Oxane Materials, Inc.

Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.

Christopher E Coker

Andrew Ross Barron

John Ryan Loscutova

Dilip K Chatterjee

Robert D Skala

Yuming Xie

Russell James Smith

Elizabeth Whitsitt

Stephen A Costantino

Mark Wiesner

Rajendra Kumar Bordia

Shanghua Wu

Christopher Y Fang

Steven Florio

Jody Pham

Russell J Smith

Elizabeth A Whitsitt

Andrew J Miller

Raj Bordia

Mark Weisner

Rajendra Bordia

Dillip Chatterjee

Shangua Wu

Methods are described to make strong, tough, and/or lightweight glass-ceramic composites having a crystalline phase and an amorphous phase generated by viscous reaction sintering of a complex mixture of oxides and other materials. The present invention further relates to strong, tough, and lightweight glass-ceramic composites that can be used as proppants and for other uses.

Light weight proppant with improved strength and methods of making same

Methods of fracturing a subterranean formation are described wherein sintered ceramic proppants are used in at least two different stages. Each stage can utilize the same or a different type of proppant relative to one or more of the other stages, and the same or a different type of fracturing fluid relative to one or more of the other stages. At least one of the stages uses a proppant having a monodispersity of 3-sigma distribution or lower. A first stage can be used that exhibits at least one proppant performance property having a first value. A second stage can be used that exhibits the same proppant performance property as the first stage but at a value that differs from the first value by at least 10%.

Methods for fracturing subterranean formations

The present invention relates to lightweight high strength microsphere containing ceramic particles having controlled microsphere placement and/or size and microsphere morphology, which produces an improved balance of specific gravity and crush strength such that they can be used in applications such as proppants to prop open subterranean formation fractions. Proppant formulations are further disclosed which use one or more microsphere containing ceramic particles of the present invention. Methods to prop open subterranean formation fractions are further disclosed. In addition, other uses for the microsphere containing ceramic particles of the present invention are further disclosed, as well as methods of making the microsphere containing ceramic particles.

Ceramic particles with controlled pore and/or microsphere placement and/or size and method of making same

Ceramic inks formulated for additive formation of proppants are provided, as well as methods of manufacturing such ink and ink systems including such ink. The proppant formed can contain a proppant core, a proppant shell, a proppant outer coating or any combination thereof. Additive methods for forming proppants are also provided. The ceramic ink can be applied drop-wise, linearly, in a planar fashion, or any combination thereof to form proppants. Additive fabricators configured to produce proppant are further provided, as are systems including the same and software for running the same.

Additive fabrication of proppants

The present invention relates to a plurality of proppants, wherein at least a portion of the proppants are immobile proppants and are immobile in a proppant pack. The proppants, pre-aggregated proppants, immobile proppants, or any combination thereof can be used for fracking of a well for hydrocarbon recovery. A method of producing, immobilizing, localizing, or any combination thereof a plurality of proppants is provided by the present invention. The present invention also provides a method of immobilizing proppants including flowing a plurality of proppants into a subterranean location, and fusing the plurality of proppants to each other, to a subterranean surface, or a combination thereof to immobilize the plurality of proppants. The fusing can be accomplished using a chemical reaction, physical interaction, cross-linking, polymerization, microwave sintering, surface diffusion, magnetism, colloid destabilization, mechanical entanglement, interlocking, in-situ dimpling, or any combination thereof.

Immobile proppants

An extrusion method and apparatus are described for producing ceramics, glass, glass-ceramics, or composites suitable for use as proppants. The method includes forming one or more green body materials, extruding the green body materials to form a green body extrudate, separating and shaping the green body extrudate into individual green bodies, and sintering the green bodies to form proppants. The apparatus includes a means for forming an intimate mixture of green body materials, means to produce a green body extrudate, means for separating and shaping the green body extrudate into individual green bodies, and means to sinter the green green bodies to form proppants.

Extrusion process for proppant production

Proppants having added functional properties are provided, as are methods that use the proppants to track and trace the characteristics of a fracture in a geologic formation. Information obtained by the methods can be used to design a fracturing job, to increase conductivity in the fracture, and to enhance oil and gas recovery from the geologic formation. The functionalized proppants can be detected by a variety of methods utilizing, for example, an airborne magnetometer survey, ground penetrating radar, a high resolution accelerometer, a geophone, nuclear magnetic resonance, ultra-sound, impedance measurements, piezoelectric activity, radioactivity, and the like. Methods of mapping a subterranean formation are also provided and use the functionalized proppants to detect characteristics of the formation.

Method of manufacture and the use of a functional proppant for determination of subterranean fracture geometries

Methods are described to make strong, tough, and lightweight whisker-reinforced glass-ceramic composites through a self-toughening structure generated by viscous reaction sintering of a complex mixture of oxides. The invention further relates to strong, tough, and lightweight glass-ceramic composites that can be used as proppants and for other uses.

Synthetic ceramic proppants are described. Proppants having a monodispersity of 3-sigma distribution or lower are also described, including methods to make these proppants and methods of using these proppants.

Synthetic proppants and monodispersed proppants and methods of making the same

Methods to classify a proppant with respect to functional performance is described and includes measuring a coefficient of restitution for the proppant. Methods to select a proppant, methods to design a proppant, methods to predict proppant performance in a subterranean formation, and methods for providing product specifications for proppants are also described as well as other uses.

Method to classify and select proppants

Methods are described to make strong, tough, and lightweight whisker-reinforced glass-ceramic composites through a self-toughening structure generated by viscous reaction sintering of a complex mixture of oxides. The present invention further relates to strong, tough, and lightweight glass-ceramic composites that can be used as proppants and for other uses.

Self-toughened high-strength proppant and methods of making same

A proppant having low surface friction is described, which is useful in hydrocarbon recovery. Methods of making low surface friction proppants are further described, as well as uses thereof.

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Christopher E Coker