Low-Density Proppant from Oil-Based Mud Wastes
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-density ceramsite proppants used in hydraulic fracturing lead to settling issues, affecting proppant migration and fracture flow capacity, while oil-based mud wastes from shale gas drilling pose environmental hazards requiring effective treatment and resource utilization.
Innovation Solution
A method to prepare low-density proppants using oil-based mud wastes, involving analysis of waste composition, addition of viscosity modifiers, framework materials, and pore-forming agents, followed by ball milling, pressure spray granulation, dehydrogenation, and sintering in a vacuum furnace to produce silicon carbide-based proppants with reduced density and enhanced strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If high-density ceramsite proppant is used to ensure compressive strength, then fracture support capability is improved, but proppant migration capacity deteriorates due to high settling velocity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a pore-forming agent (starch) into the proppant preparation process, creating controlled porous structures within the ceramsite particles. This reduces the overall density of the proppant while maintaining structural integrity, thereby decreasing settling velocity and improving migration capacity during hydraulic fracturing, while still achieving required compressive strength through optimized sintering parameters
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite proppant material combining traditional ceramsite components (clay, sand) with pore-forming agents and bonding materials. This composite structure allows optimization of both mechanical properties and density characteristics, achieving a balance between compressive strength and low density that resolves the contradiction between support capability and migration capacity
2Device complexity
If oil-based mud wastes are discharged directly to simplify waste management, then operational complexity is reduced, but environmental pollution worsens due to hazardous constituents
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms hazardous oil-based mud waste into valuable proppant material through a series of processing steps including drying, ball milling, classification, and sintering. The waste stream containing harmful constituents is converted into a useful product that meets proppant specifications, thereby eliminating environmental pollution while creating economic value from what would otherwise be a disposal problem
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a waste recovery system where oil-based mud waste is collected, processed, and recovered as reusable proppant material. This closed-loop approach prevents harmful discharge into the environment while recovering valuable components, transforming a linear waste disposal model into a circular economy model that benefits both the environment and operations
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 resulting low-density proppants exhibit improved migration and fracture flow capabilities, meeting industrial standards with particle sizes of 0.2-1.0 mm, apparent densities of 1.8-2.5 g/cm3, and compressive strengths of 35-60 MPa, while effectively treating hazardous wastes and promoting environmental sustainability.
Implementation Method 1
the proppant pellet billet is subjected to dehydrogenation reaction and carbide reaction pre-sintering in a vacuum reaction furnace
Implementation Method 2
the proppant pellet billet is subjected to dehydrogenation reaction and carbide reaction pre-sintering in a vacuum reaction furnace
Implementation Method 3
finally subjected to final sintering in a protective atmosphere, thereby obtaining the low-density proppant
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention discloses a method for preparing a low-density proppant by taking oil-based mud wastes as raw materials. The method includes following steps: S1, determining content of oils, silicon oxide, alumina and water in the oil-based mud wastes; S2, adding a viscosity modifier, a framework material and a pore-forming agent into oil-based mud wastes so as to obtain mixed slurry; S3, performing ball milling on mixed slurry to form powder, granulating and drying the powder, and forming a proppant pellet billet; S4, performing dehydrogenation pre-sintering on the pellet billet, and performing carbide reaction pre-sintering; and S5, performing final sintering in a natural gas protective atmosphere, thereby obtaining the low-density proppant that takes silicon carbide as the framework material. In the present invention, the low-density proppant is prepared by taking the oil-based mud wastes produced in a drilling process as the raw materials, thereby recycling the oil-based mud wastes.