Ceramic Proppant Droplet Casting for Low-Porosity Pellet Strength
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for producing ceramic proppant particles result in a wide range of sizes, porosities, and surface roughness, leading to reduced strength and effectiveness in hydraulic fracturing due to high stress conditions in deep wells.
Innovation Solution
A drip casting process using a vibration-induced nozzle to form uniform ceramic proppant particles with controlled size and low porosity, eliminating the need for sol-gel reactions and gas-free fall zones, resulting in spherical particles with minimal surface roughness and improved mechanical strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional spray fluidized bed or dry mixing methods are used to form ceramic proppant pellets, then production efficiency is improved, but the pellets exhibit wide size distribution, high porosity, and rough surfaces leading to reduced strength
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies mechanical vibration to a liquid ceramic slurry in a pan, causing the slurry to form uniform spherical droplets that solidify into pellets with consistent size, low porosity, and smooth surfaces. The vibration frequency and amplitude are controlled to optimize pellet formation, achieving both high production efficiency and superior pellet strength without the wide size distribution characteristic of conventional spray or dry mixing methods.
2Manufacturing precision
If vibration-induced dripping is used to form uniform pellets, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity increases due to vibration mechanism requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a relatively simple vibration mechanism consisting of a pan mounted on vibration generators that oscillate at controlled frequencies and amplitudes. This approach achieves high manufacturing precision in terms of pellet size uniformity, porosity control, and surface smoothness while avoiding the complexity of sophisticated spray systems or multi-component dry mixing apparatus. The vibration parameters can be easily adjusted to produce different pellet sizes as needed.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The process produces proppant particles with enhanced mechanical strength, reduced pore size, and uniform size distribution, maintaining high permeability and conductivity under high stress conditions, thereby improving the effectiveness of hydraulic fracturing.
Implementation Method 1
A drip casting process using a vibration-induced nozzle to form uniform ceramic proppant particles
Implementation Method 2
drip casting process using a vibration-induced nozzle to form uniform ceramic proppant particles with controlled size and low porosity
Implementation Method 3
sintered ceramic proppant particles formed from vibration-induced dripping from a nozzle of a slurry
Data Source
AI summary
Proppant particles formed from slurry droplets and methods of use are disclosed herein. The proppant particles can include a sintered ceramic material and can have a size of about 80 mesh to about 10 mesh and an average largest pore size of less than about 20 microns. The methods of use can include injecting a hydraulic fluid into a subterranean formation at a rate and pressure sufficient to open a fracture therein and injecting a fluid containing a proppant particle into the fracture, the proppant particle including a sintered ceramic material, a size of about 80 mesh to about 10 mesh, and an average largest pore size of less than about 20 microns.