Lightweight proppants for deep gas well stimulation. Final report

Technical Report · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1984

OSTI ID:5356827

Cutler, R A; Ratsep, O; Johnson, D L

The need exists for lower density, less expensive proppants for use in hydraulic fracturing treatments. Ceramics, fabricated as fully sintered or hollow spheres, are the best materials for obtaining economical proppants due to their chemical/thermal stability and high strength. This report summarizes work performed during the fourth and final year of a Department of Energy research program to develop improved proppants for hydraulic fracturing applications. Hollow proppants with strengths intermediate between sand and bauxite were fabricated by spray drying. A counter current spray drying technique using a single fluid nozzle was able to make spherical ceramic proppants. The effect of spray-drying parameters on proppant strength is discussed. Further optimization of spray drying parameters is needed to achieve proppants with single, concentric voids and thick walls. Novel techniques for densifying proppants were investigated including plasma, microwave and radio frequency induction heating. Densification times were two orders of magnitude faster than conventional sintering cycles. The problems associated with ultrarapid densification are discussed as well as areas where this type of processing should be applied. A method of strengthening sand and other low strength proppants is discussed. Residual compressive surface stresses can be induced which strengthen the proppants which fail in tension. Accomplishments during the present research program are reviewed and areas of additional research which will lead to improved proppants are identified. 20 references, 23 figures, 19 tables.

• Research Organization: Terra Tek, Inc., Salt Lake City, UT (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC19-79BC10038
• OSTI ID: 5356827
• Report Number(s): DOE/BC/10038-29; ON: DE84007824
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

03 NATURAL GAS
030900* -- Natural Gas-- Artificial Stimulation
Plowshare-- (-1989)
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360203 -- Ceramics
Cermets
& Refractories-- Mechanical Properties
360204 -- Ceramics
Cermets
& Refractories-- Physical Properties
ADDITIVES
ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS
ALUMINIUM OXIDES
CERAMICS
CHALCOGENIDES
COMMINUTION
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DATA
DENSITY
DESIGN
DRYING
ECONOMICS
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
ENHANCED RECOVERY
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FABRICATION
FLUIDS
FRACTURING
FRACTURING FLUIDS
HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
INFORMATION
MATERIALS
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
MICROSCOPY
NATURAL GAS WELLS
NUMERICAL DATA
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PERFORMANCE TESTING
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PROPPING AGENTS
RECOVERY
SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
SINTERING
SPRAY DRYING
STIMULATION
TESTING
WELL STIMULATION
WELLS