US 12,227,372 B2
Loading granular materials from a transport truck into a storage system
Bryan Scott Lambert, The Woodlands, TX (US); Whitney Jordan Salinas, Brownwood, TX (US); and William Vaughn Managan, II, Rochelle, TX (US)
Assigned to SOLARIS OILFIELD SITE SERVICES OPERATING LLC, Houston, TX (US)
Filed by SOLARIS OILFIELD SITE SERVICES OPERATING LLC, Houston, TX (US)
Filed on Apr. 7, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/715,599.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/172,422, filed on Apr. 8, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0324660 A1, Oct. 13, 2022
Int. Cl. B65G 53/66 (2006.01); B65G 3/04 (2006.01); B65G 33/14 (2006.01); B65G 53/08 (2006.01); B65G 67/24 (2006.01)
CPC B65G 53/66 (2013.01) [B65G 3/04 (2013.01); B65G 33/14 (2013.01); B65G 53/08 (2013.01); B65G 67/24 (2013.01); B65G 2201/042 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for transporting and storing a granular material, the system comprising:
a conveyor configured to transfer the granular material from a truck into a hopper;
a pump configured to transfer the granular material out of the hopper into a transfer pipe, wherein the pump comprises:
an upstream portion having an upstream helical flight; and
a downstream portion having a downstream helical flight,
wherein an outer diameter of the downstream helical flight is from about 0.01 inches to about 0.10 inches less than an outer diameter of the upstream helical flight,
wherein a gap between the outer diameter of the downstream helical flight and an auger housing is from about 0.01 inches to about 0.10 inches greater than a gap between the outer diameter of the upstream helical flight and the auger housing,
wherein a thickness of the downstream helical flight is from about 0.05 inches to about 0.40 inches less than a thickness of the upstream helical flight, and
wherein a surface of the downstream portion has a lesser coefficient of friction than
a surface of the upstream portion;
a speed sensor configured to measure a speed of the pump;
a blower configured to generate pressurized air that moves the granular material within the transfer pipe;
a pressure sensor configured to measure a pressure of the pressurized air; and
a silo configured to receive the granular material from the transfer pipe.