Rare earth materials to enhance properties of ceramic particles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10227525-B2
Application number	US-201614987831-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 5, 2016
Priority date	Jan 5, 2016
Publication date	Mar 12, 2019
Grant date	Mar 12, 2019

Abstract

A method of improving the flow of a proppant pack or gravel pack comprises: introducing into a subterranean formation or a well a plurality of ceramic particles, the ceramic particles comprising about 0.1 wt. % to about 25 wt. % of a rare earth-containing compound, based on the total weight of the ceramic particles; and forming a proppant pack or gravel pack comprising the plurality of the ceramic particles; wherein the proppant pack or gravel pack improves fluid flow as compared with a reference proppant pack or gravel pack formed from otherwise identical ceramic particles except for being free of the rare earth-containing compound.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of improving fluid flow in a proppant pack or gravel pack, the method comprising:
introducing into a subterranean formation or a well a plurality of ceramic particles, the ceramic particles containing 0.7 wt. % to 10 wt. % of a rare earth-containing compound, based on the total weight of the ceramic particles; and
forming a proppant pack or gravel pack comprising the ceramic particles;
wherein the rare earth-containing compound comprises halides, nitrates, acetates, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing; and
the proppant pack or gravel pack improves fluid flow as compared with a reference proppant pack or gravel pack formed from otherwise identical particles except for being free of the rare earth-containing compound.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the rare earth-containing compound comprises one or more of the following: scandium; yttrium; lanthanum; cerium; praseodymium; neodymium; promethium; samarium; lutetium; europium; gadolinium; terbium; dysprosium; holmium; erbium; thulium; or ytterbium.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the rare earth-containing compound comprises one or more of cerium or lanthanum.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the rare earth-containing compound comprises one or more of the following: cerium chloride; cerium bromide; cerium nitrate; cerium ammonium nitrate; or cerium acetate.

5. The method of claim 1 where greater than 50 wt. % of the rare earth-containing compound are concentrated on the surface of the ceramic particles.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the rare earth-containing compound is present in an amount of about 0.7 wt. % to about 5 wt. % based on the total weight of the proppants.

7. A method of improving fluid flow in a proppant pack or gravel pack, the method comprising:
introducing into a subterranean formation or a well a plurality of ceramic particles, the ceramic particles containing 0.7 wt. % to 20 wt. % of a rare earth-containing compound, based on the total weight of the ceramic particles; and
forming a proppant pack or gravel pack comprising the ceramic particles;
wherein the rare earth-containing compound comprises halides, nitrates, acetates, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing;
the rare earth-containing compound forms a coating having a thickness of about 0.1 to about 50 micrometers disposed on a surface of the ceramic particles; and
the proppant pack or gravel pack improves fluid flow as compared with a reference proppant pack or gravel pack formed from otherwise identical particles except for being free of the rare earth-containing compound.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the coating has a thickness of about 0.1 to about 25 micrometers.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the coating covers at least greater than about 50% surface area of the ceramic particles.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ceramic particles comprise one or more of the following: an oxide-based ceramic; a nitride-based ceramic; a carbide-based ceramic; a boride-based ceramic; or a silicide-based ceramic.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ceramic particles comprise or are derived from a composition comprising the rare earth-containing compound and one or more of the following: bauxite; kaolin; clays; alumina; silica; or aluminosilicates.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ceramic particles have an average size of about 1 micron to about 2,500 microns.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ceramic particles are introduced to a fracture of the subterranean formation via a treatment fluid.

14. The method of claim 7 , wherein the coating has a thickness of about 0.1 to about 10 micrometers.

15. The method of claim 7 , wherein the coating formed by the rare earth-containing compound is directly coated on the ceramic particles.

16. The method of claim 7 , wherein the rare earth-containing compound further comprises cerium oxide, cerium hydroxide, or a combination thereof.

17. The method of claim 4 , wherein the rare earth-containing compound further comprises cerium oxide, cerium hydroxide, or a combination thereof.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the rare earth-containing compound comprises halides, nitrates, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.

19. The method of claim 7 , wherein the ceramic particles comprises 0.7 wt. % to 10 wt. %, of the rare earth-containing compound based on the total weight of the ceramic particles.

20. The method of claim 7 , wherein the rare earth-containing compound comprises one or more of the following: cerium chloride; cerium bromide; cerium nitrate; cerium ammonium nitrate; or cerium acetate.

21. A method of improving fluid flow in a proppant pack or gravel pack, the method comprising:
introducing into a subterranean formation or a well a plurality of ceramic particles, the ceramic particles containing 45 wt. % to 55 wt. % of alumina, 40 wt. % to 50 wt. % of silica, 1 wt. % to 5 wt. % of titania, and 0.7 wt. % to 5 wt. % of a rare earth-containing compound, based on the total weight of the ceramic particles; and
forming a proppant pack or gravel pack comprising the ceramic particles;
wherein the rare earth-containing compound comprises one or more of the following: cerium oxide; cerium chloride; cerium bromide; cerium hydroxide; cerium carbonate; cerium sulfate; cerium nitrate; cerium ammonium nitrate; or cerium acetate; and
the proppant pack or gravel pack improves fluid flow as compared with a reference proppant pack or gravel pack formed from otherwise identical particles except for being free of the rare earth-containing compound.

22. The method of claim 7 , wherein the coating consists of the rare earth-containing compound.

Assignees

• Monroe Terry D
• Bhaduri Sumit
• Hudson Harold G
• Baker Hughes A Ge Co Llc

Inventors

• Monroe Terry D
• Bhaduri Sumit
• Hudson Harold G

Classifications

• C09K8/805

  Coated proppants · CPC title

• C09K8/80 Primary

  Compositions for reinforcing fractures, e.g. compositions of proppants used to keep the fractures open · CPC title

• C04B35/62849

  Silica or silicates · CPC title

• C04B35/62852

  Alumina or aluminates · CPC title

• C04B35/62685

  characterised by the order of addition of constituents or additives · CPC title