Wet Proppant Freezing Point Suppression Additive
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wetted proppants with high water content pose operational challenges due to freezing issues at sub-freezing temperatures, limiting their use in hydraulic fracturing operations.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and method that estimate the water fraction in wetted proppants and apply a freezing point suppression additive to prevent solidification, allowing the use of wet proppants in sub-freezing conditions by determining the environmental temperature and adjusting the additive proportion accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If wetted proppant is used to reduce drying costs and improve flowability, then equipment complexity and operational costs are reduced, but the proppant freezes at sub-freezing temperatures limiting its usability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies freezing point depression by adding soluble substances (salt, sugar, alcohol) to the wetted proppant. This changes the physical parameter of the water's freezing point, allowing the proppant to remain usable at sub-freezing temperatures. The additive modifies the phase transition temperature of the moisture in the proppant, resolving the contradiction between maintaining wet state for flowability and preventing freezing at low temperatures.
Solution Approach 2:
The freezing point depression additive acts as an intermediary substance between the water in the wetted proppant and the cold environment. It mediates the interaction by altering the water's properties, preventing direct freezing when exposed to sub-freezing temperatures. This intermediary chemical substance enables the wet proppant to function in temperature ranges that would otherwise be incompatible with its wet state.
2Adaptability or versatility
If proppant is dried to prevent freezing, then temperature adaptability is improved, but equipment complexity and operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of removing water through drying to prevent freezing, the patent inverts the approach by keeping the water but adding a substance that prevents freezing. Rather than eliminating the moisture content, the method accepts the wet state and chemically modifies the freezing behavior of the retained water, eliminating the need for drying equipment while maintaining temperature adaptability.
3Loss of energy
If sand is mined locally to reduce transportation costs, then economic efficiency is improved, but the sand requires cleaning and sorting equipment adding device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the same freezing point depression principle to locally mined sand after cleaning and sorting. By adding the soluble additive to the cleaned sand, it becomes wetted proppant that can be stored and handled more efficiently. The parameter change in freezing point allows the sand to maintain better flowability and reduces the need for extensive drying equipment, partially offsetting the cleaning equipment complexity with operational simplifications.
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
Enables the effective use of wet proppants at temperatures near or below freezing, enhancing operational flexibility and reducing costs by eliminating the need for drying processes.
Implementation Method 1
apply a freezing point suppression additive to prevent solidification, allowing the use of wet proppants in sub-freezing conditions
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus for treating a wetted proppant including a device to estimate fraction of water in a wetted proppant feed of a frac proppant processing plant; a system for determining an environmental temperature at which the wetted proppant will be exposed to in the frac proppant processing plant or in storage holding an output from the frac proppant processing plant; and an additive system to apply a freezing point suppression additive to the wetted proppant in proportion to the fraction of water such that a mixture of the wetted proppant plus the freezing point suppression additive does not solidify at the environmental temperature. Also, a method for treating a wetted proppant.