Dual-use, dual-function polyacrylamide proppant suspending agent for fluid transport of high concentrations of proppants

A dual-use, dual-function polyacrylamide fluid comprising an aqueous frac fluid solution having polyacrylamide dissolved therein at a concentration in the range of 0.10% to 0.90% by weight of the mix fluid to form a proppant suspending agent that is capable of improving upon the prior art split stream hydraulic fracturing method,

• whereby the split stream method splits the process into two streams;
• the dirty stream having granular proppant materials known as solids along with chemicals and other additives commonly used in hydraulic fracturing operations that are pumped by a first group of fracturing pumps to the wellbore and the proppant free dean stream that comprises clean mix fluid, typically fresh water, that is pumped to the wellbore by a second set of fracturing pumps;
• whereby the normal ranges of granular materials used as fracturing proppants having mesh sizes in the range from 400 mesh to 20/40 mesh and having a specific gravity ranging from 1.25 to 3.30 are mixed into the polyacryiamide proppant suspending agent at concentrations in the range of 10 PPA to 3.5 PPA to form a proppant laden liquid slurry;
• whereby the polyacrylarnide proppant laden slurry due to the increased concentration of proppant suspended therein substantially reduces the number of fracturing pumps required to pump the dirty stream;
• thereby improving upon the split stream hydraulic fracturing method;
• whereby the fluid is used as a proppant suspending agent at the concentration levels cited herein to suspend granular proppant particles at concentrations range of 10 PPA to 35 PPA, which is a higher proppant concentration range than the concentration range of 0.25 PPA to 6 PPA normally used in the prior art split stream surface pumping hydraulic fracturing operation method;
• whereby the polyacrylarnide fluid after being used as a proppant suspending agent to pump the proppant laden slurry to a wellbore is diluted on the surface with additional proppant free dean fluid to the normal friction reduction concentrations levels in the range of 0.008% to 0.064% commonly used in “water fracturing” or “slickwater fracturing” to serve as a polyacrylamide friction reducer (FR) as a second use;
• whereby the proppant concentration is likewise diluted by the additional proppant free dean fluid to the concentration of 0.25 PPA to 6 PPA that is normally used in “water fracturing” or “slickwater fracturing”;
• whereby the same polyacrylamide active material is beneficially used at two entirely different fluid concentration levels for two entirely different purposes or functions performed at two different times in the split stream hydraulic fracturing method providing substantial cost savings and substantially reducing the number of pumps needed to pump the dirty stream for split stream hydraulic operations.

A fluid comprising a polyacrylamide in a concentration of 0.05% to 2.5% active polyacrylamide in an aqueous solution by weight of the mix fluid to form a suspending agent fluid that can suspend a wide range of small granular solid materials having mesh sizes ranging from 50 mesh to 10/20 mesh and specific gravity ranging from 1.05 to 5,

• whereby small granular solid materials are selected from such species as a wide variety of woods, coal, copper concentrate, gilsonite, asphalt, bitumen, mineral ores, sands, limestone, magnetite, a wide variety of sands, cement, charcoal, glass particles, to name just a few of the many small granular solids that can be transported as a liquid slurry laden with small granular solid materials;
• whereby the concentration of polyacrylamide in the solids suspending agent is adjusted to match the mesh size and specific gravity of the solid materials to suspend solids in concentration levels in the range of 2 PPA to 35 PPA to form a solids laden slurry;
• whereby the solids can remain in suspension within the solids suspending agent for at least one hour, which is deemed enough time to pump the solids laden liquid slurry into a pipeline for transport to a nearby location for use;
• whereby the solids laden liquid slurry is transported by rail tanker car, tanker truck or other suitable means to a more distant location for use.