A comprehensive look at Ceramic Proppant types and process

A comprehensive look at Ceramic Proppant

types and process

a business unit of M-I L.L.C.

Joe Roettle

Global Sales Manager

ECUTEC Barcelona S.L.

a business unit of M-I SWACO

[email protected]

2 4/2/2014

Proprietary and Confidential Information of © 2013 ECUTEC

Family Tree

• Oilfield Services

• Resource Management Services

• Imaging & Surveying

• Drilling & Completion Fluids

• Solids & Pressure Control

• Treatment Services

• Dry & Wet Screening

• Liquid / Solid Separation

a business unit of M-I L.L.C.

• Ultrafine Milling and classification

• Engineering services

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• Ultrafine classification

Ecutec Core Competencies

• Particle coating

• System development

• Ultrafine milling

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Ecutec & Sweco Clients (partial list)

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Why Ceramic Proppant?

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Hydraulic Fracturing

• Engineered fluids are pumped into the reservoir at high pressure causing vertical fractures to open.

• Proppant is mixed with the treatment fluid to keep the fracture open when the treatment is complete.

• Typical wells require millions of pounds of proppants and thousands of gallons of fluids per treatment.

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Comparison of Commonly Used Proppants

Frac SandResin Coated

SandCeramic Proppant

Conductivity Low Medium High

Strength Low Medium High

Shape Irregular Irregular Uniform

Well Type Low PressureMedium-High

PressureHigh Pressure

Cost $ $$$ $$$$$

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Comparison of Proppant Performance

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

API Sand

20/40

Resin Coated

20/40

Ceramic

20/40

Co

nd

uct

ivit

y a

t 8

,00

0 p

si

0

200

400

600

800

1000

API Sand

40/70

Resin Coated

40/70

Ceramic

40/70

Co

nd

uct

ivit

y a

t 8

,00

0 p

si

Eagle Ford Shale Play (liquid) Haynesville Shale Play (gas)

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Frac Sands and Ceramic Proppants

Northern White Sand Brady Sand

Pelletized / Spraydried Extruded New Technology

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World Shale Gas Reserves

Northern White Frac

Sand Reserves

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Ceramic Proppant Manufacturing Processes

Recipe

ShapingSintering

Ceramic Proppant

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Recipe / Raw Material

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Typical Ceramic Proppant Plant

Pre-Crushing

“Calcining Kiln”

Cooling Drum

Milling

Classification

Mixing

Shaping

Green Pellet Screen

Sintering Kiln

Cooling Drum

Grading Screen

Substrate Mineral

Proppant

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Pre-Crushing

Calcining Kiln

Cooling Drum

Milling

Classification

Mixing

Shaping

Green Pellet Screen

Sintering Kiln

Cooling Drum

Grading Screen

Substrate Mineral

Proppant

Substrate Prep (milling & classification)

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Turbo Classifier System with Ball Mill

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ALPHAseries

Material Inlet

Coarse

Fines

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15µAir Classifier

Importance of Classifier Efficiency

Ball Mill

ClassifiedProduct

15µ

TargetProduct

Classifier Rejects(low efficiency)

Classifier Rejects(high efficiency)

Ball Mill Discharge

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Test Facilities

Barcelona, Spain Galveston, TX USA

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Specific Grinding Energy vs. Particle Size

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Ceramic Substrate Milling Plant

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Ceramic Substrate Milling Plant

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Mixing & Shaping

Extrusion

Calcining Kiln

Cooling Drum

Milling

Classification

Mixing

Shaping

Green Pellet Screen

Sintering Kiln

Cooling Drum

Grading Screen

Substrate Mineral

Proppant

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Mixing & Shaping

Spray Drying Pelletizing

Extrusion

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Process technology: Build-up agglomeration

Mixing & Pelletization

Dry mixing Liquid additionFinished

Primary grain size

distribution"Blackberry"

structure

Agglomeration

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100 200 500 1000 2000 5000 10000Diameter / µm

0

20

40

60

80

100

Cu

mu

lati

ve

dis

tr. u

nd

ers

ize

in

% (

lin

ea

r)

VolumeParticle size distribution

Sample

V24

V26

V27

V30

Slow secondary

rolling causes the

larger granules to

grow

+240 s 600 RPM

+ 60 s 300 RPM

+240 s 600 RPM

+ 0 s 300 RPM

Example: Granulating proppants in the 750 L mixer


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100 200 500 1000 2000 5000 10000Diameter / µm

0

20

40

60

80

100

Cu

mu

lati

ve

dis

trib

. u

nd

ers

ize

in

% (

lin

ea

r)


Sample

V135

V142

V149

V151

V72

V73

The higher the

peripheral rotor

speed, the

narrower the

particle size

distribution

1080 RPM

920 RPM

770 RPM

Example: Granulating proppants in the 750 L mixer


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100 200 500 1000 2000 5000 10000Diameter / µm

0

20

40

60

80

100

Cu

mu

lati

ve

dis

trib

uti

on

un

de

rsiz

e %

(li

ne

ar)


R05_72mm

Probe

V100.1

V100.2

V100.3

V100.4

V100.5

Granulation Time + CMC

4 min + 69.0 kg

6 min + 69.8 kg

8 min + 70.5 kg

10 min + 71.3 kg

12 min + 72.0 kg

Example: Granulating proppants in the 750 l mixer

Influence of

mixing time and

moisture content


28 4/2/2014


Proppant Screening

Extrusion

Calcining Kiln

Cooling Drum

Milling

Classification

Binder Mixing

Pelletization

Green Pellet Screen

Sintering Kiln

Cooling Drum

Grading Screen

Substrate Mineral

Proppant

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Green Pellet Screening

70 US

212µ

20 US

850µ

72TBC / 259µ

fines 20/70 coarse

20 mill / 914µ

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Proppant Sintering

Extrusion

Calcining Kiln

Cooling Drum

Milling

Classification

Binder Mixing

Pelletization

Green Pellet Screen

Sintering Kiln

Cooling Drum

Grading Screen

Substrate Mineral

Proppant

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Proppant Sintering

85% Al2O3

60% Al2O3 + ZrO2

60% Al2O3

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Proppant Screening

Extrusion

Calcining Kiln

Cooling Drum

Milling

Classification

Binder Mixing

Pelletization

Green Pellet Screen

Sintering Kiln

Cooling Drum

Grading Screen

Substrate Mineral

Proppant

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Sintered Pellet Screening

40 TBC / 470µ

70 US

212µ

40 US

425µ

20 US

850µ

44 TBC / 437µ

78 TBC / 231µ

fines 40/70 20/40 coarse

22 TBC / 869µ

30/50

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Sweco BigMax Sifter

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Contact Information

Joe Roettle

Global Sales Manager

ECUTEC Barcelona S.L.

a business unit of M-I SWACO

[email protected]

A comprehensive look at Ceramic Proppant types and process

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