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US 10,294,413 B2Granted
Lightweight proppant and methods for making and using same
AssigneeCarbo Ceramics Inc.
InventorsTodd Roper, Thu Lieng, Olatunji Orekha, William Scott Woolfolk
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Abstract
Lightweight proppant particles are disclosed. The lightweight proppant particle can include a proppant particle having an apparent specific gravity of at least about 1.5 g/cc, a coating of a hydrophobic material formed on an outer surface of the proppant particle, and a coating of an amphiphilic material formed on an outer surface of the coating of the hydrophobic material.
Claims20
A lightweight proppant particle, comprising:
- a proppant particle having an apparent specific gravity of at least 1.5 g/cc;
- a coating of a hydrophobic material formed on an outer surface of the proppant particle;
- and
- a coating of an amphiphilic material formed on an outer surface of the coating of the hydrophobic material, wherein the coating of the amphiphilic material has a thickness of at least 10 nm and is permeable to air.
1 more element
A lightweight proppant pack, comprising:
- a plurality of lightweight proppant particles, each lightweight proppant particle of the plurality of lightweight proppant particles comprising:
- a proppant particle having an apparent specific gravity of at least 1.5 g/cc;
- a coating of a hydrophobic material formed on an outer surface of the proppant particle;
- and
- a coating of an amphiphilic material formed on an outer surface of the coating of the hydrophobic material, wherein the coating of the amphiphilic material has a thickness of at least 10 nm and is permeable to air,
- wherein the lightweight proppant particle has an apparent specific gravity less than the apparent specific gravity of the proppant particle.
3 more elements
A method of fracturing a subterranean formation, comprising:
- injecting a hydraulic fluid into a wellbore extending into the subterranean formation at a rate and pressure sufficient to open a fracture therein;
- injecting a plurality of lightweight proppant particles into the fracture, each lightweight proppant particle of the plurality of lightweight proppant particles comprising:
- a proppant particle having an apparent specific gravity of at least 1.5 g/cc;
- a coating of a hydrophobic material formed on an outer surface of the proppant particle;
- and
- a coating of an amphiphilic material formed on an outer surface of the coating of the hydrophobic material,
- wherein the lightweight proppant particle has an apparent specific gravity less than the apparent specific gravity of the proppant particle, and
- wherein the coating of the amphiphilic material has a thickness of at least 10 nm and is permeable to air;
- and
- forming a proppant pack of the plurality of lightweight particles inside the fracture.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.