SINGLE COMPONENT NEUTRALLY BUOYANT PROPPANT

• US 20120145390A1
• Filed: 12/08/2011
• Published: 06/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bruce Donald Jette, Joseph Buford Parse
• Original Assignee: Bruce Donald Jette, Joseph Buford Parse
• Inventors: PARSE, Joseph Buford, Jette, Bruce Donald
• Granted Patent: US 9,102,867 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 166/280.1
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 19/107 Forming hollow beads chemical aspects C03C11/002
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 19/1075 by blowing, pressing, centrifuging, rolling or dripping
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 20/002 Hollow or porous granular materials
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/5284 Hollow fibers, e.g. nanotubes
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/6021 Extrusion moulding
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/6028 Shaping around a core which is removed later
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 28/02 containing hydraulic cements other than calcium sulfates
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/10 based on aluminium oxide
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/14 based on silica
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/565 based on silicon carbide
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/584 based on silicon nitride
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/62227 obtaining fibres
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/6224 Fibres based on silica
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 38/009 Porous or hollow ceramic granular materials, e.g. microballoons C04B18/027, C04B20/002 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/473 Density reducing additives, e.g. for obtaining foamed cement compositions
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/62 Compositions for forming crevices or fractures
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/80 Compositions for reinforcing fractures, e.g. compositions of proppants used to keep the fractures open
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/805 Coated proppants
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/267 reinforcing fractures by propping
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2982 : Particulate matter [e.g., sphere, flake, etc.]

Abstract

Proppant used to keep open a fissure in a reservoir created by hydraulic or other action is disclosed. The proppant demonstrates a reduced specific gravity controlled by the geometry of the structure of the proppant. Proppant must be capable of withstanding the hydrostatic environment of the hydraulic pumping system, pass through a perforation in the casing of the well, travel into the fissure, and, upon reduction of hydrostatic pressure, withstand the closure pressure of the formation. A proppant having neutral buoyancy or substantial neutral buoyancy yet capable of withstanding the hydraulic and closure pressures is described that has a tubular structure hollow in the center with a wall of material sufficiently strong to withstand the majority of closure pressures.

Claims

1. A proppant particle for use in hydraulic fracturing, wherein a fracturing fluid is inserted into a hydraulic fracture, the particle having a wall structure defining a transverse dimension and a longitudinal dimension of the particle and one or more internal void spaces within the particle, each void space also having transverse dimensions, such that the total transverse dimension of the void spaces is at least 0.2 times the maximum transverse dimension of the particle;

the wall structure providing the particle with sufficient strength to withstand hydrostatic pressure of the fracturing fluid and closing pressures from the hydraulic fracture;

the wall structure being formed of a material that is substantially impervious to the fracturing fluid;

such that the longitudinal dimension exceeds that of the transverse dimension, and wherein the particle has a density that is substantially similar to the density of the fracturing fluid.

2. The proppant particle of claim 1 having a shape that is a hollow, substantially closed ended elongated particle.

3. The proppant particle of claim 2 having an elongated shape that includes a center portion and two end portions, wherein one or more of the end portions are substantially hemispherical, substantially flat, or are substantially elongated in shape.

4. The proppant particle of claim 1, wherein the wall structure is formed of glass, metal, or ceramic materials, or a combination thereof.

5. The proppant particle of claim 4, wherein the wall structure is formed of one or more of A, C, E, or S glass, borosilicate glass, glasses of calcinates, or combination thereof.

6. The proppant particle of claim 4, wherein the wall structure is formed of one or more of aluminum, magnesium, iron, copper, titanium, zirconium, or a combination or alloy of thereof.

7. The proppant particle of claim 4, wherein the wall structure is formed of one or more of aluminum oxide, metal oxides, zirconium oxide, magnesium oxide, or a combination thereof.

8. The proppant particle of claim 4, wherein the wall structure is formed of one or more of silicon oxides, sapphire, quartz, fused quartz, silicon nitride, silicon carbide, or combination thereof.

9. The proppant particle of claim 2, wherein the particle has a transverse dimension of about 100 μ

m to 2500 μ

m outside transverse dimension (OD).

10. The proppant particle of claim 1, having a length that is about 1 to 6 times the transverse dimension of the particle.

11. The proppant particle of claim 1, wherein a single wall of the wall structure has a thickness that is about 35% to 5% of the OD of the particle.

12. The proppant particle of claim 1, wherein a single wall of the wall structure has a thickness of about 10 μ

m to 850 μ

m.

13. The proppant particle of claim 1, wherein the particle when formed can withstand hydrostatic pressure up to about 24,000 psi.

14. The proppant particle of claim 1, wherein the particle when formed can withstand closure pressures up to about 18,000 psi.

15. The proppant particle of claim 1, wherein the particle has a density of about 0.8 gm/cm³ to 1.75 gm/cm³.

16. The proppant particle of claim 1, wherein the wall structure has an outer surface, the particle further comprising a coating on the outer surface of the wall structure, wherein the coating:

reduces overall density of the particle, reduces fragmentation of the particle as a result of a fracture, improves fracturing fluid or gas flow, makes the wall structure hydrophobic, or a combination thereof.

17. A plurality of proppant particles for use in hydraulic fracturing, wherein a fracturing fluid is inserted into a hydraulic fracture having vertical and horizontal extents;

each of the particles having a wall structure defining a transverse dimension and a longitudinal dimension of the particle and one or more internal void spaces within the particle, each void space also having transverse dimensions, such that the total transverse dimension of the void spaces is at least 0.2 times the maximum transverse dimension of the particle;

the wall structure also providing the particles with sufficient strength to withstand hydrostatic pressure of the fracturing fluid and closing pressures from the hydraulic fracture;

the wall structure being formed of a material that is substantially impervious to the fracturing fluid;

such that the longitudinal dimension exceeds that of the transverse dimension, and

wherein the plurality of particles has a predetermined range and distribution of densities with respect to the density of the fracturing fluid and a range dimensions such that predetermined fractions of the plurality of proppant particles rise and sink, respectively, so as to control the vertical extent of the fracture in relation to its horizontal extent.

42. A method of using the plurality of proppant particles of claim 17, the method comprises inserting the particles into a hydraulic fracture to adjust the size or properties of the fracture.

18. A proppant particle for use in hydraulic fracturing, wherein a fracturing fluid is inserted into a hydraulic fracture, the particle having a wall structure defining an internal void space, the wall structure having a substantially elongated shape and providing the particle with sufficient strength to withstand up to about 24,000 psi hydrostatic pressure of the fracturing fluid and closing pressures of up to about 18,000 psi from the hydraulic fracture;

the wall structure being formed of a material that is substantially impervious to the fracturing fluid; and

wherein the particle has a density that is substantially similar to the density of about 0.8 gm/cm³ to 1.75 gm/cm³.

19. A hollow core particle with an elongated shape having a wall structure defining one or more internal void spaces, a wall structure defining a transverse dimension of the particle and one or more internal void spaces within the particle, each void space also having transverse dimensions, such that the total transverse dimension of the void spaces is at least 0.2 times the maximum transverse dimension of the particle;

and providing the particle with sufficient strength to withstand up to about 24,000 psi hydrostatic pressure and up to about 18,000 psi closure pressures;

such that the longitudinal dimension exceeds that of the transverse dimension, and wherein the particle has a density that is substantially similar to the density of about 0.8 gm/cm³ to 1.75 gm/cm³.

31. A method of producing the hollow core particle of claim 19, the method comprising:

injecting melted precursor into a mold to form a hollow core particle; and

closing the ends of the hollow core particle.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the act of closing the particle comprises one or more of cutting, crimping, or physically sealing the particle.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the act of closing the hollow core particle comprises one or more of applying capillary action, surface tension, or heating a region of the particle and applying localized overpressure to the region, or a combination thereof.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the act of closing the hollow core particle comprises heating the region of the hollow fiber by one or more of electric resistance conductance, flame, plasma arc, electric arc, laser, or a combination thereof.

35. A method of producing the hollow core particle of claim 19, the method comprising:

injecting green ceramic precursor into a mold to form a hollow core particle;

closing the ends of the hollow core particle; and

sintering the hollow core particle to form a ceramic hollow core particle.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the act of closing the particle comprises one or more of cutting, crimping, or physically sealing the particle.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein the act of closing the hollow core particle comprises one or more of applying capillary action, surface tension, or heating a region of the particle and applying localized overpressure to the region, or a combination thereof.

41. A method of using the particle of claim 19 as a proppant, the method comprises inserting the particle into a hydraulic fracture to keep the fracture from closing.

43. A method of using the particle of claim 19, the method comprises inserting the particle into a material used in structural applications such that the particle improves the strength of the material or reduces the density of the material.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein the material comprises cement or a composite material.

20. A method of producing a hollow core particle, the method comprising:

forming a hollow fiber precursor;

shaping the hollow fiber precursor to form a hollow fiber having ends;

closing the ends of the hollow fiber; and

separating the hollow fiber from the hollow fiber precursor to form a hollow core particle.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein one or more of the acts of forming, shaping, closing, and separating may be performed as a single step.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the act of forming the hollow fiber precursor comprising extruding the hollow fiber precursor from a melt or pulling the hollow fiber precursor from a hollow pre-form.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the hollow pre-form is a glass billet, metal billet, boule, hollow tube, hollow glass fiber of larger transverse dimension produced from a melt, cylinder, or hollow bulk precursor.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the act of forming the hollow fiber precursor comprising spin forming the hollow fiber precursor from a melt or extruding the hollow fiber precursor from a green precursor material and sintering the green precursor material to form a ceramic.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein at least one of the acts of closing the ends of the hollow fiber or separating the hollow fiber from the precursor comprises one or more of cutting, crimping, or breaking the hollow fiber, or a combination of thereof.

26. The method of claim 20, wherein at least one of the acts of closing the ends of the hollow fiber or separating the hollow fiber from the precursor comprises one or more of applying capillary action, surface tension, internal fiber vacuum, or heating a region of the hollow fiber and applying localized overpressure to the region, or a combination thereof.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein at least one of the acts of closing the hollow fiber or separating the hollow fiber from the precursor comprises heating the region of the hollow fiber by one or more of electric resistance conductance, flame, plasma arc, electric arc, laser, or a combination thereof.

28. The method of claim 20, wherein at least one of the acts of closing the ends of the hollow fiber or separating the hollow fiber from the precursor comprises spinning the hollow fiber to apply centrifugal force to close the ends of the hollow fiber.

29. The method of claim 20, wherein the act of closing the ends of the hollow fiber comprises applying periodic applications of combustion products to the hollow fiber to produce controlled temporally periodic variations in local external pressure and heat to the hollow fiber.

30. The method of claim 20, wherein the act of separating the hollow fiber from the hollow fiber precursor comprises heating the hollow fiber and then one or more of pulling, bending, or applying physical force to the heating hollow fiber.

38. The method of claim 20, wherein the hollow core particle includes an outer surface, the method further comprises applying a coating to the outer surface of the particle.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the coating modifies one or more of:

reduces the density of the particle;

enhances the surface rigidity and strength of the particle;

enhances the surface flow of the particle;

enhances the capture of fragments of the particle that may result if the particle ruptures during use.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the coating is one or more of:

a low density coating;

a hydrophobic coating;

or

a high tensile strength film.

45. A method of forming a hollow core particle, the method comprising:

forming a precursor having an inner surface;

depositing the precursor into a female mold;

inserting a core into the female mold to shape the inner surface and thickness of the precursor;

withdrawing the core from the female mold to form a void cavity within the precursor;

closing the precursor to form a hollow core particle; and

removing the hollow core particle from the female mold.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the act of closing the hollow core particle comprises one or more of cutting, crimping, or sealing the hollow core particle, or a combination of thereof.

47. The method of claim 45, wherein the act of closing the hollow core particle comprises one or more of applying capillary action, surface tension, or heating a region of the hollow core particle and applying localized overpressure to the region, or a combination thereof.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein the act of closing the hollow core particle comprises heating the region of the hollow core particle by one or more of electric resistance conductance, flame, plasma arc, electric arc, laser, or a combination thereof.