Composition and process for pelletizing carbon-based materials for proppant and industrial applications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11590469-B2
Application number	US-202117526746-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 15, 2021
Priority date	Mar 28, 2019
Publication date	Feb 28, 2023
Grant date	Feb 28, 2023

Abstract

A method for producing an electrically-conductive pellet includes reducing a size of a first material. The method also includes wetting the first material to produce a first slurry. The method also includes introducing the first slurry into a fluidizer to produce a first pellet. The method also includes reducing a size of a second material. The second material is an electrically-conductive material. The method also includes wetting the second material to produce a second slurry. The method also includes applying the second slurry to the first pellet.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrically-conductive pellet, comprising:
a core made from a first material comprising alumina, silica, kaolin, bauxite, or a combination thereof;
a shell layer that at least partially surrounds the core, wherein the shell layer is made from a second material that is electrically-conductive; and
an intermediate layer comprising a combination of the first material and the second material;
wherein the electrically-conductive pellet has:
an average cross-sectional length from about 200 μm to about 4000 μm,
a bulk density from about 0.3 g/cm 3 to about 2.0 g/cm 3 , and
an electrical conductivity from about 100 S/m to about 3000 S/m.

2. The electrically-conductive pellet of claim 1 , wherein the shell layer comprises petroleum coke, metal, graphite, or a combination thereof.

3. The electrically-conductive pellet of claim 1 , wherein the intermediate layer is positioned at least partially between the core and the shell layer.

4. The electrically-conductive pellet of claim 1 , wherein:
the core makes up from about 30% to about 80% of the electrically-conductive pellet,
the intermediate layer makes up from about 10% to about 40% of the electrically-conductive pellet, and
the shell layer makes up from about 10% to about 60% of the electrically-conductive pellet.

5. The electrically-conductive pellet of claim 4 , further comprising a non-radioactive tracer in the core, the shell layer or both.

6. The electrically-conductive pellet of claim 1 , wherein the pellet has an electrical conductivity of about 100 S/m to about 4000 S/m.

7. A sintered, electrically-conductive pellet, comprising:
a core made from a first material comprising alumina, silica, kaolin, bauxite, or a combination thereof;
a shell layer that at least partially surrounds the core, wherein the shell layer is made from a second material that is electrically-conductive; and
an intermediate layer comprising a combination of the first material and the second material,
wherein the sintered, electrically-conductive pellet has:
an average cross-sectional length from about 200 μm to about 4000 μm,
a bulk density from about 0.3 g/cm 3 to about 2.0 g/cm 3 , and
an electrical conductivity from about 100 S/m to about 3000 S/m;

wherein the core and shell layer are sintered to provide the sintered, electrically-conductive pellet.

8. The sintered, electrically-conductive pellet of claim 7 , wherein the shell layer comprises petroleum coke, metal, graphite or a combination thereof.

9. The sintered, electrically-conductive pellet of claim 8 , wherein the intermediate layer is positioned at least partially between the core and the shell layer.

10. The sintered, electrically-conductive pellet of claim 7 , wherein: the core makes up from about 30% to about 80% of the sintered, electrically-conductive pellet,
the intermediate layer makes up from about 10% to about 40% of the sintered, electrically-conductive pellet,
and the shell layer makes up from about 10% to about 60% of the sintered, electrically-conductive pellet.

11. The sintered, electrically-conductive pellet of claim 10 , further comprising a non-radioactive tracer in the core, the shell layer, or both.

12. The sintered, electrically-conductive pellet of claim 10 , further comprising an electrical conductivity of from about 100 S/m to about 4000 S/m.

13. The sintered, electrically-conductive pellet of claim 10 , further comprising an electrical conductivity of from about 500 S/m to about 2000 S/m.

Assignees

• Carbo Ceramics Inc

Inventors

• Cho Minjung
• Roper Todd
• Lieng Thu

Classifications

• C04B33/13

  Compounding ingredients (C04B33/36, C04B35/71 take precedence {; pigments for ceramics C09C1/0009}) · CPC title

• C04B2235/95

  Products characterised by their size, e.g. microceramics · CPC title

• C04B2235/3217

  Aluminum oxide or oxide forming salts thereof, e.g. bauxite, alpha-alumina · CPC title

• C09K8/805

  Coated proppants · CPC title

• C04B35/10

  based on aluminium oxide · CPC title