Flexible FIBCs for Proppant Transport and Storage

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current systems for transporting and storing proppant for hydraulic fracturing are heavy, costly, and inefficient, leading to increased handling costs, contamination risks, and difficulties in unloading and tracking the quantity of sand, which affects the quality and logistics of the sand used in fracturing operations.

Innovation Solution

Development of lightweight, flexible, and reusable intermediate bulk containers (FIBCs) made of high-strength fabrics or lightweight plastics with integrated strengthening straps and sealing mechanisms, allowing for efficient transportation, storage, and unloading of proppant without the need for additional equipment, and enabling easy handling and stacking.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If steel containers are used for transporting and storing proppant, then the containers provide structural strength and durability, but the weight of the containers increases significantly, reducing the amount of sand that can be hauled within the 80,000 lb highway limit

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontainer strengthVSAvoidcontainer weight

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies this principle by replacing rigid steel containers with flexible FIBC bags made of woven polypropylene fabric. These flexible containers provide sufficient strength for transporting proppant while dramatically reducing the container weight, allowing up to 20% more sand to be hauled per truck within the 80,000 lb highway limit.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses composite materials by constructing FIBC containers with multiple layers including woven polypropylene fabric, plastic liners, and strengthening straps. This composite structure provides the necessary strength and durability previously associated with steel containers while maintaining lightweight characteristics.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

2Strength

If steel containers are used for proppant storage and transport, then the containers provide durability, but the cost of the containers increases, making them too costly for intermodal transport and longer-term storage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontainer durabilityVSAvoidcontainer cost

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies this principle by using FIBC bags made from cost-effective materials like woven polypropylene fabric and plastic liners. These containers are significantly cheaper than steel containers, making them economically viable for intermodal transport and longer-term storage applications, even though they may have shorter service lives.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

Solution Approach 2:

The flexible FIBC construction using thin fabric layers and plastic liners provides sufficient durability at a fraction of the cost of steel containers, enabling widespread adoption for various transport and storage scenarios including intermodal operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

3Strength

If steel containers with higher center of gravity are used, then the containers provide structural integrity, but expensive drop deck type trailers are required rather than less expensive and more available flatbed trailers

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontainer structural integrityVSAvoidtrailer type requirement

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The flexible FIBC bags have low centers of gravity when filled with proppant, allowing them to be safely transported on standard flatbed trailers without requiring specialized drop deck trailers. This simplifies the logistics infrastructure needed while maintaining container structural integrity through the flexible fabric construction.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

4Object-affected harmful factors

If conventional storage containers are used at fracturing sites, then the containers provide protection from weather conditions, but the cost of storage containers increases, requiring large capital investment

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveproppant protection from weatherVSAvoidstorage container cost

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The FIBC bags with their woven fabric construction and plastic liners provide adequate protection from weather conditions including rain and moisture. The containers can be covered with tarps or placed under shelters when extended weather protection is needed. This flexible protection approach significantly reduces storage container costs compared to rigid steel containers while still protecting proppant quality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Data Source

PatentUS10486579B2Lightweight transport, storage and delivery system

Publication Date: 2019.11.26 ONEILL KEVIN M

AI summary

Reusable, flexible, lightweight, low cost flexible intermediate bulk containers (FIBCs) for the delivery of granular proppant material for fracing that will allow the transport of higher weights of proppant, such as sand, per truck load. The invention includes a container made of a high strength, flexible material with a top opening for loading and deploying the proppant. The container can be lifted and deployed with a fork truck or crane. Alternatively, proprietary deployment systems, such as a conveyor system, can be used to quickly and efficiently deploy the proppant from the container at a desired site.