Smart Proppants for Hydraulic Fracturing
- Detailed Technology Description
- These smart “Expandable Proppants” (EP) remotely control the force and functionality of injected proppants that play a critical role in maintaining the hydraulic conductivity of fractured rocks after hydraulic fracturing treatments.
- Countries
- United States
- Application No.
- 14/932,202
- *Abstract
-
Proppants play a critical role in maintaining the hydraulic conductivity of fractured rocks after hydraulic fracturing treatments. One of the major challenges facing the oil and gas industry is how to in-situ maintain and control the proppant functionality in the deep horizontal wells where repair and/or replacement of the proppants is not feasible. These smart “Expandable Proppants” (EP) have been developed to remotely control the force and functionality of injected proppants. The smart EP responds to in-situ heating during its service conditions, without the need to interrupt the production process. The smart EP is able to be controlled through its chemical composition, morphology, and programming; and its shape memory effect is activated through phase transformation. Active control of EP functionality provides engineers with the ability to maintain the fracture width during production stages and consequently enhance the hydraulic conductivity of the formation.
- *IP Issue Date
- None
- *IP Type
- Utility
- *Licensing
- Brian SheddAssistant DirectorTel: 225-615-8941Email: brianshedd@lsu.edu
- Country/Region
- USA
