Composition and method for hydraulic fracturing and evaluation and diagnostics of hydraulic fractures using infused porous ceramic proppant

• US 10,316,242 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2014
• Issued: 06/11/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carbo Ceramics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Carbo Ceramics Incorporated
• Inventors: Duenckel, Robert, Conner, Mark, Cannan, Chad, Cady, Daniel, Leasure, Joshua, Lieng, Thu, Roper, Todd, Read, Peter A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bland, Alicia
• Application Number:
  US14/213,276
• Publication Number:
  US 20140262247A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,915 Days
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2208/10 Nanoparticle-containing well treatment fluids
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/66 Compositions based on water or polar solvents C09K8/64 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/80 Compositions for reinforcing fractures, e.g. compositions of proppants used to keep the fractures open
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/26 by forming crevices or fractures
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/267 reinforcing fractures by propping
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/11 using tracers; using radioactivity

Abstract

A composition and method for hydraulically fracturing an oil or gas well to improve the production rates and ultimate recovery using a porous ceramic proppant infused with a chemical treatment agent is provided. The chemical treatment agent may be a tracer material that provides diagnostic information about the production performance of a hydraulic fracture stimulation by the use of distinguishable both water soluble and hydrocarbon soluble tracers. The tracer can be a biological marker, such as DNA. The porous ceramic proppant can be coated with a polymer which provides for controlled release of the chemical treatment agent into a fracture or well bore area over a period of time.

Claims

1. A ceramic proppant composition for use in hydraulic fracturing, the composition comprising:

non-porous particulates having a permeability of at least about 300 D at 4,000 psi closure stress; and

porous ceramic particulates having an internal interconnected porosity of from about 5% to about 35% and comprising a chemical treatment agent disposed within the porous ceramic particulates and a polymer coating that is a reaction product of a cross-linker and a phenol formaldehyde polymer, the phenol formaldehyde polymer having a viscosity of from about 1100 cps to about 1850 cps at 150°

C., wherein the polymer coating is configured to permit the chemical treatment agent to elute therethrough, wherein the ceramic proppant composition is formed by infusing the chemical treatment agent within the porous ceramic particulates at a first temperature of from 430°

F. to 440°

F. and coating the infused porous ceramic particulates with the polymer coating at a second temperature of from 410°

F. to 420°

.

2. The composition of claim 1, wherein the porous ceramic particulates comprise an intermediate density ceramic non-porous proppant.

3. The composition of claim 1, wherein the porous ceramic particulates comprise a high density ceramic porous proppant.

4. The composition of claim 1, wherein the chemical treatment agent comprises one or more scale inhibitors.

5. The composition of claim 1, wherein the chemical treatment agent comprises a chemical tracer.

6. The composition of claim 5, wherein the chemical tracer comprises a biological marker.

7. The composition of claim 6, wherein the biological marker comprises DNA.

8. The composition of claim 5, wherein the chemical tracer comprises at least one of metallic and non-metallic nanoparticles.

9. The composition of claim 8, wherein the nanoparticles are configured to alter wettability of the ceramic proppant composition in a hydraulic fracture environment.

10. The composition of claim 1, wherein the chemical treatment agent is a surfactant configured to alter wettability of the ceramic proppant composition in a hydraulic fracture environment.

11. The composition of claim 1, wherein the phenol formaldehyde polymer has a viscosity of about 1100 cps at 150°

C.

12. The composition of claim 11, wherein the chemical treatment agent comprises one or more scale inhibitors comprising diethylenetriamine penta(methylene phosphonic acid).

26. The composition of claim 1, wherein the porous ceramic particulates have an internal interconnected porosity that is infused with the chemical treatment agent.

27. The composition of claim 1, wherein the non-porous particulates have a porosity of less than 5% and the porous ceramic particulates have an internal interconnected porosity of about 15% to about 35%.

28. The composition of claim 1, wherein the chemical treatment agent is configured to elute from the porous ceramic particulates upon contact with water.

29. The composition of claim 1, wherein the composition has a conductivity that is at least about 90% of the conductivity of the non-porous particulates.

30. The composition of claim 1, wherein the composition has a conductivity that is at least about 95% of the conductivity of the non-porous particulates.

45. The composition of claim 1, wherein the cross-linker is hexamethylenetetramine.

13. A ceramic proppant composition for use in hydraulic fracturing, the composition comprising:

porous ceramic particulates;

a chemical treatment agent disposed within the porous ceramic particulates; and

a polymer coating that is a reaction product of a cross-linker and a phenol formaldehyde polymer, the phenol formaldehyde polymer having a viscosity of from about 1100 cps to about 1850 cps at 150°

C., wherein the polymer coating is configured to permit the chemical treatment agent to elute therethrough, wherein the ceramic proppant composition is formed by infusing the chemical treatment agent within the porous ceramic particulates at a first temperature of from 430°

F. to 440°

F. and coating the infused porous ceramic particulates with the polymer coating at a second temperature of from 410°

F. to 420°

F.

14. The composition of claim 13, wherein the porous ceramic particulates comprise a high density ceramic porous proppant.

15. The composition of claim 13, wherein the chemical treatment agent further comprises a tracer material comprising a chemical tracer selected from the group consisting of dyes, fluorescent materials, metallic nano-particles, non-metallic nano-particles and biological markers.

16. The composition of claim 15, wherein the chemical tracer comprises DNA.

17. The composition of claim 13, further comprising non-porous ceramic particulates.

18. The composition of claim 15, wherein the tracer material comprises at least one of metallic nano-particles and non-metallic nano-particles.

31. The composition of claim 13, wherein the porous ceramic particulates have an internal interconnected porosity of greater than about 5%, and wherein the internal interconnected porosity is infused with the chemical treatment agent.

32. The composition of claim 13, wherein the porous ceramic particulates have an internal interconnected porosity of about 15% to about 35%.

33. The composition of claim 13, wherein the chemical treatment agent is configured to elute from the porous ceramic particulates upon contact with water.

34. The composition of claim 13, wherein the composition is formed by disposing the chemical treatment agent in the porous ceramic particulates without the use of a solvent.

35. The composition of claim 34, wherein the composition is formed by heating the chemical treatment agent to a viscosity of from about 1,000 to about 10,000 cps prior to infusing the chemical treatment agent into the porous ceramic particulates.

40. The composition of claim 13, wherein the polymer coating is from about 0.5 wt % to about 4 wt % of the ceramic proppant composition.

41. The composition of claim 40, wherein the polymer coating is about 2 wt % of the ceramic proppant composition.

44. The composition of claim 13, wherein the cross-linker is hexamethylenetetramine.

19. A ceramic proppant composition for use in hydraulic fracturing, the composition comprising:

porous ceramic particulates;

a chemical treatment agent disposed within the porous ceramic particulates, the chemical treatment agent comprising one or more scale inhibitors; and

a polymer coating that is a reaction product of a cross-linker and a phenol formaldehyde polymer, the phenol formaldehyde polymer having a viscosity of from about 1100 cps to about 1850 cps at 150°

C., wherein the polymer coating is configured to permit the chemical treatment agent to elute therethrough, wherein the ceramic proppant composition is formed by infusing the chemical treatment agent within the porous ceramic particulates at a first temperature of from 430°

F. to 440°

F. and coating the infused porous ceramic particulates with the polymer coating at a second temperature of from 410°

F. to 420°

F.

20. The composition of claim 19, further comprising non-porous ceramic particulates and wherein the porous ceramic particulates comprise an intermediate density ceramic porous proppant.

21. The composition of claim 19, wherein the chemical treatment agent comprises at least one of a paraffin inhibitor and a wax inhibitor.

22. The composition of claim 21, wherein the at least one of a paraffin inhibitor and a wax inhibitor comprises an ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer.

36. The composition of claim 19, wherein the porous ceramic particulates have an internal interconnected porosity of greater than about 5%.

37. The composition of claim 19, wherein the porous ceramic particulates have an internal interconnected porosity of about 15% to about 35%.

38. The composition of claim 19, wherein the chemical treatment agent is configured to elute from the porous ceramic particulates upon contact with water.

39. The composition of claim 19, wherein the composition is formed by heating the chemical treatment agent to a viscosity of from about 1,000 to about 10,000 cps followed by infusing the chemical treatment agent into the porous ceramic particulates.

42. The composition of claim 19, wherein the chemical treatment agent is from about 5 wt % to about 9 wt % of the ceramic proppant composition.

43. The composition of claim 42, wherein the chemical treatment agent is about 7 wt % of the ceramic proppant composition.

23. A ceramic proppant composition for use in hydraulic fracturing, the composition comprising:

porous ceramic particulates;

a water-soluble chemical treatment agent in the porous ceramic particulates; and

a polymer coating that is a reaction product of a cross-linker and a phenol formaldehyde polymer, the phenol formaldehyde polymer having a viscosity of from about 1100 cps to about 1850 cps at 150°

C., and the polymer coating further comprising a hydrocarbon-soluble chemical treatment agent, wherein the polymer coating is configured to permit the water-soluble chemical treatment agent to elute therethrough, wherein the ceramic proppant composition is formed by infusing the water-soluble chemical treatment agent within the porous ceramic particulates at a first temperature of from 430°

F. to 440°

F. and coating the infused porous ceramic particulates with the polymer coating at a second temperature of from 410°

F. to 420°

.

24. The composition of claim 23, further comprising non-porous ceramic particulates and wherein the porous ceramic particulates are selected from the group consisting of light weight ceramic porous proppant, intermediate density ceramic porous proppant, and high density ceramic porous proppant.

25. The composition of claim 23, wherein the water-soluble chemical treatment agent comprises a scale inhibitor and the hydrocarbon-soluble chemical treatment agent comprises a paraffin inhibitor.