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US 2012/0231981 A1Published application
Proppant Particles Formed From Slurry Droplets and Method of Use
AssigneeCarbo Ceramics Inc.
InventorsBenjamin T. Eldred, Brett A. Wilson, Clayton F. Gardinier, Robert J. Duenckel
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Abstract
Proppant material for hydraulic fracturing is provided. The particles of the proppant are formed by drip casting. A slurry of finely divided ceramic particles is flowed through nozzles and formed into droplets under the influence of vibration. Uniform sized, smooth surface, spherical green particles are formed. The green particles are dried and sintered to form the proppant. The proppant is used in the process of hydraulic fracturing of wells.
Claims9
Proppant particles made by a process, comprising:
- providing a slurry of kaolin, the slurry containing a reactant and a dispersant;
- flowing the slurry through a nozzle while vibrating the slurry to form droplets;
- receiving the droplets in a vessel containing a liquid, the liquid containing a coagulation agent to react with the reactant in the slurry to form a semi-rigid surface on the particles;
- transferring the droplets having the semi-rigid surface from the liquid medium;
- drying the droplets to form green pellets;
- and
- sintering the green pellets in a selected temperature range to form the proppant particles, the proppant particles having a long-term permeability greater than 85 darcies.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.