Abstract:
A nationwide bulk materials rapid distribution network and apparatus (i.e. an improved grain elevator) for rapid distribution of any bulk materials including dry bulk, liquids, liquefied gases, and vapor gases is disclosed, comprising the transloading of all kinds of incoming land based pipelines, barges, ships, freight cars, trucks, and grain trailers (hereinafter transport vehicles collectively) unloaded into the receiving means of the apparatus for loading to other transport vehicles through a load out spout emanating from the spout floor on the other side of the grain elevators for dry bulk or by outgoing pipeline to the transport vehicles. The incoming transport vehicles can then be returned to service as quickly as possible for re-deployment, thus minimizing demurrage, and the loaded transport vehicles can be dispatched to the user sites where the materials are needed with minimum delay.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    The high cost of fuel has created many challenges for railroads, shippers, and trucking companies to find more cost effective ways of transporting: 1) dry bulk materials such as corn, sugar, sand, coal, rock, cellulosic materials like wood chips and the like, fertilizer, cement, and the like, seed, rock salt, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, commodities, screws, nuts, bolts and the like, but could be anything, like ball bearings, or widgets; 2) liquids like water, gasoline, oil, diesel fuel, trans-fat oil, bio-diesel fuel, refreshments like soda or beer, milk, wine, liquor, and the like, liquefied mixtures of dry materials like cellulosic or liquefied sugar cane, and the like; 3) bulk liquid materials that require special materials like insulated stainless steel pipes, and the like, to store and transport. Examples of such liquids include, blood and blood substitutes and the like, ethanol which absorbs water and harms steal piping systems, hydrogen for hydrogen cars, liquefied natural gas, methane, propane, butane and the like, 4) gaseous materials like natural gas, or carbon dioxide gas; and 5) gaseous materials that require special materials to store and transport such as the insulated, thermos-like, high pressure containers involved in the import and export of liquefied natural gas (LNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and the like. LPG is the generic name used for mixtures of hydrocarbons like propane and butane. When these mixtures are lightly compressed (approx. 800 kPa or 120 psi), they change from a gaseous state to a liquid state; LPG is colorless, odorless and heavier than air. A chemical is added to give it a smell like rotten cabbage, so that even a very small leak can be easily detected. LPG burns readily in air and has energy content similar to petrol, which makes it an excellent fuel for heating, cooking and automotive use. One automotive use of LPG, called Autogas or LPG Autogas, is specifically designed for vehicle uses and can contain both propane and butane varieties with the specification (or blend) governed by the requirements of the National Fuel Quality Standards Act of 2000 and the Autogas Determination Act of 2003. Hereinafter, the terms “materials” or “bulk materials” are intended to refer to any of the aforementioned bulk materials 1-5, collectively, and should not be confused with the types of materials used to construct pipeline systems and pumping systems and bladders or bladder systems. If in doubt, please look to context of the use of the term “materials”. Transport vehicles for the bulk distribution of bulk materials typically include pipelines, airplanes, ships, barges, freighters, tankers (hereinafter, ships will be used to refer to any kind of sea going vessel like barges, freighters, ferries, tankers, etc.), railroad freight cars (also called hopper cars or gondolas) and rail tank cars (hereinafter freight cars will be used and is intended to mean these and any other kind of rail transport vehicles), trucks, grain trailers, or tank trucks (hereinafter trucks will be defined to mean any kind of trucks, grain trailers, and tank trucks). The bulk materials are usually first obtained by farming, manufacturing or mining. Then they are transported using the transport vehicle most appropriate for the task to some kind of storage facility for later distribution to the ultimate destination. Otherwise the bulk materials simply remain on the pipeline, ship, freight car or truck, in lieu of transfer to temporary storage, until they reach the ultimate user site. Demurrage expenses are the cost of tying up a transport vehicle while waiting to unload or load it, so the focus here will be on the cost of demurrage for pipelines, ships, freight cars and trucks across a nationwide bulk materials distribution network. 
         [0002]    Transloading is the process of unloading materials from one type of transport vehicle and loading those materials to another type of transport vehicle. The various methods of unloading shipments have evolved to keep pace with the technological advances of pipelines, ships, freight cars and trucks over the years. Originally, shipments from commercial transport vehicles were unloaded by hand. Eventually, the need for automation of the process became apparent, and various types of scoop shovel conveyors and specialized belt conveyors (hereinafter collectively called pugmills, for consistency) were developed to unload transport vehicles like freight cars and trucks. Other methods of unloading include dropping materials from a freight car through an opening in a bridge and letting it fall onto a pugmill. Still another unloading method that has been employed is to use what is called a rotary car dumper to pick up the freight car and rotate it on its horizontal axis to unload it. Pipelines also evolved out of the need to transport, or otherwise unload, bulk liquids and gaseous materials and have proved to be quite efficient at the task. Ships now transport bulk materials using containers of every type imaginable to suit the type of bulk materials being transported. So to unload bulk materials from ships at the nations ports has become a simple task of lifting containers from the ships with cranes. 
         [0003]    The various methods of loading shipments have also evolved to keep pace with the technological advances of pipelines, ships, freight cars and trucks over the years. Originally, shipments from commercial transport vehicles were also loaded by hand. Again, the need for automation of the process became apparent leading to use of the pugmill for loading transport vehicles like freight cars and trucks. A rotary car dumper could also be used to load a barge, or another freight car or truck as well. Loading using a pipeline is different from unloading depending on whether the materials being transported are being introduced into the pipeline system (loading) for transport elsewhere to be removed from the systems (unloading). Similarly, loading a ship with containers is performed by crane as well, so the distinction between the terms “unloading” and “loading” depends on whether the bulk materials are being introduced for transport elsewhere (loading) or are being removed from the ship after the voyage (unloading). 
         [0004]    Currently, many companies pay demurrage charges in some way for pipelines, ships, freight cars and trucks that are being used essentially for storage space while waiting to unload or load. Buyers of oil and natural gas must pay for pipeline use, so this too has a cost associated with inefficient transport, and we shall refer to all such costs for any type of transport vehicle&#39;s idle time as “demurrage” herein. Freight cars are kept on rail spurs somewhere along the rail network while waiting to be unloaded. When a pugmill becomes available, the freight cars or trucks are unloaded and then returned to their point of origin or sent elsewhere for redeployment. Demurrage charges for freight cars and trucks can be directly charged to the customer. They can also be measured by direct rental charges for the amount of time the transport vehicle is required to complete a job. There is demurrage waiting for a crane to select a container on a ship. Still another measurement for demurrage is the opportunity loss of transport vehicles, and hence workers, being idle. If many trucks are required to move bulk materials, the time it takes to load them grows in proportion to the number of trucks in line. Similarly, freight cars are frequently kept on rail spurs somewhere along the rail network while waiting to be loaded. When a pugmill becomes available, the freight cars or trucks are loaded and then released for transport to the user site. 
         [0005]    The Current State of the Fracturing Sand Industry 
         [0006]    One example of the potential benefits that can be derived by an improved nationwide bulk materials distribution network can be found in the oil and gas industry. The high demand for oil and natural gas has created an estimated ten-fold increase in the demand for fracturing sand. Fracturing sand is a highly specific variety of sand, used during oil and gas exploration and development to separate subterranean laminae so that the volume flow toward the wellhead is optimal. Although sand mine production has expanded 10 to 20 percent across the U.S. in the quest for new deposits, there continues to be a substantial shortage of fracturing sand at present. It is estimated that the demand will continue at this level for the next 5 to 10 years. Logistic inefficiencies are a tremendous burden on the industry. Mines are able to load freight cars, but service companies have limited space to unload and temporarily store the sand. 
         [0007]    Upon delivery, many service companies use the freight cars as temporary storage and unload using portable equipment like pugmills. Pugmills are also used to unload trucks. Some freight cars are so low to the ground (some are as low as a foot) that a hydraulic jack is first used to jack up the freight car so the pugmill can be positioned under it to receive the materials for unloading. Frequently, the demurrage associated with the use of freight cars and trucks to store sand can dramatically increase the cost of the materials to the end user. Additionally, the switching of freight cars causes delays when, for example, twenty cars must wait several days while three cars are unloaded by pugmill. Some gas drilling jobs are postponed, resulting in idle work crews waiting for sand. The answer in the past has been to add more freight cars, which only increases rail congestion along the rail network. 
         [0008]    Carbon Dioxide Sequestration 
         [0009]    Another example in the oil and gas industry of the potential benefits that can be derived from an improved nationwide bulk materials distribution network is a process called carbon dioxide sequestration where carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and permanently stored. Its purpose is to help mitigate global warming. The first step in sequestration is carbon dioxide capture. All current methods are very expensive to implement. One approach using solid oxide fuel cell power generation significantly reduces carbon dioxide capture costs. Fuel cell systems are now being perfected that will allow separation of carbon dioxide as part of the power generation process. Geological sequestration is the pumping of carbon dioxide into underground saline aquifers and coal oil and gas fields. There is significant evidence to suggest that these techniques can reliably retain sequestered carbon dioxide. Substantial high purity naturally formed carbon dioxide accumulations have been found during exploration and development. Natural systems are great examples demonstrating successful long-term sequestration. One by-product of coal and oil sequestration is methane production. This methane can be recovered and used to offset sequestration costs. The amount of methane is approximately half that of carbon dioxide sequestered. The Dutch government is researching the feasibility of artificial sequestration, and similar pilot projects are underway in the United States and Australia. 
         [0010]    Examples abound of the potential benefits that can be derived from an improved nationwide bulk materials distribution network by using the network to advance the exploitation of various advancing technologies for energy conservation and improving the environment. The feasibility of making any bulk materials including, but not limited to, ethanol, methane and hydrogen in an improved grain elevator environment is contemplated herein. Below are just a few more examples of promising new technologies: 
         [0011]    Plasma Arc Technology 
         [0012]    Plasma arc technology can help to eliminate the necessity of future landfills, which is good for the environment. Experts agree that the nation&#39;s population growth will limit space available for future landfills. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection&#39;s solid waste division has warned of the increasing difficulty of finding new landfill sites, and it&#39;s going to be harder for existing landfills to continue to expand. The plasma arc gasification facility in St. Lucie County, on central Florida&#39;s Atlantic Coast, aims to solve that problem by eliminating the need for a landfill. Only two similar facilities are operating in the world, both in Japan. In this example, up to eight plasma arc cupolas will vaporize trash year-round, non-stop. Garbage will be brought in on conveyor belts and dumped into the cylindrical cupolas where it falls into a zone of heat more than 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit. No emissions are released during the closed loop gasification. The only emissions will come from the synthetic gas-powered turbines that create electricity. Even that will be cleaner than burning coal or natural gas, experts say. Few other toxins will be generated, if any at all. The generated electricity that would result by using improved grain elevator silos with adapted bladders specifically made for handling the heat of the process could be used to power the entire improved grain elevator facility. The process also generates methane gas, which can be stored in yet other target silos having bladders specifically adapted for that purpose for temporary storage before loading the methane onto transport vehicles for transport to market. 
         [0013]    Biological Water Splitting 
         [0014]    Hydrogen will be needed in mass quantities if General Motors has its way. Certain photosynthetic microbes produce hydrogen from water metabolically using light energy. Photo biological technology holds great promise, but because oxygen is a byproduct, the technology must overcome hydrogen-oxygen sensitivity of the evolving enzyme systems that result. Researchers are addressing this issue by screening for naturally occurring organisms that are more oxygen tolerant, and by creating new genetic forms of the organisms that can sustain hydrogen production in the presence of oxygen. A new system is also being developed that uses a metabolic switch called sulfur deprivation to cycle algal cells between a photosynthetic growth phase and a hydrogen production phase. 
         [0015]    Renewable Electrolysis 
         [0016]    Renewable energy sources such as photovoltaics, wind, biomass, hydro, and geothermal can provide clean and sustainable electricity for our nation. They require energy storage to accommodate daily and seasonal changes. One solution is to produce hydrogen through the electrolysis of water and to use that hydrogen in a fuel cell to produce electricity during times of low power production or peak demand, or to use the hydrogen in fuel cell vehicles. Electricity derived from hydrogen production could power an improved grain elevator as well. 
         [0017]    Photo Electrochemical Water Splitting 
         [0018]    The cleanest way to produce hydrogen is by using sunlight to directly split water into hydrogen and oxygen. Multifunction cell technology developed by the Photovoltaic industry is being used for photo electrochemical (hereinafter PEC) light harvesting systems that generate sufficient voltage to split water and are stable in a water electrolyte environment. A PEC system produces electricity from sunlight without the expense and complication of electrolyzers, at a solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency of approximately 12.4% lower heating value using captured light. 
         [0019]    Reforming Biomass and Wastes 
         [0020]    Hydrogen can be produced by pyrolysis or gasification of waste materials such as agricultural residues like peanut shells, consumer wastes including plastics and waste grease, or biomass specifically grown for energy production. Biomass pyrolysis produces a liquid product called bio-oil. This bio-oil can be separated into valuable chemicals and fuels, including hydrogen. Research is ongoing on hydrogen production by catalytic reforming of biomass pyrolysis products. 
         [0021]    Solar Thermal Water Splitting 
         [0022]    Highly concentrated sunlight can be used to generate the high temperatures needed to split methane into hydrogen and carbon. Concentrated solar energy can also be used to generate temperatures over 2,000 degrees causing thermo chemical reactions that can be used to produce hydrogen in an environmentally benign way. 
         [0023]    For the foregoing reasons, there is a clear and long felt need for an improved nationwide bulk materials distribution network that achieves the minimum demurrage cost to the customer for rapid transloading (transshipping is another term that means unloading and loading) bulk materials on their journeys to the local destination user sites across the network. Such a network would reduce the overall cost and delay of transporting bulk materials to satisfy any requirement for distribution anywhere in the nationwide network. When a new distribution order is placed to a particular geographic location, immediate attention can be placed on currently scheduled orders, and indeed future orders, to most efficiently direct, or re-direct, bulk materials pickups and deliveries to set at higher priority for selection on those order locations. This way optimum utilization of the network is possible. Under a preferred scenario, the network would contemplate always having a pickup order ready at any given location for the transport vehicle(s) to pickup after their next executed drop off order, at all times across the network to approximate “just in time inventories” for all bulk materials. Such a network must also include abundant temporary storage capacity at each location across the nationwide network to free up many transport vehicles at once during unload phases and to quickly load many transport vehicles upon their arrival during the loading phases at each location. Such a use of temporary storage translates into more efficient overall utilization of pipeline, shipping and rail equipment across the country. Although, it is estimated that most grain elevators of average size can store the contents of over two thousand freight cars, the network should result in fewer, not more, freight cars and trucks being used across the rail network to reduce congestion. The result of such an improved network must be to improve the efficient utilization of pipelines and to shorten trip cycle times for ships, freight cars, and trucks, not to lengthen them. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0024]    A nationwide bulk materials rapid distribution network and apparatus (i.e. an improved grain elevator) for rapid distribution of any bulk materials including dry bulk, liquids, special liquids like ethanol, liquefied gases, and gaseous materials is disclosed, comprising the transloading of all kinds of incoming pipelines, barges, ships, freight cars, trucks, and grain trailers (hereinafter transport vehicles collectively) unloaded into the receiving means of the improved apparatus, like for instance receiving into its receiver bins for dry bulk materials or by pumping the bulk liquid and gaseous materials of all kinds through pipe systems and bladder systems made of materials like plastic or metals adapted for the particular bulk materials being received, for loading to other transport vehicles through a load out spout emanating from the spout floor on the other side of the grain elevators or other loading means for liquids and gases of various types. The incoming transport vehicles can then be returned to service as quickly as possible for re-deployment, thus minimizing demurrage, and the loaded transport vehicles can be dispatched to the destination user sites where the materials are needed with minimum delay. It is estimated that this invention will save as much as 75% of demurrage and rental charges for transport vehicles and contribute greatly to the alleviation of congestion on pipelines, rail lines, sea lanes and roads. 
         [0025]    The present invention is based upon an improved grain elevator apparatus and grain elevator network across the country for the rapid distribution and storage of any bulk materials where they are needed and the infrastructure for the production of any bulk materials where it is contemplated that processing operations could reside adjacent the improved grain elevators across the network. The term “unloading means” hereinafter contemplates the various conventional ways to unload dry bulk materials in addition to pipeline fittings and pump systems for various liquids and gases to connect to, and unload from, sealed bladders (hereinafter, bladders) composed of various materials suitable to effectively store each type of bulk material and which may be held in place within partitioned enclosures, if any, inside the improved grain elevators&#39; silos, or within a whole silo constituting a single enclosure itself, with reinforcing bands or other means of support such as by hanging the bladders or by positioning them within the enclosures in snug fitting relation to the vertical side walls therein to distribute the weight of the unloaded bulk materials against the vertical side walls of the enclosure and/or the silos themselves. When using hardened tanks for any reason, the installation of such a tank requires that the tanks be small enough and light enough to get through the available access to the inside of the silo. Also factors such as weight, associated plumbing, and electronic control and monitoring devices require that there be enough room within the silo to service such devices, repair or replace tanks or “cells”, as well as to remove them or modify them for different usages of the silo. The use of flexible bladders would allow for larger capacities for each bladder since they can be compressed or rolled up like carpet for installation. Even in this instance, the only practical way to have a bladder which is formed to the full dimensions of the inside of the silo is to enter the silo and, after installation of appropriate valves, access means, etc., to spray a rubberized or other type of material onto the sides of the silo. The material should catalyze into something hard or semi-flexible, and now a much larger volume of bulk materials can be stored inside since the bladder would be as large as possible for any given enclosure. A bladder made in this manner would be very difficult to remove or clean, and therefore such a bladder construction is suitable for only limited uses. However this configuration would allow for later installation of a bladder or “cell” system inside such larger bladders without having to remove them. A partial list of candidate materials contemplated for these custom made bladders would include, for the sake of example, but not limited to: metals, alloys, magnesium, titanium, and the like, various types of wood, various types of rubber, polyurethane, plastics, and the like, etc. The term “loading means” hereinafter contemplates the various conventional ways to load dry bulk materials in addition to pipeline fittings and pump systems for various liquids and gases to connect to, and load into, the bladders. These bladders are adapted to be installed in snug fitting relation to conventional grain elevator silo interstices (also called enclosures), or indeed, to an entire silo thus improving the silo. Conventional grain elevators and grain elevator networks received dry bulk materials for the purpose of long-term storage, not for the purpose of optimum distribution to minimize transportation costs. Furthermore, a purpose of conventional grain elevators was to store only dry, granular materials, whereas the present invention is an improved grain elevator and network for storage and distribution of any type of materials (i.e. dry, granular materials, liquids (including ethanol) and gases (including carbon dioxide)). A purpose of the present invention is to minimize demurrage, which conserves fuel and thereby reduces transportation costs, thus reducing the overall cost to ship dry bulk materials across the network. There are 140,000 miles of track in the U.S, and 1.8 billion tons of freight is moved each year by rail. The average freight train burns 350,000 gallons of diesel fuel per year and upwards of seven million gallons over its lifetime. Each freight train engine transports approximately 220 containers. Eleven million containers are transported each year by rail in the U.S., and seven million of those are in Los Angeles and Long Beach, alone. There is no incentive for the railroads to use grain elevators for efficient distribution because the railroad operators make money storing freight on their freight cars. In contrast, there are approximately eleven thousand trucks in operation at any given time. Fuel conservation is also beneficial to the environment. The ordinary use of grain elevator transloading methods was for farmers to unload their grain INTO the grain elevator receiver bins for long-term storage before distribution onto freight cars for transport to the grain&#39;s ultimate destination, which is in the opposite direction of the ordinary use proposed by the present invention. In the present invention, the ordinary method of use is to unload FROM the freight cars into the grain elevator receiver bins for subsequent loading onto trucks for transport to the local user sites. So the intended use is quite different as observed by the different problems that are solved, respectively. 
         [0026]    Other advantages of the present invention include possible benefits of mobilizing the bulk distribution of materials to areas affected by natural disasters, like for instance: getting blood or blood substitutes to victims of earth quakes; transporting sand to reinforce levees in flooding areas quickly before a coming hurricane; storing crude oil in flood zones to avoid the kind of oil spillage into flooding water that happened during the 2007 Kansas floods from conventional containers; and moving and storing massive amounts of chemicals to areas affected by seasonal forest fires when a need arises. Surely there are military applications for mobilizing food, fuel, blood, and supplies. Still another application is the bulk movement of cellulosic materials like wood chips, or corn, or sugar cane to the heartland where ethanol is made, and then the ethanol itself can be loaded onto the same transport vehicle to be distributed to another destination in the network. Ethanol cannot be transported through oil and gasoline pipelines because it absorbs moisture and impurities. Currently, movement of ethanol through pipelines leads to stress corrosion cracking in the pipes and welds. It has been estimated that the average cost of constructing a conventional line that transports fuels such as gasoline is about $1 million a mile. It will cost more to make ethanol pipelines, since they would have to be made waterproof. Therefore, the present invention may be crucial to ethanol&#39;s viability as an alternate fuel source. Still another application is getting food to places experiencing famine, or yet still another application is to move rock salt to an area under an ice storm, or getting medicines including pharmaceuticals to areas of outbreak or epidemic. The improved grain elevator apparatus and network of the present invention could be used for numerous production scenarios, such as: an ethanol refinery, a hydrogen production plant, a carbon dioxide storage and distribution system, a LNG conversion, storage and distribution facility for converting LNG into natural gas and vice versa, a winery, a brewery, a dairy for the production and distribution of milk and soft drink production and distribution. The list goes on. The ultimate purpose of the present invention is the efficient simultaneous unloading and loading (transloading) of any bulk materials through improved storage and production facilities integrated into the improved grain elevator apparatus and network for creating the bulk materials if necessary, and the distribution of those bulk materials across the network. 
         [0027]    Historically, farmers, who also had livestock, would grow the feed for their animals. Wheat and corn would be kept in storage buildings such as wheat bins or corncribs. Eventually, these systems of storage evolved into larger facilities, called “granaries”, and were used to store the grain produced by the local communities for market and to be distributed as needed. The term “granaries” is a generic term for any container for grain. Once the automation for unloading grain became widespread, the term “grain elevator” was used to describe the entire building. Thus the grain elevator was born. The basic design and methods of using grain elevators and grain elevator networks have not changed substantially over the years, from the first design in 1883 to the later designs of the twentieth century, and neither has their intended purpose. See U.S. Pat. No. 281,214 W. Watson, Jul. 10, 1883, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,931,877, L. L. Albaugh, Jan. 13, 1976. 
         [0028]    Large corporations have used the technology of storing grain for many years to store materials such as wheat for flour or grain for whiskey manufacturing. It has also been used to store materials like cement and fertilizer, and materials imported from foreign countries like coffee, tobacco, or sugar cane. Since the original use and purpose of concrete grain elevators was for storage, that is, a kind of long-term parking lot for grain and occasionally fertilizer, they have fallen into disuse for lack of a continuing need to store grain. 
         [0029]    The steel reinforced concrete walls of these structures are about a foot thick, so the explosive properties from materials like hydrogen, LNG, LPG, sulfur and other chemicals, grain dust and fertilizer and the like, are muted. A height of 120 feet is not uncommon. Due to the weight of the concrete, the foundations are massive. The cost of demolishing these “Prairie Castles” is too great to justify the task. This is why the vast majority of grain elevators across the country stand empty. As of 2006, only two elevators were still in use in the ship-based transshipment area near Buffalo, N.Y. The two elevators belong to ADM and General Mills. The grain storage and ship-based transshipment industry here was challenged in the 19th century by the introduction of the train but recovered because of increase in demand. In the 20th century, the requirement for transshipment was eliminated first by the opening of the Welland Canal in 1932, and in 1959 by the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Grain no longer had to be housed in elevators in Buffalo and elsewhere for transfer between modes of transport but could be shipped directly from the heartland to eastern and European ports. Many grain elevators across North America are no longer in use, but they were built to last and remain standing, silent and abandoned. 
         [0030]    One example of the distribution network is warranted to demonstrate the immediate commercial success achieved by this improved grain elevator network and its various methods of use: 
         [0000]    1) Ottawa/Saint Louis unit train.
 
2) Cars are loaded at Ottawa Mines and collected at East Saint Louis.
 
3) It is anticipated that 40 or more cars will collect by Friday of each week.
 
4) The railroad will pull the cars directly to the grain elevator closest to drop destination during a two or three day trip.
 
5) The grain elevator operator will unload the freight cars into silos in twenty four to forty eight hours.
 
6) The railroad returns the cars to the mines and will spot them typically within five days of departure.
 
7) Eighty percent of the cars will experience a thirteen to seventeen day cycle.
 
       Typical Grain Elevator Facility Specs: 
       [0031]    1) Sixty silos. Each silo will hold 10 freight cars. Current capacity is six hundred freight cars or one hundred and twenty million pounds. A typical grain elevator can store the contents for approximately 2500 freight cars. Silo space leases for approximately $7.50 per ton, whereas freight cars lease for approximately $19.50 per ton.
 
2) Four rail spurs. The spurs will hold forty cars on the site and can unload up to forty cars per day.
 
3) Two redundant “legs” for incoming and outgoing materials. There are four scales including two truck scales to weigh the trucks, both empty and loaded, and two hopper scales to weigh the sand as it comes in from rail.
 
     
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
         [0032]      FIG. 1  is a landscape view of a conventional method of unloading a freight car using a pugmill; 
           [0033]      FIG. 2  is a landscape view of another conventional method of unloading a transport vehicle using a pugmill that employs a hydraulic cylinder to control a boom; 
           [0034]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a conventional method of unloading a freight car using a pugmill and a hydraulic jack used to jack up the rail car so the pugmill can fit under it; 
           [0035]      FIG. 4  is a hypothetical example of a possible preferred embodiment of an improved grain elevator apparatus according to the present invention for purposes of illustration; 
           [0036]      FIG. 5  is a rendering of a freight car being unloaded with a pneumatic hopper car gate door opener into the receiver bin of an improved grain elevator; 
           [0037]      FIG. 6  is a landscape view of the various unloading means of the single improved grain elevator of  FIG. 4  within the network; 
           [0038]      FIG. 7  is a landscape view of the various loading means of the single improved grain elevator of  FIG. 4  within the network; 
           [0039]      FIG. 8  is a map showing an embodiment of the present invention relating to the Ottawa/Saint Louis unit train example described above in the context of an improved grain elevator network; 
           [0040]      FIG. 9  is a map showing an embodiment of the present invention relating to an improved nationwide distribution network of improved grain elevators. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
       [0041]    In the description that follows, like parts are marked throughout the specification and drawings with the same reference numerals, respectively. In some instances, proportions have been exaggerated and are not to scale in order to more clearly depict certain features of the invention. For clarification, the term “metal” is used herein to mean any alloy or steel product that can be used to make pipe systems and bladders (i.e. steel, titanium, magnesium, brass, copper, etc.), and the term “plastic” is used herein to mean any plastics material including polyvinyl chloride (PVC), different types of rubber, polyurethane, and the like. The term “fuel” herein shall mean any type of fuel including gasoline, diesel fuel, butane, methane, hydrogen, LNG, natural gas, ethanol, and the like. 
         [0042]      FIG. 1  depicts a conventional method of unloading a freight car  1  or truck (not shown) using a conveyor belt driven apparatus, sometimes referred to as a pugmill  10 . A pan  16  of the pugmill  10  is positioned beneath a sliding hopper gate door  20  of the freight car  1 . A cart  17 , upon which the pugmill  10  rides, is locked into position holding a boom  18  to deposit the material  12  into a waiting truck  15 . The pugmill  10  could just as easily unload the freight car  1  to another freight car (not shown), or a truck to another truck (also not shown). Since trucks and grain trailers also have bottom doors  20  for quickly releasing their loads, hereinafter the term “gate door”  20  will be used generically to mean any type of sliding hopper gate door  20  in the context of a freight car and any bottom door for any other transport vehicles, including trucks and grain trailers. 
         [0043]      FIG. 2  depicts another conventional method of unloading a freight car  1  or truck (not shown) using another type of pugmill  30  that employs a hydraulic cylinder  19  to control a boom  18 . Here, a pan  16  of the pugmill  30  is positioned beneath a sliding hopper gate door  20  of the freight car  1 . Another type of cart  29 , upon which the pugmill  30  rides, supports the boom  18  and hydraulic cylinder  19  which controls holding the boom  18  to deposit the material  12  into the waiting truck  15  or a freight car (not shown). The pugmill  30  could just as easily unload the freight car  1  to another freight car (not shown), or a truck to another truck (also not shown). 
         [0044]      FIG. 3  shows still another conventional method of unloading a freight car  1  using a pugmill  30  and a hydraulic jack  25  used to jack up the freight car  1  so the pugmill  30  can fit under a sliding hopper car gate door  20 . 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0045]    In the material that follows, the terms “unloading means” and “loading means” refer to the structure and tools used and described hereinafter for unloading bulk materials to an improved grain elevator apparatus and loading bulk materials from an improved grain elevator apparatus, respectively.  FIG. 4  is an example of a possible embodiment of an improved grain elevator apparatus  100  in the network of the present invention (not shown), which is here shown having only four silos  11  for illustration, but any number of silos  11  is contemplated within each grain elevator apparatus  100 . Note that the space occupying the middle of the improved grain elevator  100  directly under hopper scale  9  and scale floor  58 , where dry bulk materials  12  are depicted, is not a silo but is formed by the union of the silos  11  on each of its sides. Here we have a first bladder  112  in a silo  11  or an enclosure therein (not shown) specifically designed for storing and distributing, in this case liquefied natural gas (LNG)  12   a , a special liquid bulk material because it is under high pressure.  FIG. 4  also shows a new method of unloading bulk materials of any kind optionally, or indeed simultaneously, from at least one incoming ship  2 , freight car  1  or truck  15 . One can imagine water  12   c  being pumped in by a first incoming pumping station  59  through a first incoming liquid pipeline  77   c  from a nearby lake or reservoir (not shown) into at least one of the two enclosures  78  depicted within a third bladder system  124 . Incoming pipelines are  77   a ,  77   b ,  77   c  and  77   d  and are in this example for high pressure gases like LNG  77   a , low pressure gases like natural gas  12   b  stored in a second bladder  116 , liquids  12   c  through pipeline  77   c  and special liquids like ethanol  12   d  stored in enclosures of a fourth bladder system  120 . In like manner, low-pressure gases, like natural gas  12   b  may use a first incoming gas pipeline specially suited for low-pressure gases using incoming pipeline  77   b  and a second incoming pumping station  60 . At the same time that any number of unloading stations  278  are unloading dry bulk  12  (no bladder) through a horizontal drag conveyor  5  which transports the dry bulk material  12 , which in this example would be corn or cellulosic materials used to make ethanol, to a boot  6  of a vertical bucket elevator  7 . The vertical bucket elevator  7  then carries the material  12  to a scale floor  58  where it is caught in a garner  8 . The garner  8  can feed a hopper scale  9  up to a pre-defined weight, or weighing can be skipped. Then the material  12  is released to the spout floor  39  by force of gravity, where it may be dropped again by force of gravity directly to load out spouts  14  for the loading of outgoing ships  97 , trucks  99  or freight cars  98 . Outgoing pipelines  177   a ,  177   b ,  177   c  and  177   d  can use loading stations  277  in similar fashion, but in the example of  FIG. 4 , only our second (from left to right) outgoing pipeline  177   b  actually uses a second outgoing pumping station  62  (also from left to right) for pumping since its material is natural gas  12   b  in the example, and natural gas needs to be pumped while loading at some point. Since the other three bulk materials are liquids in the example of  FIG. 4  (i.e. LNG  12   a  in a first outgoing pipeline  177   a , water  12   c  in a third outgoing pipeline  177   c , and ethanol  12   d  in a fourth outgoing pipeline  177   d ). Force of gravity does most of the work of pumping for liquids, just as it does for dry bulk materials  FIG. 4 ,  12 , again to a certain point, where a third outgoing pumping station  61 , for example, may need to be used to move residual water  12   c , or there may be back pressure in a third outgoing pipeline  177   c  (again from left to right in  FIG. 4 ). Our example shows ethanol  12   d  using a fourth outgoing pipeline  177   d  and a fourth outgoing pumping station (not numbered in  FIG. 4 ) to load a tanker  97 , a truck  99  and a ship  97 . Natural gas  12   b  using a second outgoing pipeline  177   b  and a second outgoing pumping station  62  to load any number of transport vehicles in any number of loading stations  277 , and also onward through an outgoing land based pipeline system  300 . Note the incoming land based pipeline system  301  and all other incoming liquid pipelines  77   a ,  77   c  and  77   d  will all require pumping stations since they must move the liquid materials to the top of the silos  11  to unload them from their respective transport vehicles. At ground level is a room  40 , which is generally used as a service area devoted to receiving equipment and controls for operating the improved grain elevators  100  in an improved grain elevator network (not shown) and can also serve as a warehouse or office. 
         [0046]    In order to unload dry bulk materials  12  according to the present invention,  FIG. 5  shows unloading means suitable for the task. A pneumatic hopper car gate door opener  41  is used in this example (but any method of opening the sliding hopper car gate door  20  is contemplated as an equivalent in this step) to unlatch the sliding hopper car gate door(s)  20 . After a freight car  1  or a truck (not shown) is parked at the appropriate spot in an unloading station  FIG. 4 ,  278  over a receiver bin  FIG. 5 ,  3 , the door opener  41  uses a hydraulic pump  49 , which is powered by compressed air through line  42 . The hydraulic pump  49  powers a motor  40 , which actuates the shaft  48  unlocking the sliding hopper car gate door(s)  20 . The materials  12  then travel through the conveyor belt housing  4  onto a horizontal drag conveyor  5 . 
         [0047]      FIG. 4  shows the apparatus and distribution processes of the present invention using a single improved grain elevator, but one can imagine many improved grain elevators in the grain elevator distribution network (not shown) of the present invention working in similar fashion showing barges  97 , trucks  99  or freight cars  98  with dry bulk materials  12  temporarily stored in improved grain elevators  100 , and potentially unlimited simultaneous unloading and loading (transloading) in both directions through the apparatus. Under another embodiment of the present invention that demonstrates both unloading means and loading means, a barge  97 , a truck  99  or freight car  98  may be directly loaded from an unloading transport vehicle. In the example of  FIG. 4 , a freight car  1  is unloaded in the following fashion (unloading means): dry bulk materials are dropped from the freight car  1 , into a receiver bin  FIG. 5 ,  3  and the horizontal drag conveyor  5  transports the bulk materials  12  to the boot  6  of a vertical bucket elevator  7 . The vertical bucket elevator  7  then carries the material to the scale floor  58  where it is caught in the garner  8 . The garner  8  feeds the hopper scale  9  up to a pre-defined weight or weighing may be skipped. Then the material falls to the spout floor  39 , where it may be sent directly to load out spouts  14  from an enclosure directly under the hopper scale  9  formed by its surrounding silos  11  for the loading of barges  97 , trucks  99  or freight cars  98  (loading means). 
         [0048]    Another embodiment of the present invention loads (another loading means) barges  97 , trucks  99  and freight cars  98  with dry bulk materials  12  that have been temporarily stored in silos  11  within the improved grain elevators throughout the network in the following fashion: near the bottom of the silos  11 , there is a ducting system (not shown) that allows the discharge from any particular silo  11 . The discharge is channeled by a distribution system (also not shown) to the boot  6  of the vertical bucket elevator  7  and carried to the garner  8  near the top of the grain elevators  100  in the network. The garner  8  then delivers the bulk materials  12  to the hopper scale  9  up to a pre-defined weight or weighing can be skipped. The bulk materials  12  then fall to the spout floor  39 , where they may be sent to the load out spout(s)  14  for loading into barges  97 , truck(s)  99  or freight car(s)  98 . At this point, a truck scale can measure the weight of the bulk materials so the improved grain elevators  100  can issue a document showing the weight of the various transport vehicles, thereby complying with shipping regulations. 
         [0049]      FIG. 6  depicts an isolated view of the example of  FIG. 4  demonstrating the unloading means for liquids or gaseous bulk materials of any kind optionally, or indeed simultaneously, from at least one incoming freight car  1  and at least one land pipeline  301 . In this case, liquefied natural gas (LNG)  12   a , natural gas (LP)  12   b , water  12   c , and ethanol  12   d , can be unloaded into improved silos  11  (hereinafter, the phrase “improved silos  11 ” is used alternatively with the phrase “silos  11 ” to emphasize use of bladders in an improved grain elevator network) containing bladders  112 ,  116 ,  124  and  120 , respectively, custom made to the each type of bulk material. The materials arrive by rail tanker car  1  (generically, freight car is used, but rail tanker car places emphasis on the type of bulk materials) or by land pipeline  301  (“incoming land based pipeline” or “land based pipeline” are alternative expression). Neither ethanol  12   d , nor liquefied natural gas (LNG)  12   a  are transported by land based pipelines  301 . Unloading means by way of incoming pipelines  77   a ,  77   b ,  77   c  and  77   d  can use land based pipelines  301  as transport vehicles, but should not be confused with land pipeline systems. These are pipelines internal to the improved grain elevator, which offload and transport the various materials into the improved silos  11 . As stated for this example, high pressure gases like LNG  12   a , are offloaded from bulk carrier rail tank car  1  (freight car) via a first pumping control system  59   a  appropriate for this purpose and sent through pipeline  77   a  to be stored in a first bladder or bladder system  112 . 
         [0050]    Low pressure gases like natural gas (LP)  12   b , are offloaded from bulk carrier rail tank car  1  (freight car), or from land pipeline  301 , by a second pumping control system  60  appropriate for this purpose and sent through pipeline  77   b  to be stored in a second bladder or bladder system  116 . Stable liquids such as water  12   c  would be offloaded primarily from land pipelines  301 , usually from a nearby lake or reservoir (not shown), or under certain conditions offloaded from freight cars. Either source could supply water  12   c  by a third pumping control system  59   b  especially adapted for this purpose and sent through pipeline  77   c  to be stored in a third bladder or bladder system  124  which, in this example is composed of two bladder subsystems  124   a  and  124   b  ( 124   a  and  124   b  are simple examples of enclosures within a silo  11 , and there can be any number of these enclosures for bladders to occupy). Special liquids like ethanol  12   d  are offloaded from freight cars  1  by a fourth pumping control system  59   c , specifically adapted for this purpose and sent through pipeline  77   d  to be stored in a fourth bladder or bladder system  120  which, in this example is composed of two bladder subsystems  120   a  and  120   b.    
         [0051]    The specific usage of improved silos  11  and bladders or bladder systems  112 ,  116 ,  124 ,  120  demand that their use be designated for silos fitted to accommodate specific materials for which specialized bladders  120 ,  124 ,  112 ,  116  and appropriate measuring (not shown), monitoring (not shown), and handling devices such as pumping control systems  59   a ,  60 ,  59   b ,  59   c  would be created and installed. 
         [0052]    In the case of LNG, its unloading means is a pumping system  59   a  appropriate for the pumping of LNG would be the unloading means used to offload the material from the incoming LNG freight car  1 , and transport the material via dedicated (internal) pipeline  77   a  into a silo  11  containing bladder system  112  specifically created for this purpose in choice of materials used to construct the bladder system  112 . Here we have a first bladder or bladder system  112  in a silo  11  (or an enclosure therein, not shown) specifically designed for storing and distributing liquefied natural gas (LNG)  12   a . LNG is a special liquid bulk material because it must be stored and transported under high pressure. A very large steel pressure tank within a single silo  11 , or several pressure tanks occupying enclosures within a single bin or silo  11  would be a preferred construction for bladder system(s)  112  optionally having electronically controlled pressure valves (not shown), electronic pressure gauges (not shown), and associated monitoring equipment (not shown) for maintaining the appropriate conditions for LNG bladders  112 . All pressure, temperature, and moisture critical elements would be monitored and controlled from within a central control facility  FIG. 4 ,  40 . 
         [0053]    In the case of ethanol  12   d , its unloading means is a specialized pumping system  59   c , pipeline  77   d , measuring device (not shown), and bladder system  120  would be required for handling problems arising from the unique chemical characteristics of ethanol. Ethanol cannot be transported through oil and gasoline pipelines because it absorbs moisture and impurities. Currently, movement of ethanol through steel pipelines leads to stress corrosion cracking in the pipes and welds. It has been estimated that the average cost of constructing a conventional land based pipeline that transports fuels like gasoline is about $1 million per mile. It will cost more to make ethanol pipelines, since they would have to be made waterproof and resistive to the corrosive effects of the ethanol itself. Therefore, the present invention may be crucial to ethanol&#39;s viability as an alternate fuel source. 
         [0054]      FIG. 7  depicts an isolated view of the present invention demonstrating the loading means of various liquids or gaseous bulk materials, in this case, liquefied natural gas (LNG)  12   a , natural gas (LP)  12   b , water  12   c , and ethanol  12   d , from improved silos  11 .  FIG. 7  also shows a new method of loading liquid or gaseous bulk materials  12  of any kind optionally, or indeed simultaneously, to at least one outgoing freight car  1 , at least one land pipeline  300  and at least one outgoing transport barge  97  (ship). Neither ethanol  12   d  nor liquefied natural gas (LNG)  12   a  are presently transported by land pipelines  300 , so it is unlikely these materials would be transported by current land based pipelines  300 , but if new pipelines are layed for ethanol the present invention contemplates transporting it through any such new land based pipelines, and this applies to any other bulk materials. Outgoing pipelines are  177   a ,  177   b ,  177   c  and  177   d , which transport the various materials from the improved silos  11 . In the case of transport barge  97 , a load out spout  14  can load dry bulk materials  12 . As stated for this example, high pressure gases like LNG  12   a  are loaded to rail tank car  1  via a first pumping control system  61   a  especially constructed and adapted for this purpose and sent through first pipeline  177   a  from a first bladder or bladder system  112 . Low pressure gases like natural gas (LP)  12   b  are loaded to rail tank car  1 , to land pipeline  300 , or via a second pumping control system  62  constructed especially for this purpose and sent through second pipeline  177   b  from a second bladder or bladder system  116 . Stable liquids like water  12   c  can be loaded through a land pipeline  300 . Loading means for water  12   c  could be by loading to rail tank car  1  through a third pipeline  177   c  or by a third pumping control system  61   b  especially constructed for this purpose and sent through third pipeline  177   c  from a third bladder or bladder system  124  which, in this example is composed of two bladder subsystems  124   a  and  124   b . Again transport barge  97  could be loaded with dry bulk materials  12  via load out spout  14  simultaneously or optionally. Special liquids like ethanol  12   d  are loaded to freight cars  1  via a fourth pumping control system  61   c  especially constructed for this purpose and sent through a fourth pipeline  177   d  from a fourth bladder or bladder system  120  which, in this example is composed of two bladder subsystems  120   a  and  120   b.    
         [0055]    The specific usage of improved silos  11  and bladders or bladder systems  112 ,  116 ,  124 ,  120  demand that their use be designated for silos  11  fitted to accommodate specific materials for which specialized bladders  120 ,  124 ,  112 ,  116  and appropriate measuring (not shown), monitoring (not shown), and handling devices such as pumping control systems  61   a ,  62 ,  61   b ,  61   c  would be created and installed. 
         [0056]    In the case of LNG  12   a , its loading means is a pumping system  61   a  specially constructed for pumping LNG would be used to load the material to the outgoing LNG rail tanker car  1 , and transport the material via dedicated pipeline  177   a  from a silo  11  containing bladder system  112  specifically created for this purpose. Here we have a first bladder or bladder system  112  in a silo  11  or an enclosure therein (not shown) specifically designed for storing and distributing liquefied natural gas (LNG)  12   a , a special liquid bulk material because it is under high pressure. Again a large steel pressure tank (not shown) as the bladder system  112  is contemplated with electronically controlled pressure valves (not shown), electronic pressure gauges (not shown), and associated monitoring equipment (not shown) for maintaining the appropriate conditions for LNG bladder(s)  112 . Likewise, all pressure, temperature, and moisture critical elements could be monitored and controlled from within a central control facility  FIG. 4 ,  40 . 
         [0057]    In the case of ethanol  12   d , its loading means is a specialized pumping system  61   c , pipeline  177   d , measuring device (not shown), and bladder system  120  would be required specifically constructed for the storage and transport of ethanol. Ethanol cannot be transported through oil and gasoline pipelines because it absorbs moisture and impurities. Currently, movement of ethanol through steel pipelines leads to stress corrosion cracking in the pipes and welds. It has been estimated that the average cost of constructing a conventional line that transports fuels such as gasoline is about $1 million per mile. It will cost more to make ethanol pipelines, since they would have to be made waterproof and resistive to the corrosive effects of the material itself. Therefore, the present invention may be crucial to ethanol&#39;s viability as an alternate fuel source, but if ethanol pipelines are constructed across the nation, the present invention contemplates loading into them as an alternative embodiment. 
         [0058]      FIG. 8  shows a map that depicts an embodiment of the present invention of an improved network of improved grain elevators  100  relating to the Ottawa/Saint Louis unit train example above. The process described therein describes a unit train departing Ottawa, Ill. with its cargo of fracturing sand which was transloaded from a nearby sand quarry by trucks  FIG. 4 ,  15  through an improved grain elevator  100  nearest the quarry en route to another improved grain elevator  100  in the improved network in Fort Worth, Tex. where the bulk materials  12 , in this case fracturing sand, will be unloaded from the freight cars  FIG. 4 ,  1  and loaded to trucks  15  for delivery to local natural gas drilling sites using outgoing transport vehicles  FIG. 4 ,  99 . The incoming freight cars  1  are returned to the shipping company and the demurrage fees are minimized.  FIG. 8  discloses many abandoned grain elevators across the nation that will be modified to be improved grain elevators  100 . They are grouped in the hundreds all across the country. This embodiment of the present invention converts the otherwise useless grain elevators into huge warehouses in an improved nationwide distribution network of improved grain elevators  100  capable of handling any kind of bulk materials, and which can accommodate the contents of potentially thousands of freight cars  1  at any one location. The foregoing map provides a basic example of the layout of an improved grain elevator distribution network whereupon each grain elevator was improved by introducing at least one bladder to conventional grain elevators, with configurations of bladders for various bulk materials as simple or as complex as the type of bulk material requires. 
         [0059]      FIG. 9  is a map showing another embodiment of the present invention where the improved network of improved grain elevators  100  of the present invention is spread out across the country. Randomly selected locations of improved grain elevators  100  are depicted as an example of an improved network of grain elevators  100 , and where applicable, the different types of bulk materials are placed on the map at different geographic locations across the country where the different kinds of bulk materials  12  can be found in abundance. LNG is imported, so it is depicted in  FIG. 9  at the sea based improved grain elevators at or near major national ports. Railroad links between six different improved grain elevators  100  in the improved network shown by the map of  FIG. 9  demonstrates how, in this case, dry bulk materials  12  are quickly distributed from any improved grain elevator  100  location in the network to any other improved grain elevator  100  location in the network. For example, the need for coal  12  in the state of Washington could require shipments from Texas. In the example shown, coal could be shipped to Kansas, and meet up with a shipment from Colorado to continue on to Washington. The immediate commercial success exemplified by the fracturing sand example of  FIG. 9  shows why utilizing this inexpensive temporary storage, abundantly available in improved grain elevators  100 , to store liquids and gaseous materials by means of systems of bladders combined with the flexibility to change configurations as demand for bulk materials changes, has merit. Similar scenarios can be contemplated using bulk materials ethanol and hydrogen as well.  FIGS. 8 and 9  are only cursory studies as to the location of improved grain elevators  100  and the states that are the largest producers of the various bulk materials shown. “Just in time inventory” information management system techniques can be employed so that any, arriving transport vehicle throughout the nationwide network of improved grain elevators  100  depicted by the map of  FIGS. 8-9  will be automatically assigned to link up deliveries with pickups, where a three way nexus is achieved among locations chosen having abundant availability of the various bulk materials involved for all outstanding delivery orders, availability and cost of alternative transport vehicles that can service those locations, and the available capacity of silo enclosure space and congestion at improved grain elevators  100  nearest those locations. 
         [0060]    While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in connection with specific embodiments hereof, and in specific methods of use, various modifications thereof may occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. 
         [0061]    The terms and expressions which have been employed in this specification are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention whatsoever to exclude any equivalents of the features shown and described, or portions thereof. It is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention as claimed. Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments, other alternative embodiments are possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred embodiments in this disclosure, nor the alternative embodiments, contained herein.