Resin-Coated Proppant Two-Step Consolidation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Hydraulically fractured wells, especially unconventional wells, face significant proppant flowback issues, which impact production and damage equipment, as existing methods fail to effectively prevent proppant from flowing back into the wellbore.
Innovation Solution
The method involves coating proppant with a resin and using a separate activator to displace the coated proppant into fractures during hydraulic fracturing, allowing for separate pumping steps to prevent resin curing in equipment and ensuring effective proppant placement and consolidation in the subterranean formation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If proppant is suspended in fracturing fluid for hydraulic fracturing, then proppant is deposited in fractures to maintain conductivity, but proppant flowback occurs impacting production and damaging equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The resin is coated onto the proppant particles before the hydraulic fracturing operation begins. This preliminary coating creates a protective layer that will later be activated to bind proppant particles together, preventing flowback during subsequent production phases
Solution Approach 2:
The resin undergoes a parameter change from uncured (pumpable) to cured (binding) state through the addition of an activator. This transformation changes the resin's properties from fluid to solid, enabling it to bind proppant particles and prevent flowback while allowing easy pumping during the fracturing operation
2Manufacturing precision
If resin is mixed with proppant and activator in advance, then proppant particles are coated with resin, but resin may cure in pumping and mixing equipment causing operational issues
Solution Approach 1:
The process is segmented into separate steps: first, resin is pumped and coated onto proppant particles without the activator; second, the activator is added later to trigger curing. This segmentation prevents premature curing in equipment while ensuring uniform coating on proppant particles
Solution Approach 2:
The activator serves as an intermediary that triggers the curing process only when needed. By separating the resin application from the curing activation, the system maintains equipment operability while achieving the desired proppant coating and subsequent binding function
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 proppant flowback, enhancing well production by maintaining proppant conductivity within the fractures and minimizing equipment damage, particularly beneficial in unconventional formations like shale.
Implementation Method 1
coating resin onto proppant
Implementation Method 2
pumping an activator for the resin into the wellbore
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are directed to proppant flowback control. A method includes coating resin onto proppant at a well site and pumping the coated proppant into a wellbore during a fracking operation. The method further includes pumping an activator for the resin into the wellbore to displace the coated proppant into at least one fracture during the fracking operation. The pumping of the coated proppant and the pumping of the activator are performed separately.