Proppant and methods of use
AssigneeSchlumberger Technology Corporation
InventorsMatthew J. Miller, Dean M. Willberg, Anatoly Vladimirovich Medvedev, Marina Nikolaevna Bulova
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Abstract
A proppant consists of a core part and shell of a material different from the material of the core part. The shell comprises a soft material attached rigidly to the core part in such a way that the total surface area of the points where the shell and the core part are joined is less than the surface area of the core part.
Claims22
A proppant comprising a core part and shell, wherein the shell is attached to the core part in such a way that the total surface area of the points where the shell is joined to the core part is less than the surface area of the core part and the shell is a softer material than the material of the core part.
A proppant comprising two or more granules coated with a shell of a material different from the material of the granules, wherein the shell comprises a polymeric material and the granules are bonded by a polymeric material.
A method of fracturing a reservoir intersected by a wellbore comprising injecting a fracturing fluid comprising a proppant into the wellbore to fracture the reservoir, wherein the proppant comprises a core part and shell, wherein the shell is attached to the core part in such a way that the total surface area of the points where the shell is joined to the core part is less than the surface area of the core part and the shell is a softer material than the material of the core part.
A method of fracturing a reservoir intersected by a wellbore comprising injecting a fracturing fluid comprising a proppant into the wellbore to fracture the reservoir, wherein the proppant comprises two or more granules coated with a shell of a material different from the material of the granules, wherein the shell comprises a polymeric material and the granules are bonded by a polymeric material.
A method of adjusting the settlement rate of a proppant comprising providing a proppant comprising a core part and shell comprising polymeric fibers, wherein the fibers are attached to the core part in such a way that the total surface area of the points where the fibers are attached to the core part is less than the surface area of the core part;
- and increasing or decreasing the length of the fibers or increasing or decreasing the number of fibers per unit of surface area of the core part.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.