Method Of Manufacture And The Use Of A Functional Proppant For Determination Of Subterranean Fracture Geometries

• US 20120181020A1
• Filed: 03/28/2012
• Published: 07/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Original Assignee: Oxane Materials, Inc.
• Inventors: Barron, Andrew R., Skala, Robert D., Coker, Christopher E., Chatterjee, Dilip K., Xie, Yuming
• Granted Patent: US 9,803,135 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 166/250.1
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 13/02 Making microcapsules or microballoons for medical preparations A61K9/50
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3418 Silicon oxide, silicic acids or oxide forming salts thereof, e.g. silica sol, fused silica, silica fume, cristobalite, quartz or flint
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/422 Carbon
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/5288 Carbon nanotubes
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/62807 Silica or silicates
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/62823 Zirconium or hafnium oxide
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/62839 Carbon
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/62842 Metals
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/62894 with more than one coating layer
• 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 43/00 Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells applicable only to water E03B
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/267 reinforcing fractures by propping
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/12 Means for transmitting measuring-signals or control signals from the well to the surface, or from the surface to the well, e.g. for logging while drilling
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 49/00 Testing the nature of borehole walls; Formation testing; Methods or apparatus for obtaining samples of soil or well fluids, specially adapted to earth drilling or wells
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/24 using ac
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 507/907 Indicating means, e.g. dye, fluorescing agent
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 507/924 with specified propping feature
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/29 Coated or structually defined flake, particle, cell, strand, strand portion, rod, filament, macroscopic fiber or mass thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2991 : Coated
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2993 : Silicic or refractory material containing [e.g., tungsten oxide, glass, cement, etc.]

Abstract

Proppants having added functional properties are provided, as are methods that use the proppants to track and trace the characteristics of a fracture in a geologic formation. Information obtained by the methods can be used to design a fracturing job, to increase conductivity in the fracture, and to enhance oil and gas recovery from the geologic formation. The functionalized proppants can be detected by a variety of methods utilizing, for example, an airborne magnetometer survey, ground penetrating radar, a high resolution accelerometer, a geophone, nuclear magnetic resonance, ultra-sound, impedance measurements, piezoelectric activity, radioactivity, and the like. Methods of mapping a subterranean formation are also provided and use the functionalized proppants to detect characteristics of the formation.

Claims

1. A proppant particle comprising:

a ceramic matrix; and

a functional component comprising a d-block element from the Periodic Table of Elements, a cathodoluminescent material, a carbon nanotube(s), carbon nanoparticles, a reactive compound, a magnetic material, a supermagnetic material, a paramagnetic material, pyrolytic carbon, conductive graphite, or any combination thereof.

2. The proppant particle of claim 1, wherein the functional component is distributed substantially throughout the ceramic matrix.

3. The proppant particle of claim 1, wherein the functional component is incorporated in the proppant particle as a discrete phase.

4. The proppant particle of claim 1, wherein the functional component is incorporated in the proppant particle as a solid solution, an alloy, or any combination thereof, with the ceramic matrix or a polymer, in one or more layers and substantially overcoated with a layer of the ceramic matrix or a polymer.

5. The proppant particle of claim 1, comprising a core of said functional component substantially or fully overcoated with the ceramic matrix or a polymer.

11. The proppant particle of claim 1, wherein the reactive compound comprises an acid, a base, or any combination thereof.

13. A method for determining the geometry of a fracture in a geologic formation, the method comprising:

positioning a detector in a position to measure a magnetic field generated from the geologic formation;

injecting a proppant of claim 1 into the fracture wherein the proppant comprises a d-block element from the Periodic Table of Elements;

measuring the magnetic field generated from the geologic formation; and

determining the geometry of the fracture from the measured magnetic field.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the detector comprises one or more superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID).

15. A method for determining the geometry of a fracture in a geologic formation, the method comprising:

positioning one or more electrodes in a position to measure the electrical resistance of the geologic formation;

injecting a proppant of claim 1 into the fracture wherein the proppant comprises a d-block element from the Periodic Table of Elements;

measuring the electrical resistance of the geologic formation; and

determining the geometry of the fracture from the measured electrical resistance.

16. A method for determining the geometry of a fracture in a geologic formation, the method comprising:

positioning a ground penetrating radar detector in a position to radiate electromagnetic signals into the geologic formation and to detect electromagnetic signals reflected from the geologic formation;

injecting a proppant of claim 1 into the fracture wherein the proppant comprises a d-block element from the Periodic Table of Elements;

radiating electromagnetic signals into the geologic formation;

measuring electromagnetic signals that are reflected from the geologic formation; and

determining the geometry of the fracture from the reflected electromagnetic signals.

18. A method for determining the geometry of a fracture in a geologic formation, the method comprising:

positioning a detector in a position to measure photons emitted from the geologic formation;

injecting a proppant into the fracture wherein the proppant comprises a cathodoluminescent material;

irradiating the proppant of claim 1 with an energy source sufficient to induce the cathodoluminescent material to emit photons;

measuring the photons emitted from the geologic formation; and

determining the geometry of the fracture from the measured photons.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the detector comprises an array of photomultiplier tubes, an array of photodetectors, photographic film, a CCD device, or a combination thereof, and wherein the detector is sent down hole to measure the photons emitted from the geologic formation.

20. A method for heating a proppant pack in a fracture in a geologic formation, the method comprising:

providing a source of electromagnetic radiation;

injecting a proppant of claim 1 into the fracture, wherein the proppant comprises carbon nanotubes, carbon nanoparticles, or a combination thereof; and

irradiating the proppant with electromagnetic radiation sufficient to induce the proppant to generate heat.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the proppant further comprises a carrier fluid and the method comprises generating a sufficient amount of heat to degrade the carrier fluid.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein crude oil is present in the fracture, the irradiating comprises generating sufficient heat to reduce the viscosity of the crude oil, and the method further comprises recovering the crude oil.

23. A method for etching rock in a fracture in a geologic formation, the method comprising:

injecting a proppant of claim 1 into the fracture wherein the proppant comprises said a ceramic matrix and an etching chemical;

generating a sonic signal from a sonic signal source, of sufficient strength to liberate the etching chemical from the proppant;

contacting the rock with the liberated etching chemical; and

etching the rock with the etching chemical.

28. A method for determining the geometry of a fracture in a geologic formation, the method comprising:

providing one or more devices to generate signals in the geologic formation, the signals comprising acoustic, seismic, vibrational, magnetic, electrical, electromagnetic, and/or heat signals;

providing one or more devices to detect the signals in the geologic formation;

injecting a proppant of claim 1 into the fracture, wherein the proppant comprises a signal-transforming attribute configured to transform signals generated by the one or more devices to generate signals;

generating signals in the geologic formation, using the one or more devices to generate signals;

transforming the signals generated, with the proppant pack, to form transformed signals;

measuring the transformed signals; and

determining the geometry of the fracture using the measured transformed signals.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the one or more devices to generate a signal comprises an ultra-sound generating device or an electrical signal generating device, and optionally the one or more devices to detect comprises an impedance measurement device, a piezoelectric detector, an optical detector that detects optical signals carried by fiber optics, or an array of accelerometers and the transformed signals comprise gravitational field strength signals.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the proppant comprises a mixture of piezoelectric crystals comprising electrodes and electrically conductive proppants.

31. A method for determining the geometry of a fracture in a geologic formation, the method comprising:

injecting a proppant of claim 1 into the fracture, wherein the proppant comprise a radioactive component;

generating radioactive signals in the geologic formation, with the radioactive component;

measuring the radioactive signals; and

determining the geometry of the fracture using the measured radioactive signals.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the radioactive component comprises chemical tags incorporated into the proppants, and the method further comprises pressuring the proppants to crush at least a portion of the proppants and release the chemical tags, or

the measuring comprises measuring neutron activated emissions and the method further comprises irradiating the proppant pack with a neutron source after the proppant pack is injected into the fracture,

or the radioactive component comprises an element that is activated by neutron capture and the method further comprises activating the element prior to injecting the proppant pack into the fracture.

6-10. -10. (canceled)

12. (canceled)

17. (canceled)

24-25. -25. (canceled)

26. A method for determining the geometry of a fracture in a geologic formation, the method comprising:

positioning a detector in a position where it is operable to measure sonic signals emitted from the geologic formation;

injecting a proppant into the fracture, the proppant comprising an explosive material;

detonating the explosive material to generate a sonic signal;

detecting the sonic signal; and

determining the geometry of the fracture from the sonic signal detected.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said detonating is triggered by fracturing, pressure, temperature, or chemical leaching, within the geologic formation and, optionally, further comprising pumping a second proppant into the fracture after the detonating, to prop open the fracture.