Hydrating Polymer-Coated Proppants for Fracturing Fluids
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current oil well fracturing methods are resource-intensive, requiring significant time, energy, and resources for mixing and incorporating polymers into fracturing fluids, which hampers efficiency and productivity.
Innovation Solution
A composition comprising a substrate (such as sand or ceramic sand) coated with a hydrating polymer, which is mixed into drilling fluids, allowing for immediate transport and absorption of water, reducing friction and settling, and effectively propping open fractures without the need for extensive mixing or heating.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If polymers are mixed into fracturing fluids using conventional methods, then the fracturing fluid achieves proper viscosity and flow properties, but the process requires significant time, energy, and resources for mixing and incorporating materials
Solution Approach 1:
The polymer is pre-coated onto the proppant substrate particles before they are introduced into the fracturing fluid. This preliminary coating action eliminates the need for time-consuming mixing and incorporation processes, as the polymer is already in position to perform its function when the proppant particles are deployed in the fracture.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite proppant particles consisting of a substrate (such as sand or ceramic) coated with a polymer layer. This composite structure combines the mechanical support function of the substrate with the friction reduction and flow modification functions of the polymer, achieving multiple objectives in a single material that requires no additional mixing.
2Ease of operation
If conventional fracturing fluids are used without pre-coated polymers, then the fluid can be pumped into the formation, but the polymers require extensive mixing and heating to achieve proper absorption and flow characteristics
Solution Approach 1:
The polymer coating is applied to the proppant particles in advance, so that when these pre-prepared particles are introduced into the fracturing fluid, the polymer is already in position to reduce friction and modify flow characteristics. This eliminates the need for energy-intensive mixing and heating processes that would otherwise be required to incorporate the polymer into the fluid.
3Speed
If proppants are introduced without attached polymer, then the proppants can be easily transported, but the frictional drag is insufficient to sweep the proppants into the fracture flow effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The proppant particles are made as composites with a polymer-coated surface. The polymer layer provides sufficient frictional drag to ensure the proppants are effectively swept into the fracture flow by the fracturing fluid, while the substrate provides the necessary mechanical strength and propping function. This composite structure optimizes both transport efficiency and fracture propping capability.
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
This approach significantly reduces the time and energy required for fracturing operations, enhances the homogeneity of fluid flow, and ensures that proppants are effectively deposited in fractures, maintaining their openness for better oil extraction.
Implementation Method 1
a hydrating polymer, which is mixed into drilling fluids, allowing for immediate transport and absorption of water
Implementation Method 2
the surface area, and consequently the frictional drag, is greatly increased, sweeping the material of the invention into a flow of fluid
Implementation Method 3
a substrate that may be formed of sand, rock product, ceramic sand, gravel, or other hard and structurally strong materials, provided with a binder to temporarily or permanently secure a hydrating polymer in proximity to the substrated
Data Source
AI summary
A method for improving the performance of fracturing processes in oil production fields may rely on polymer coated particles carried in the fracturing fluid. The particles may include heavy substrates, such as sand, ceramic sand, or the like coated with polymers selected to absorb water, increasing the area and volume to travel more readily with the flow of fluid without settling out, or allowing the substrate to settle out. Ultimately, the substrate may become lodged in the fissures formed by the pressure or hydraulic fracturing, resulting in propping open of the fissures for improved productivity.