proppant to flow therefrom when in the open position.

7. A method of loading and transporting proppant to a well drilling site, the method comprising:

a) positioning two or more empty proppant containers, each located on a trailer of a respective proppant transporting road vehicle and structurally strengthened to receive a large volume of proppant having a substantially spherical shape therein, at a selected first location so that each of the two or more empty proppant containers substantially underlies a source of proppant to load into each empty proppant container, each of the two or more empty containers positioned to be separate and removable from the trailer of the respective proppant transporting road vehicle and positioned to include at least a first end surface and at least a second different end surface and each of the first and second end surfaces being positioned to have a plurality of upright structural support members thereon to enhance integrity of the container for stacking and so that heavy weight from the proppant can be stored therein;

b) filling the two or more empty proppant containers with proppant thereby to produce two or more proppant filled and structurally strengthened containers;

c) transferring the two or more proppant filled and structurally strengthened containers with one or more proppant transporting road vehicles to a selected second location at the well drilling site;

d) unloading each of the two or more proppant filled and structurally strengthened containers with an unloader;

e) vertically stacking the two or more proppant filled and structurally strengthened containers with a loader at the selected second location so that one of the plurality of proppant filled and structurally strengthened containers overlies another one of the plurality of filled and structurally strengthened containers to reduce the footprint of the area at the well drilling site required for storage of the proppant; and

(f) tracking, with bar codes associated with each of the two or more proppant containers, one or more of the following: (1) an amount of proppant available in the two or more containers at a location based on bar codes associated with the two or more proppant containers; (2) a mesh size of proppant in the two or more proppant containers based on the bar codes associated with the two or more proppant containers; and (3) an amount of proppant available at a location based on the mesh size of the proppant as indicated by bar codes associated with the two or more proppant containers.

8. The method as defined in claim 7 , wherein each of the two or more proppant containers includes an outlet and a flow gate positioned adjacent the outlet so as to retain proppant within a proppant container when the flow gate is in a closed position and allow proppant to flow from the outlet when the flow gate is an open position, the method further comprising opening the flow gate with one or more of hydraulic power and pneumatic power to allow large volumes of proppant to flow therefrom when in the open position.