Rapid Deployment Frac Water Transfer System

Abstract

A method of and apparatus for the rapid deployment of a fracturing water transferring system, along with the rapid picking up and storage of such system after use. In different embodiments the method in includes the use of a tensioning system to retrieve one or more segments of lay flat hose.

1 - 37 . (canceled) 
     
     
         38 . Apparatus for taking up a lay flat hose including
 a plurality of joints of lay flat hose,   the lay flat hose containing at least some fluid, comprising:   (a) a mobile chassis having
 a power unit that enables the chassis to travel over a selected terrain, 
   the chassis having
 first and second opposed working end portions; 
   (b) a deck on the chassis
 that is sized and shaped
 to selectively hold at least one of a plurality of hose reels
 in a position which is 
  closer to the first opposed working end portion 
  compared to the second opposed working end portion, 
 
 
 each hose reel having
 a supportive reel base, 
 
 wherein each reel is rotatable upon its supporting reel base; 
   (c) the first working end portion having
 one or more lifting arms
 that are each pivotally attached to the chassis, 
 
 the lifting arms being configured
 to lift a selected reel from the plurality of reels
 from a position off of the chassis 
 to a position on the deck of the chassis 
 
 and also
 from a position on the deck of the chassis 
 to a position off of the deck of the chassis; 
 
 
   (d) a selected reel from the plurality of hose reels
 being supported on the deck; and 
   (e) a tensioning system
 being rotationally connected to the selected reel
 when the reel is supported on the deck, 
 
   the tensioning system comprising
 at least one roller
 which is in a position which is
 closer to the second opposed working end portion 
 compared to the first opposed working end portion, 
 
 
   the tensioning system selectively activated
 to pull portions of the lay flat hose 
 across the at least one roller winding 
 such pulled hose portions onto the selected reel 
 when the mobile chassis
 is moving generally in the direction 
 of the second opposed working end portion of the chassis. 
 
   
     
     
         39 . The apparatus of  claim 38 ,
 wherein the tensioning system includes
 a plurality of rollers selectively engaging the lay flat hose. 
   
     
     
         40 . The apparatus of  claim 39 ,
 wherein the plurality of rollers
 apply tension to the lay flat hose 
 when the hose is wound upon the hose reel. 
   
     
     
         41 . The apparatus of  claim 38 ,
 wherein the selected reel from the plurality of reels
 has an axis of rotation, and 
   there are three adjacent rollers,
 a front, 
 a middle, and 
 a rear roller, 
   each roller having
 an axis of rotation
 parallel to the axes of rotation of the other rollers, and 
 
 each being parallel
 to the selectively held reel's axis of rotation, and 
 
 the axis of rotation of the middle roller being
 selectively adjustable
 to be out of parallel with 
 the axes of rotation of the other rollers, and 
 
 selectively adjustable
 to be back in a parallel relationship. 
 
 
   
     
     
         42 . The apparatus of  claim 38 ,
 wherein the tensioning system
 substantially removes water from the lay flat hose. 
   
     
     
         43 . The apparatus of  claim 38 ,
 wherein
 the speed at which the tensioning system 
 winds up the lay flat hose on the selected reel 
 varies with
 the speed of mobile chassis 
 relative to the ground. 
 
   
     
     
         44 . The apparatus of  claim 38 ,
 wherein
 during a pickup of the lay flat hose, 
   the tensioning system
 consistently applies an over torque on the selected reel
 from the plurality of reels 
 
 to keep the section of lay flat hose
 between the selectively held reel and the at least one roller 
 
 in tension. 
   
     
     
         45 . The apparatus of  claim 38 ,
 wherein the selected reel
 is removably attached to the deck 
 for enabling the at least one lifting arm 
 to unload the selected reel 
 after the selected reel is filled with a length of lay flat hose, 
   the selected reel
 being lifted by the one or more lifting arms
 from the deck of the chassis and 
 
 placed in a position
 off of the deck of the chassis, and 
 
   subsequently
 a second empty selected reel 
 being lifted by the one or more lifting arms
 from a position off of the chassis and 
 
 placed
 on the deck, and 
 
   the tensioning system being
 rotationally connected to the second reel
 when the second reel is on the deck and 
 
 selectively activated
 to pull additional portions of the lay flat hose 
 across the at least one roller winding 
 
   when the mobile chassis
 is moving generally in the direction of 
 the second opposed working end portion of the chassis. 
   
     
     
         46 . The apparatus of  claim 38 ,
 wherein there are first and second spaced apart lifting arms   which are respectively rotatably about first and second pivot axes, and   each of the first and second spaced apart lifting arms includes
 telescoping sections
 that are selectively extendable and retractable. 
 
   
     
     
         47 . A method of picking up a fluid flow line comprised of
 multiple lengths of lay flat hose connected end to end, comprising the steps of:   (a) providing a mobile chassis having
 opposed first and second working end portions, and 
 a power unit that enables the chassis to travel over a selected terrain, 
   the chassis having
 a deck that is sized and shaped to hold a selected hose reel assembly and base, 
 the assembly including
 a spool rotatable upon the base and 
 
 a tensioning system
 which can be rotatively connected to the spool, 
 
 the tensioning system comprising
 at least one pickup roller
 which is located in a position which is 
  closer to the opposed second working end portion 
  compared to the first opposed working end portion; 
 
 
   (b) the first opposed working end portion having
 at least one lifting arm
 pivotally attached to the chassis, 
 
   the at least one lifting arm being configured
 to lift selected reel assemblies
 from positions off the chassis 
 to the deck, 
 
 and
 from the deck 
 to positions off of the chassis; 
 
   (c) the at least one lifting arm
 picking up the first reel assembly
 from a position off of the chassis and 
 
 placing the first reel assembly
 on the deck, and 
 
   rotationally connecting
 the tensioning system 
 to the spool of the first reel assembly; 
   (d) after step “c”,
 connecting the lay flay hose
 to the spool of the first reel assembly, and 
 
 the tensioning system
 being selectively activated 
 to wind the spool, 
 
 wherein such winding
 pulls portions of the lay flat hose
 across the at least one roller; 
 
 
   (e) moving the chassis
 while simultaneously winding the lay flat hose
 from the ground 
 onto the spool of the first reel assembly; 
 
   (f) after the spool of the first reel assembly
 has filled with wound up lay flat hose, 
   the at least one arm
 removing the first reel assembly
 from the chassis deck; 
 
   (g) after step “f”,   the at least one arm
 loading a second reel assembly including a spool 
 on the deck and 
   the tensioning system
 being rotationally connected to the spool of the second reel assembly, and 
 moving the chassis
 while simultaneously winding up the lay flat hose
 from the ground 
 onto the spool of the second reel assembly 
 
 while the tensioning system
 being selectively activated 
  to pull portions of the lay flat hose 
  across the at least one roller; and 
 
 
   (h) wherein in steps “d” through “g”,   the lay flat hose
 is raised from the ground surface 
 at a position which is
 closer to the opposed second working end portion 
 compared to the first opposed working end portion of the chassis. 
 
   
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 47 ,
 wherein in step “a”,
 the tensioning system includes
 a plurality of rollers selectively engaging the lay flat hose. 
 
   
     
     
         49 . The method of  claim 48 ,
 wherein in step “e”,
 the plurality of rollers 
 apply tension to the lay flat hose 
 when the lay flat hose is wound upon the hose reel. 
   
     
     
         50 . The method of  claim 47 ,
 wherein in step “e”
 during a pickup of the lay flat hose, 
 the tensioning system
 consistently applies an over torque on the selected spool 
 to keep the section of lay flat hose between
 the spool and 
 the at least one roller in tension. 
 
 
   
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 47 , wherein in step “c”,
 a drive axle is rotationally connected to the spool via a shaft, the shaft being movable between extended and retracted positions, wherein in the extended position, the shaft connects with the spool, and in step “f” the shaft is moved to the retracted position to disconnect with the spool. 
 
     
     
         52 . The method of  claim 47 , wherein in step “c” there are first and second spaced apart lifting arms that are respectively rotatably about first and second pivot axes, and each of the first and second spaced lifting arms includes telescoping sections that are selectively extendable and retractable. 
     
     
         53 . The method of  claim 47 , wherein in step “c” the tensioning system is rotationally connected to the spool with a retractable shaft that moves between retracted and extended positions. 
     
     
         54 . The method of  claim 47 , wherein the shaft retracts before the end of step “c”, and extends to rotationally connect the spool to the tensioning system. 
     
     
         55 . A system for transferring frac water between
 a source of the frac water and   a frac water destination, the system comprising:   
       (a) a portable frac water delivery subsystem, the portable frac water delivery subsystem comprising
 a plurality of segments of a lay flat hose and 
 at least one tracked carrier for transporting the lay flat hose; 
 
       (b) the at least one tracked carrier each comprising
 a hose tensioning subsystem
 for flattening the plurality of segments of the lay flat hose 
 to be wound onto at least one of a plurality of spools, 
 
 
       the plurality of segments of the lay flat hose
 connected in series 
 to assemble a pipeline for transferring the frac water
 from the source of the frac water 
 to the frac water destination, 
 
 
       the hose tensioning system further comprising
 a drive subsystem for
 rotating at least one of the plurality of spools, 
 
 
       the drive subsystem including:
 (i) a plurality of rollers on the tracked carrier
 selectively engaging 
 at least one of the plurality of segments of the lay flat hose; 
 
 (ii) the drive subsystem
 being selectively activated 
 to wind the at least one of the plurality of segments of lay flat hose 
 onto at least one of the plurality of spools; and 
 
 (iii) at least one of the plurality of segments of the lay flat hose
 engaging the plurality of rollers 
 wherein the lay flat hose
 travels in between two of the rollers. 
 
 
 
     
     
         56 . The system of  claim 55 ,
 wherein the at least one tracked carrier includes
 a spool lifting subsystem for
 lifting individual spools
 from the plurality of spools onto the tracked carrier and/or 
 
 offloading the individual spools
 from the tracked carrier, 
 
 
   the spool lifting system comprising:
 (a) an arm, 
 (b) the arm selectively engaging the spools; 
 (c) a linkage system connecting the arm to the tracked carrier; and 
 (d) one or more hydraulic cylinders for controlling the movement of the linkage system. 
   
     
     
         57 . The system of  claim 55 ,
 the tensioning subsystem
 substantially removing water 
 from the one or more segments of the lay flat hose.