Proppant particulates formed from polyaromatic hydrocarbons

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11739258-B2
Application number	US-202218146830-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 27, 2022
Priority date	Dec 26, 2018
Publication date	Aug 29, 2023
Grant date	Aug 29, 2023

Abstract

Proppant particulates are commonly used in hydraulic fracturing operations to maintain one or more fractures in an opened state following the release of hydraulic pressure. In complex fracture networks, it can be difficult to deposit proppant particulates fully within the fractures. In addition, low crush strengths may result in problematic fines formation. Polyaromatic hydrocarbons, commonly encountered in various refinery process streams, may serve as an advantageous precursor to proppant particulates. Polyaromatic hydrocarbons may undergo crosslinking under acid-catalyzed conditions in an aqueous solvent in the presence of a surfactant to form substantially spherical particulates that may serve as effective proppant particulates during fracturing operations. In situ formation of the proppant particulates may take place in some cases.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
reacting at least one polymer having at least one C9-C15 aromatic hydrocarbon unit with a crosslinking agent in the presence of an acid catalyst and a surfactant in an aqueous solvent, the crosslinking agent comprising at least two functional groups that are reactive under acid-catalyzed conditions with an aromatic ring of the at least one C9-C15 aromatic hydrocarbon unit and comprising a phenyl group and at least two C2 groups bonded to the phenyl group; and
forming substantially spherical particulates in situ in the aqueous solvent, the
substantially spherical particulates comprising a crosslinked reaction product of the at least one C9-C15 aromatic hydrocarbon unit and the at least one crosslinking agent, wherein the at least one C9-C15 aromatic hydrocarbon unit and the at least one crosslinking agent are crosslinked in the crosslinked reaction product by a C2 group of two C2 groups bonded directly to an aromatic ring of the at least one C9-C15 aromatic hydrocarbon unit and bonded directly to a phenyl group of the crosslinking agent.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substantially spherical particulates have a particle size ranging from about 10 microns to about 3 mm.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least two functional groups are independently selected from the group consisting of —CHO, —CHCH2, —CH2X, —C(═O)Y, and any combination thereof;
wherein X is selected from the group consisting of halide, OH, and sulfonate; and
wherein Y is selected from the group consisting of OH, Cl, and O—C(═O)—R;
wherein R is a hydrocarbyl group.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the crosslinking group is a polymeric crosslinking group.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one C9-C15 aromatic hydrocarbon units is obtained from a refinery process stream.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the refinery process stream is selected from the group consisting of steam cracked tar, main column bottoms, vacuum residue, asphaltenes, bitumen, lube extracts, and any combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the crosslinked reaction product comprises one or more oxidized aromatic rings.

Assignees

• Exxonmobil Technology & Engineering Company

Inventors

• Gordon Peter A
• Zhou Huaxing Daniel

Classifications

• C09K8/685 Primary

  containing cross-linking agents · CPC title

• C09K8/80 Primary

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

• E21B43/267

  reinforcing fractures by propping · CPC title

• C09K8/602

  containing surfactants · CPC title

• C09K8/62

  Compositions for forming crevices or fractures · CPC title