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US 11,061,154 B2Granted
Acoustic proppant for fracture diagnostic
AssigneeBattelle Memorial Institute
InventorsSteven Risser, Slawomir Winecki, Ramanathan Lalgudi
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Abstract
Methods of mapping a subterranean formation using imploding particles are described. In some cases, the particles contain a material that generated a gas which passes through a water-insoluble coating to create a void within the particle. In some aspects, the implosive particles have a coating that dissolves in the subterranean formation.
Claims10
A method of mapping a volume using acoustic signals, comprising:
- injecting gas-generating, collapsible particles into a volume comprising a liquid comprising water;
- wherein the gas-generating, collapsible particles comprise a water-insoluble coating and a gas-generating core;
- wherein the water-insoluble coating does not dissolve but allows a reactant to pass from outside the particle through to the gas-generating core, and allows a generated gas to pass from the core to outside the particle;
- wherein the reactant passes through the water-insoluble coating and reacts with the gas-generating core to generate gas;
- wherein the generated gas passes through the water-insoluble coating to create a void within the particle;
- wherein pressure from the liquid in the volume crushes the water-insoluble coating and produces sound waves in the liquid;
- detecting the sound waves with an acoustic detector that is in sonic contact with the liquid.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.