Tagged propping agents and related methods
AssigneeCarbo Ceramics Inc.
InventorsBrett A. Wilson, Robert Duenckel, Thomas C. Palamara
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A proppant composition comprises a non-radioactive, detectable tracer at least partially embedded in a ceramic composition. The composition may be prepared by agglomerating granules of the ceramic material and granules of the non-radioactive, detectable material to produce the particle by compression. Backflow of proppants in a fractured subterranean formation into which a plurality of particles of the proppant composition have been introduced may be tracked by analyzing a sample of the backflow by detecting for presence of the tracer in the sample.
Claims22
A method for tracking the backflow of proppants in a fractured subterranean formation into which a plurality of proppant composition particles comprising a non-radioactive, detectable tracer uniformly distributed in a ceramic composition have been introduced, comprising analyzing a sample of the backflow by detecting for presence of the tracer in the sample.
A method for tracking the backflow of proppants in a fractured subterranean formation into which a plurality of proppant composition particles comprising a non-radioactive, detectable tracer uniformly distributed in a ceramic composition have been introduced, comprising analyzing a sample of the backflow by detecting for presence of the tracer in the sample;
- wherein:
- (a) the non-radioactive, detectable tracer is selected from the group consisting of lanthanides, strontium, barium, gallium, germanium, tantalum, zirconium, vanadium, chromium, manganese and combinations thereof;
- (b) the proppant composition particles are of a size that is selected from the group consisting of (i) from about 20 mesh to about 40 mesh, (ii) from about 16 mesh to about 20 mesh, (iii) from about 30 mesh to about 50 mesh, (iv) from about 30 mesh to about 60 mesh, and (v) from about 16 mesh to about 30 mesh;
- and
- (c) the tracer makes up about 0.03 to about 0.2 percent by weight of the composition of the proppant composition particles.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.