Lightweight micro-proppant

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11230660-B2
Application number	US-201616304096-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 8, 2016
Priority date	Jul 8, 2016
Publication date	Jan 25, 2022
Grant date	Jan 25, 2022

Abstract

Lightweight micro-proppant suitable to prop open not only near-wellbore microfractures but also far-field microfractures. Some methods of fracturing and propping may comprise first introducing a pad fluid comprising a lightweight micro-proppant into a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation at a rate and pressure sufficient to create or extend a fracture network in the subterranean formation, wherein the fracture network comprises microfractures. The lightweight micro-proppant comprises a thermoset nanocomposite having a specific gravity of about 0.9 to about 1.4 and having an average diameter of about 0.1 microns to about 50 microns. Then introducing a proppant slurry comprising a macro-proppant into the wellbore penetrating the subterranean formation after introducing the pad fluid forming a proppant pack in the fracture network wherein at least some of the lightweight micro-proppant is located in the microfractures.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
introducing a pad fluid comprising a lightweight micro-proppant into a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation at a rate and pressure sufficient to create or extend a fracture network in the subterranean formation, wherein the fracture network comprises microfractures, and wherein the lightweight micro-proppant comprises a thermoset nanocomposite of a nanoparticle embedded in a styrene-divinylbenzene-ethylvinyl benzene thermoset polymer having about 3% to about 35% divinylbenzene by weight of its monomers, wherein the nanoparticle is selected from the group consisting of natural nanoclays, synthetic nanoclays, metal nanoparticles, metal alloy nanoparticles, metal oxide nanoparticles, and any combinations thereof, wherein the nanoparticle has an average diameter of less than about 50 nm and the lightweight micro-proppant has a specific gravity of about 0.9 to about 1.4 and an average diameter of about 0.1 microns to about 50 microns, wherein the micro-proppant is produced by an in situ polymerization method selected from the group consisting of emulsion polymerization, dispersion polymerization, or suspension polymerization; wherein the micro-proppant is mechanically treated to reduce the micro-proppant to a desired average diameter if the in situ polymerization produced particulates have a size exceeding an average diameter of about 0.1 microns to about 50 microns; wherein a porogen is used during the in situ polymerization to provide pores to the thermoset nanocomposite thereby providing the lightweight microproppant the specific gravity of about 0.9 to about 1.4;
introducing a proppant slurry comprising a macro-proppant into the wellbore penetrating the subterranean formation after introducing the pad fluid; and
forming a proppant pack in the fracture network wherein at least some of the lightweight micro-proppant is located in the microfractures.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pad fluid further comprises a heavy micro-proppant having a specific gravity of greater than about 1.5 and an average diameter of about 0.1 microns to about 80 microns.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pad fluid further comprises an intermediately-sized proppant at about 50 microns to about 100 microns at a ratio to the lightweight micro-proppant of about 1:10 to about 1:100.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the proppant slurry further comprises a heavy micro-proppant having a specific gravity of greater than about 1.5 and an average diameter of about 0.1 microns to about 80 microns.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the proppant slurry further comprises an intermediately-sized proppant having an average diameter of about 50 microns to about 100 microns.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the lightweight micro-proppant is in the pad fluid in an amount of about 0.001 ppg to about 1 ppg.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
repeating the steps of introducing the pad fluid and introducing the proppant slurry, thereby expanding the fracture network and the proppant pack therein.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pad fluid is a first pad fluid and the method further comprises:
introducing a second pad fluid into the wellbore at the rate and pressure sufficient to create or extend the fracture network in the subterranean formation.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the microfractures have an opening that is 100 microns or less in the smallest cross-sectional dimension.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nanoparticles are present at about 0.1% to about 60% by weight of the lightweight micro-proppant.

11. A system for performing the method of claim 1 comprising:
a pump fluidly connected to a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation that introduces the pad fluid and the proppant slurry into the wellbore.

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Nguyen Philip D
• Shroff Rama Mallikarjuna
• Chopade Prashant D

Classifications

• C09K8/88

  macromolecular compounds · CPC title

• C08F236/10

  with vinyl-aromatic monomers · CPC title

• C08F212/12

  Monomers containing a branched unsaturated aliphatic radical or a ring substituted by an alkyl radical · CPC title

• C09K8/68

  containing organic compounds · CPC title

• C09K8/80 Primary

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