Crosslinked proppant-gel matrix

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11746281-B2
Application number	US-202217864076-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 13, 2022
Priority date	Jun 2, 2017
Publication date	Sep 5, 2023
Grant date	Sep 5, 2023

Abstract

A method of making a proppant-gel matrix comprising: a) hydrating a gelling agent to form a hydrated gelling agent; b) adding a basic compound to the hydrated gelling agent to form a basic hydrated gelling agent having a pH in the range of 11.5 to 14.0; c) mixing the basic hydrated gelling agent and a proppant to form a basic hydrated gelling system; and d) adding a crosslinking agent to the basic hydrated gelling system to form the proppant-gel matrix, is disclosed. The proppant-gel matrix can then be used as a fracturing fluid in a hydraulic fracturing process.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A proppant-gel matrix composition comprising:
a hydrated gelling agent having a pH in the range of 12.0 to 14.0, the hydrated gelling agent comprising guar gum or a derivative thereof;
a proppant comprising sand; and
a borate crosslinking agent,
wherein the proppant is crosslinked with the hydrated gelling agent through the crosslinking agent, and wherein the proppant-gel matrix composition has a settling rate of less than 50% at 24 hours.

2. The composition of claim 1 wherein the hydrated gelling agent comprises a gelling agent comprising guar gum or a derivative thereof is selected from the group consisting of guar gum, hydroxypropyl guar, hydroxyethyl guar, carboxymethyl guar, carboxymethyl hydroxypropyl guar, carboxymethylhydroxyethyl guar, and combinations thereof.

3. The composition of claim 1 wherein the proppant comprising sand is selected from the group consisting of raw sand, phenolic-coated sand, polyurethane-coated sand, polyamide-coated sand, polyester-coated sand, small molecule additive-coated sand, and combinations thereof.

4. The composition of claim 1 wherein the borate crosslinking agent is selected from the group consisting of borax, boric acid, probertite, ulexite, nobleite, gowerite, frolovite, colemanite, meyerhofferite, inyoite, priceite, tertschite, ginorite, pinnoite, paternoite, kurnakovite, inderite, preobrazhenskite, hydroboracite, inderborite, kaliborite, veatchite, trialkoxy boron ester, and combinations thereof.

5. The composition of claim 2 wherein the gelling agent is present in an amount in the range of from 0.01 weight percent to 5 weight percent, based on the total weight of aqueous fluid in the proppant-gel matrix.

6. The composition of claim 1 wherein the proppant comprising sand is present in an amount in the range of from 2 weight percent to 60 weight percent, based on the total weight of the proppant-gel matrix.

7. The composition of claim 1 wherein the proppant comprising sand is present in an amount in the range of from 5 weight percent to 50 weight percent, based on the total weight of the proppant-gel matrix.

8. The composition of claim 1 wherein the borate crosslinking agent is present in an amount in the range of from 0.003 weight percent to 5 weight percent, based on the total weight of aqueous fluid in the proppant-gel matrix.

9. The composition of claim 1 wherein the borate crosslinking agent is present in an amount in the range of from 0.003 weight percent to 2 weight percent, based on the total weight of aqueous fluid in the proppant-gel matrix.

10. The composition of claim 1 wherein the hydrated gelling agent is made to have a pH in the range of 12.0 to 14.0 by adding a basic compound selected from the group consisting of sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, lithium hydroxide, cesium hydroxide, rubidium hydroxide, ammonium hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide, calcium hydroxide, barium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, potassium carbonate, potassium bicarbonate, rubidium carbonate, rubidium bicarbonate, cesium carbonate, cesium bicarbonate, potassium phosphate, sodium phosphate, cesium phosphate, lithium phosphate, and combinations of any two or more thereof.

11. The composition of claim 1 wherein the proppant comprising sand comprises sand grains with a measurement in the range of from 3 to 500 mesh.

12. The composition of claim 1 wherein the proppant comprising sand comprises sand grains with a measurement in the range of from 10 to 400 mesh.

13. A fracturing fluid comprising the proppant-gel matrix composition of claim 1 .

14. A proppant-gel matrix composition, comprising:
a hydrated gelling agent having a pH in the range of 12.1 to 14.0, the hydrated gelling agent comprises guar;
a proppant comprising sand; and
a borate crosslinking agent,
wherein the proppant is crosslinked with the hydrated gelling agent through the crosslinking agent, and wherein the proppant-gel matrix composition has a settling rate of less than 40% at 48 hours.

15. The composition of claim 14 , wherein:
the proppant comprising sand is selected from the group consisting of raw sand, phenolic-coated sand, polyurethane-coated sand, polyamide-coated sand, polyester-coated sand, small molecule additive-coated sand, and combinations thereof.

16. The composition of claim 14 , wherein the borate crosslinking agent is selected from the group consisting of borax, boric acid, probertite, ulexite, nobleite, gowerite, frolovite, colemanite, meyerhofferite, inyoite, priceite, tertschite, ginorite, pinnoite, paternoite, kurnakovite, inderite, preobrazhenskite, hydroboracite, inderborite, kaliborite, veatchite, trialkoxy boron ester, and combinations thereof.

17. The composition of claim 14 , wherein:
the proppant comprising sand is present in an amount in the range of from 5 weight percent to 50 weight percent, based on the total weight of the proppant-gel matrix; and
the borate crosslinking agent is present in an amount in the range of from 0.003 weight percent to 2 weight percent, based on the total weight of aqueous fluid in the proppant-gel matrix.

18. The composition of claim 14 , wherein the proppant comprising sand comprises sand grains with a measurement in the range of from 20 to 200 mesh.

19. The composition of claim 14 , wherein the borate crosslinking agent is selected from the group consisting of borax, boric acid, and a combination thereof.

Assignees

• Hexion Inc

Inventors

• Zha Charles
• Beetge Jan

Classifications

• C09K8/68 Primary

  containing organic compounds · CPC title

• C01F11/02

  Oxides or hydroxides (production of lime C04B2/00) · CPC title

• C08B11/02

  Alkyl or cycloalkyl ethers · CPC title

• C08B15/005

  Crosslinking of cellulose derivatives · CPC title

• C08B37/00

  Preparation of polysaccharides not provided for in groups C08B1/00 - C08B35/00; Derivatives thereof (cellulose D21; {microbiological processes C12P}) · CPC title