Use of uncalcined/partially calcined ingredients in the manufacture of sintered pellets useful for gas and oil well proppants

Patent · Tue Apr 21 04:00:00 EDT 1987

OSTI ID:6825429

Fitzgibbon, J J

A method is described of fracturing a subterranean formation located at a depth in excess of 6,000 but less than 14,000 feet, comprises injecting a hydraulic fluid into the formation at a rate and pressure sufficient to open a fracture therein. This fluid containing composite, sintered, spherical pellets has a permeability to distilled water at about 75/sup 0/F (24/sup 0/C) which decreases not more than about three-fourths when the applied pressure on the pellets is increased from 2,000 to 10,000 psi (140-700 kg/cm/sup 2/). The pellets are prepared from materials consisting essentially of clay materials, bauxitic materials and alumina. The materials include at least one uncalcined or partially calcined ingredient selected from the group consisting of clay materials, bauxitic materials and dust collector fines. They are produced during the calcination of clay materials or bauxitic materials. The pellets have an alumia-to-silica dry-weight-basis ratio from about 9:1 to about 1.1, the pellets having an apparent specific gravity of less than 3.30 and at least about 6.51 weight percent of other than alumina and silica.

• Assignee: Standard Oil Proppants Company, L.P., Irving, TX
• Patent Number(s): US 4658899
• OSTI ID: 6825429
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
03 NATURAL GAS
030900 -- Natural Gas-- Artificial Stimulation
Plowshare-- (-1989)
ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS
ALUMINIUM ORES
ALUMINIUM OXIDES
BAUXITE
CALCINATION
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CLAYS
COMMINUTION
DECOMPOSITION
DENSITY
DEPTH
DEPTH 1-3 KM
DEPTH 3-6 KM
DIMENSIONS
DUST COLLECTORS
FLUIDS
FRACTURING
HIGH PRESSURE
HYDRAULIC FLUIDS
HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
MATERIALS
MEDIUM TEMPERATURE
NATURAL GAS WELLS
OIL WELLS
ORES
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PELLETS
PERMEABILITY
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PYROLYSIS
QUANTITY RATIO
SINTERED MATERIALS
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
WATER
WELLS
WORKING FLUIDS