The Penn State Research Foundation

Carbo Ceramics Inc.

The Pennsylvania Research Corporation

John R Hellmann

Barry E Scheetz

Ryan P Koseski

Brett A Wilson

Richard E Tressler

Barry E Sheetz

David L Shelleman

Darryl P Butt

John J Mecholsky, Jr

Walter G Luscher

A process for producing proppants from waste mineralogical material. The process can include providing the waste mineralogical material in a form such as particles, fines, dust, powders, and the like, and forming a plurality of 'green' pellets from the waste mineralogical material. Thereafter, the plurality of green pellets are fed into a provided flame drop tower that has a combustion flame, a hot zone, and a collection basin located downstream from the hot zone. The plurality of green pellets pass through the hot zone, are melted and subsequently solidified in the shape of a sphere downstream from the hot zone to form vitrified glass spheres. In some instances, the vitrified glass spheres are subjected to a devitrification step.

Proppants from mineralogical material

A process for increasing toughness of glass particulates is provided. The process includes providing an aluminosilicate glass particulate, the glass particulate generally having the form of a sphere, and heating the glass particulate to a temperature greater than 600&#xb0; C. for a predetermined time. Thereafter, the glass particulate can be cooled to ambient temperature and the heating step can alter the failure mechanism of the glass particulate from a high energy failure that produces generally fine powder to a lower energy failure that produces generally large fragments. The glass particulate can be an amorphous glass particulate and may or may not have a nominal composition that corresponds to rhyolite, basalt, tholeiite, olivine and/or andesite.

Treatment of melt quenched aluminosilicate glass spheres for application as proppants via devitrification processes

The disclosed invention relates to a process of using molten salt ion exchange to treat particles such as spherically shaped soda-lime-silica glass particles. The treated particles may be used as proppants in hydrofractured oil and natural gas wells.

Treatment of particles for improved performance as proppants

Disclosed is a method for making a material having a controlled microstructure, the method including providing particles of a ceramic mineral material, the particles having a metal oxide dopant therein. The particles of the ceramic mineral material are consolidated into larger aggregates of a size relevant to the desired application using standard industrial mixing and pelletizing technology. The aggregates are heated under reducing conditions so that at least part of the dopant is reduced to form a transient, metastable liquid phase among the particles. The liquid phase includes at least part of the reduced dopant and promotes sintering of the particles and forms islands of reduced metal within the material and on the surface of the aggregates. Following heating of the aggregates under reducing conditions, the aggregates are heated under oxidizing conditions such that the islands of reduced metal are oxidized and/or go into solid solution within the particles, thereby creating voids within and form a shell thereon the particles.

Material having a controlled microstructure, core-shell macrostructure, and method for its fabrication

A testing apparatus is described that enables both single and double-ended tubular members to be tested under pressure and at elevated temperatures. For double-ended tubular members, the apparatus comprises first and second pressure seals at either end of the tubular member under test, both seals including annular compliant members that bear upon the internal surface of the tubular member. A heater is positioned within the tubular member and one of the pressure seals has an orifice through which the heater is connected to a power source. Pressurization occurs through an orifice in the other pressure seal and cooling apparatus surrounds the first and second ends of the tubular member to cool the pressure seals, thereby enabling the annular compliant members to retain their compliancy when the tubular member is heated to test temperature. For single-ended tubular members, a single pressure seal is used having pathways for both electrical and pressurization connections to the interior of the tubular member.

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State College, PA, United States of America

John R Hellmann