Multifunctional Proppant Coatings for Friction Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current fracturing fluid technologies face challenges such as friction losses, dust suppression, and equipment wear due to abrasive proppants, high energy demands, and reduced performance in high TDS brines, along with issues of dust exposure and cationic ion interference, which affect the efficiency and safety of hydraulic fracturing operations.
Innovation Solution
A multifunctional coating comprising a hydro-dual-phobic feature applied to proppants, combining lubricant fluids, hydrophobic/hydrophilic domain materials, hydrogel polymers, emulsifiers, and cross-linking agents, which can be applied without drying and provides anti-blocking, friction-reducing, and dust-suppressing properties, enhancing the transport of proppants through wellbores with reduced energy consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If friction reducer chemicals are used to reduce energy losses, then energy efficiency improves, but the chemicals are sensitive to divalent cations and trivalent compounds causing reduced performance in high TDS brines
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the chemical structure of friction reducers by introducing salt-tolerant polymer compositions and cross-linking mechanisms that maintain performance in high TDS environments. The chemical parameters are changed to resist cationic interference while preserving drag reduction capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite polymer systems combining multiple friction reducer chemicals with complementary properties. This composite approach creates a synergistic effect that enhances both friction reduction and salt tolerance, overcoming the limitations of single-chemical systems.
2Productivity
If proppants are transported at high flow rates to achieve desirable treatment, then treatment effectiveness improves, but friction losses increase requiring additional horsepower
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical energy input (high horsepower pumps) with chemical energy input (friction reducer additives). The chemical modifiers change fluid characteristics to reduce friction, substituting chemical mechanisms for mechanical force to achieve the same transport effectiveness.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If resin coated sands or self-suspending proppants are used to reduce dust, then dust suppression improves, but manufacturing complexity increases requiring drying operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the dust suppression function from complex multi-step manufacturing processes and concentrates it into a single additive component. The friction reducer chemical itself provides dust suppression properties, eliminating the need for separate coating and drying operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a multi-functional additive that simultaneously provides friction reduction, dust suppression, and salt tolerance. This universal chemical serves multiple purposes that were previously requiring separate treatments and processing steps.
4Force
If hydratable friction reducer additives are used, then friction reduction improves, but they degrade in presence of divalent cations and trivalent compounds
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of friction reducers by introducing cross-linking mechanisms and salt-tolerant polymer structures. These compositional changes maintain the hydrophilic properties needed for friction reduction while adding resistance to cationic degradation.
Data Source
AI summary
Multifunctional coatings and chemical additives, comprising of lubricant, micro/nano-textured particles, emulsifiers, hydrogel polymers, cross-linking agent to modify the hydrogel polymers, antimicrobial to preserve the bio-based materials, and water solvent, are useful in hydraulic fracturing operation either directly applied on the surface of proppants, or/and mixed with other friction reducer additives to totally or partially substitute the regular friction reducer chemicals, alternatively, as additive components blended or mixed into regular fracturing fluid for easily pumping proppants downhole and stabilizing the pumping pressure; beneficial to the well productivity, effectively suppress and mitigate the risk of respirable microcrystalline dust as the coated materials are transported and handled in the manufacturing plant, terminal, and oil application fields without a need for drying operation on the coating products.