Methods and systems for infusing porous ceramic proppant with a chemical treatment agent

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9994764-B2
Application number	US-201514813452-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 30, 2015
Priority date	Jul 31, 2014
Publication date	Jun 12, 2018
Grant date	Jun 12, 2018

Abstract

Methods and systems for infusing ceramic proppant and infused ceramic proppant obtained therefrom are provided. The method can include introducing ceramic proppant and a chemical treatment agent to a mixing vessel, mixing the ceramic proppant and the chemical treatment agent in the mixing vessel to provide a mixture, introducing microwave energy to the mixing vessel to heat the mixture to a temperature sufficient to produce infused ceramic proppant containing at least a portion of the chemical treatment agent, and withdrawing the infused ceramic proppant from the mixing vessel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for infusing ceramic proppant, comprising:
introducing a ceramic proppant comprising an internal porosity and a chemical treatment agent to a mixing vessel;
mixing the ceramic proppant and the chemical treatment agent in the mixing vessel to provide a mixture;
introducing microwave energy to the mixing vessel to heat the mixture in a manner sufficient to dispose the chemical treatment agent throughout the internal porosity of the ceramic proppant to provide an infused ceramic proppant; and
withdrawing the infused ceramic proppant from the mixing vessel.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the chemical treatment agent comprises potassium ferricyanide, nitrilotriacetamide, nitriloacetamide hydrochloride salt, nitrilotriacetonitrile, sodium ferrocyanide, or any combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the porous ceramic proppant has a porosity from about 10% to about 75%.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the porous ceramic proppant has a crush strength at 7,500 psi of from about 1% to about 4.5%, a long term fluid conductivity at 7,500 psi of from about 1,475 mD-ft to about 8,825 mD-ft as measured in accordance with ISO 13503-5, and a long term permeability at 7,500 psi of from about 90 D to about 425 D as measured in accordance with ISO 13503-5.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the chemical treatment agent is contained in a chemical treatment agent solution when introduced to the mixing vessel.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the chemical treatment agent solution comprises from about 30 wt % to about 60 wt % chemical treatment agent and 40 wt % to about 70 wt % carrier solution.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the carrier solution is an aqueous solution.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the chemical treatment agent is selected from the group consisting of tracers, scale inhibitors, hydrate inhibitors, hydrogen sulfide scavenging materials, corrosion inhibitors, paraffin or wax inhibitors, including ethylene vinyl acetate copolymers, asphaltene inhibitors, organic deposition inhibitors, biocides, demulsifiers, defoamers, gel breakers, salt inhibitors, oxygen scavengers, iron sulfide scavengers, iron scavengers, clay stabilizers, enzymes, biological agents, flocculants, naphthenate inhibitors, carboxylate inhibitors, nanoparticle dispersions, and surfactants and any combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the chemical treatment agent is a scale inhibitor selected from the group consisting of DTPA, DTPMP, polyacrylamides, AMPS/AA, PHOS/MA, and PMA/AMPS and any combination thereof.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the microwave energy heats the mixture to a temperature of at least about 90° C.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the infused ceramic proppant comprises the chemical treatment agent uniformly distributed throughout the internal porosity.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the chemical treatment agent is a corrosion inhibitor selected from the group consisting of fatty imidazolines, alkyl pyridines, alkyl pyridine quaternaries, fatty amine quaternaries and phosphate salts of fatty imidazolines and combinations thereof.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the chemical treatment agent is a gel breaker selected from the group consisting of bleach, hypochlorites, percarbonates, perborates, permanganates, peroxides, and halogens and combinations thereof.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the chemical treatment agent is a biocide selected from the group consisting of bronopol, dazomet, glutaraldehyde, quaternary ammonium salts, and bleach and combinations thereof.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the chemical treatment agent is a surfactant selected from the group consisting of saturated or unsaturated long-chain fatty acids or acid salts, long-chain alcohols, polyalcohols, dimethylpolysiloxane, polyethylhydrosiloxane, linear and branched carboxylic acids and acid salts having from about 4 to about 30 carbon atoms, linear and branched alkyl sulfonic acids and acid salts having from about 4 to about 30 carbon atoms, linear alkyl benzene sulfonate wherein the linear alkyl chain includes from about 4 to about 30 carbon atoms, sulfosuccinates, phosphates, phosphonates, phospholipids, ethoxylated compounds, carboxylates, sulfonates and sulfates, polyglycol ethers, amines, salts of acrylic acid, pyrophosphate, glycinates, amphoacetates, propionates, betaines, sulfonates (like sodium xylene sulfonate and sodium naphthalene sulfonate), phosphonates, ethoxysulfates, sodium stearate, octadecanoic acid, hexadecyl sulfonate, lauryl sulfate, sodium oleate, ethoxylated nonyl phenol, sodium dodecyl sulfate, sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate, laurylamine hydrochloride, trimethyl dodecylammonium chloride, cetyl trimethyl ammonium chloride, polyoxyethylene alcohol, alkylphenolethoxylate, Polysorbate 80, propylene oxide modified polydimethylsiloxane, dodecyl betaine, lauramidopropyl betaine, cocamido-2-hydroxy-propyl sulfobetaine, alkyl aryl sulfonate, fluorosurfactants, perfluoropolymers and terpolymers and combinations thereof.

16. A method for infusing porous ceramic proppant, comprising:
introducing porous ceramic proppant and a first chemical treatment agent solution to a mixing vessel;
mixing the porous ceramic proppant and the first chemical treatment agent solution in the mixing vessel to provide a primary infusion mixture;
introducing microwave energy to the mixing vessel to heat the primary infusion mixture in a manner sufficient to dispose the first chemical treatment agent throughout an internal porosity of the porous ceramic proppant to provide a primary infused ceramic proppant;
introducing a second chemical treatment agent solution to the mixing vessel;
mixing the primary infused ceramic proppant and the second chemical treatment agent solution in the mixing vessel to provide a secondary infusion mixture; and
introducing microwave energy to the mixing vessel to heat the secondary infusion mixture in a manner sufficient to dispose the second chemical treatment agent throughout the internal porosity of the porous ceramic proppant to provide a secondary infused ceramic proppant.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
introducing a third chemical treatment agent solution to the mixing vessel;
mixing the secondary infused ceramic proppant and the third chemical treatment agent solution in the mixing vessel to provide a tertiary infusion mixture;
introducing microwave energy to the mixing vessel to heat the tertiary infusion mixture in a manner sufficient to dispose the third chemical treatment agent throughout the internal porosity of the porous ceramic proppant to provide a tertiary infused ceramic proppant; and
withdrawing the tertiary infused ceramic proppant from the mixing vessel.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the third chemical treatment agent solution comprises a third chemical treatment agent comprising a salt inhibitor and a third carrier solution comprising water.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the tertiary infused ceramic proppant comprises the first, second, and third chemical treatment agents uniformly distributed throughout the internal porosity of the porous ceramic proppant.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the tertiary infused ceramic proppant comprises the first, second, and third chemical treatment agents in a core-shell type distribution throughout the internal porosity of the porous ceramic proppant.

21. The method of claim 16 , wherein the porous ceramic proppant has a poros

Assignees

• Carbo Ceramics Inc

Inventors

• Howe Steven C
• Cannan Chad
• Roper Todd

Classifications

• C09K2208/22

  Hydrates inhibition by using well treatment fluids containing inhibitors of hydrate formers · CPC title

• C09K2208/10

  Nanoparticle-containing well treatment fluids · CPC title

• C09K2208/12

  Swell inhibition, i.e. using additives to drilling or well treatment fluids for inhibiting clay or shale swelling or disintegrating · CPC title

• C09K8/528

  inorganic depositions, e.g. sulfates or carbonates · CPC title

• C09K8/524

  organic depositions, e.g. paraffins or asphaltenes · CPC title