Delivery, storage and blending system for multi-component granular compositions
Embodiments of the present invention include a method and system for blending multi-component granular compositions such as proppant used in hydraulic fracturing in well drilling. The system includes the control and management of an on-site storage system for each of the components, regulating the delivery of specified quantities of each component to a well site, and coordinating the flow of materials into and out of the blender.
1. A method comprising:
providing a storage management system, the storage management system comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable computer program instructions, the instructions executable to perform steps comprising:
(a) monitoring a level, a mass or an amount of an ingredient stored in one or more designated silos associated with a silo system;
(b) evaluating a level, a mass or an amount of a predetermined blend mixture in a blender associated with a blender system;
(c) receiving and processing a job schedule, the job schedule comprising:
(1) the blend mixture and the outflow rate of the blend mixture from the blender;
(2) a total amount of each of the one or more ingredients required for a job;
(3) a load amount of each ingredient carried in a tractor trailer for delivery of the one or more ingredients to a well site;
(4) a total number of the tractor trailers required to complete the job; and
(5) a delivery time for transporting the tractor trailers from a remote storage facility to a well site and loading the load amount of the ingredient into a designated silo and
(d) interlinking the silo system with the blender system, comprising:
(1) monitoring and collecting information on the level, the mass or the amount of the ingredient in each silo associated with the silo system;
(2) submitting the collected information to a monitoring system and the management system;
(3) submitting the delivery rate of the ingredient from a designated silo into the blender to the monitoring system and the management system; and
(4) processing requests from the management system to adjust the delivery rate of the ingredient from the silo into the blender.
2. The method according to claim 1 , comprising automatically adjusting an outflow rate of the blend mixture into or out of the blender.
3. The method according to claim 1 , comprising automatically adjusting a delivery rate of one or more ingredients from the one or more silos into the blender.
4. The method according to claim 1 , comprising submitting the job schedule to the monitoring system, wherein the monitoring system further comprising a programmable logic controller device (PLCD) comprising computer program instructions for increasing, decreasing or stopping the outflow rate of the blend mixture from the blender by alternating a speed setting of a blender control device.
5. The method according to claim 1 , comprising communicating with a delivery system, the method further comprising:
(1) receiving and processing a truck inventory, wherein the truck inventory comprises a listing of tractor trailers for delivering the ingredient from the remote storage location to the well site;
(2) receiving and processing information on a tractor trailer ingredient manifest and submitting the processed information to the monitoring system and the management system;
(3) monitoring information on the level, the mass or the amount of the one or more ingredients contained in each tractor trailer and submitting the monitored information to the monitoring system and the storage management system;
(4) monitoring information on the duration of time for each tractor trailer to travel from the remote storage facility to the well site and submitting the monitored information to the monitoring system and the management system;
(5) monitoring information on the duration of time for delivering the solid granular material from a tractor trailer into a storage container and submitting the monitored information to the monitoring system and the management system;
(6) processing a request from the monitoring system to alter the tractor trailer list;
(7) processing a notification of delivery completion from the management system and adjusting the truck inventory; and
(8) processing a request from the management system to select a tractor trailer from the truck inventory used for delivering the ingredient from the remote storage location to the well site, wherein the selection is dependent on at least one of available driver hours, current location of the tractor trailer, and maintenance status of the tractor trailer.
6. A method comprising:
providing a storage management system, the storage management system comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable computer program instructions, the instructions executable to perform steps comprising:
(a) monitoring a level, a mass or an amount of an ingredient stored in one or more designated silos associated with a silo system;
(b) evaluating a level, a mass or an amount of a predetermined blend mixture in a blender associated with a blender system;
(c) automatically adjusting an outflow rate of the blend mixture into or out of the blender;
(d) automatically adjusting a delivery rate of one or more ingredients from the one or more silos into the blender;
(e) receiving and processing a job schedule, the job schedule comprising:
(1) the blend mixture and the outflow rate of the blend mixture from the blender;
(2) a total amount of each of the one or more ingredients required for a job;
(3) a load amount of each ingredient carried in a tractor trailer for delivery of the one or more ingredients to a well site;
(4) a total number of the tractor trailers required to complete the job; and
(5) a delivery time for transporting the tractor trailers from a remote storage facility to a well site and loading the load amount of the ingredient into a designated silo;
(f) submitting the job schedule to a monitoring system, wherein the monitoring system further comprising a programmable logic controller device (PLCD) comprising computer program instructions for increasing, decreasing or stopping the outflow rate of the blend mixture from the blender by altering a speed setting of a blender control device;
(g) communicating with a delivery system, comprising:
(1) receiving and processing a truck inventory, wherein the truck inventory comprises a listing of tractor trailers for delivering the ingredient from the remote storage location to the well site;
(2) receiving and processing information on a tractor trailer ingredient manifest and submitting the processed information to the monitoring system and the management system;
(3) monitoring information on the level, the mass or the amount of the one or more ingredients contained in each tractor trailer and submitting the monitored information to the monitoring system and the storage management system;
(4) monitoring information on the duration of time for each tractor trailer to travel from the remote storage facility to the well site and submitting the monitored information to the monitoring system and the management system;
(5) monitoring information on the duration of time for delivering the solid granular material from a tractor trailer into a storage container and submitting the monitored information to the monitoring system and the management system;
(6) processing a request from the monitoring system to alter the tractor trailer list;
(7) processing a notification of delivery completion from the management system and adjusting the truck inventory; and
(8) processing a request from the management system to select a tractor trailer from the truck inventory used for delivering the ingredient from the remote storage location to the well site, wherein the selection is dependent on at least one of available driver hours, current location of the tractor trailer, and maintenance status of the tractor trailer; and
(h) interlinking the silo system with the blender system, comprising:
(1) monitoring and collecting information on the level, the mass or the amount of the ingredient in each silo associated with the silo system;
(2) submitting the collected information to the monitoring system and the management system;
(3) submitting the delivery rate of the ingredient from a designated silo into the blender to the monitoring system and the management system; and
(4) processing requests from the management system to adjust the delivery rate of the ingredient from the silo into the blender.