Self-suspending proppant for hydraulic fracturing
AssigneeStep Energy Services Ltd.
InventorsDARREN MICHAEL MALEY, MARK ERROL ABESAMIS MANIPON
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Abstract
A proppant composition includes: a volume of water; a self-suspending proppant, including a plurality of proppant granules each with a hydrophilic polymer coating, the hydrophilic polymer coatings of the self-suspending proppant together defining a total polymer volume; and an untreated proppant, where a concentration of the self-suspending proppant in the water is sufficient (i) to reduce the water to an unabsorbed volume of less than 25% of the volume of water and (ii) to hydrate at least 75% of the total polymer volume.
Claims6
A proppant composition comprising:
- a volume of water;
- a self-suspending proppant, including a plurality of proppant granules each with a hydrophilic polymer coating, the hydrophilic polymer coatings of the self-suspending proppant together defining a total polymer volume;
- and
- an untreated proppant,
- wherein a concentration of the self-suspending proppant in the water is sufficient (i) to reduce the water to an unabsorbed volume of less than 25% of the volume of water and (ii) to hydrate at least 75% of the total polymer volume.
A method for preparing a fracturing fluid comprising:
- adding an amount of a self-suspending proppant to a volume of water, the self-suspending proppant including a plurality of proppant granules each with a hydrophilic polymer coating, the hydrophilic polymer coatings of the self-suspending proppant together defining a total polymer volume and the amount of self-suspending proppant being sufficient to hydrate at least 75% of the total polymer volume and to reduce the water to a volume of free water of less than 25% by volume of the proppant composition;
- and
- adding an amount of untreated proppant.
A method for fracturing a formation, the method comprising:
- pumping a fracturing fluid into a well bore, the fracturing fluid including:
- water;
- a self-suspending proppant, including a plurality of proppant granules each with a hydrophilic polymer coating, the hydrophilic polymer coatings of the self-suspending proppant together defining a total polymer volume;
- and
- an untreated proppant,
- where the concentration of the self-suspending proppant in the water is sufficient to hydrate at least 75% of the total polymer volume and to reduce the water to a free volume of less than 25% by volume of the proppant composition;
- and
- pressuring up the fracturing fluid to create fractures in a formation exposed in the well bore.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.