Spherical Ceramic Proppant for Hydraulic Fracturing Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Commercial proppants used in hydraulic fracturing often have insufficient sphericity, which reduces the free flow area between proppant grains, thereby decreasing the formation fluid flow rate through the proppant pack.
Innovation Solution
Developing a proppant with an almost perfect spherical shape, manufactured from ceramic materials like silica, alumina, and aluminum silicates with metal oxide additives, and produced using a dish nodulizer and tunnel kilns to ensure uniform size and shape, enhancing the interstitial flow passages and reducing the beta-factor for fluid flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional proppant manufacturing methods are used, then production cost and ease of manufacture are improved, but proppant sphericity is insufficient which reduces formation fluid flow rate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the spheroidality principle by manufacturing proppant grains with perfect spherical shape (sphericity close to 1.0) rather than conventional irregular or oval shapes. This is achieved through a multi-step process including crushing, screening, and tumbling in a ball mill to progressively round the grains. The spherical shape creates more uniform interstitial spaces between grains, significantly improving formation fluid flow rate through the proppant pack while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through established mechanical processing techniques.
2Productivity
If proppant grains with higher sphericity are used, then free flow area between grains increases, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing multiple preparatory steps before final sizing: initial crushing to reduce grain size, coarse screening to remove oversize material, and tumbling in a ball mill to pre-round the grains. These preliminary actions prepare the grains for the final precision sizing step, making it easier to achieve the target sphericity and uniform size distribution without requiring excessively tight tolerances in a single operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The manufacturing process is segmented into distinct stages: crushing, coarse screening, tumbling/rounding, fine screening, and final tumbling. Each stage performs a specific function and progressively improves grain sphericity and uniformity. This segmentation allows each process step to be optimized independently and makes the overall manufacturing process more controllable and reproducible.
3Productivity
If proppant grains are made more spherical, then permeability of proppant pack increases, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The ball mill serves multiple functions: it acts as both the rounding device (tumbling grains to create spherical shape) and the sizing device (controlling final grain size through screen selection). This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized equipment for each process step, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while still achieving the desired spherical grain morphology and size uniformity for improved permeability.
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 use of perfectly spherical proppants increases the well production by creating a uniform capillary network, reducing flow turbulization and pressure drop, leading to higher fluid flow velocities and increased permeability, resulting in improved well productivity.
Implementation Method 1
produced using a dish nodulizer and tunnel kilns to ensure uniform size and shape
Implementation Method 2
creates a uniform capillary network, reducing flow turbulization and pressure drop
Data Source
AI summary
This invention relates to the oil and gas industry and can be used to prevent fracture closure by pumping special particulates (proppant) into the fracture after reservoir hydraulic fracturing. According to the invention, the proppant is particulates of sintered ceramic material which are shaped ideal spheres. The use of this type of proppant may increase the well production by 25%.