Self-healing elastomer modified proppants for proppant flowback control in hydraulic fracturing

To address proppant flowback issues during post-fracturing treatments and production,self-healing elastomer modified proppants(SMPs)are proposed.Owing to their inherent self-aggregation behavior,the SMPs can aggregate together spontaneously to prevent proppant flowback and increase the pack porosity.It is noteworthy that the SMPs have a firm and dry self-healing elastomer(SE)coating,making their storage,transport and use as conventional proppants possible.The SE synthesized through polymerization is rich in amidogens and carbonyl groups as characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and the proton nuclear magnetic resonance.Thermal and thermomechanical properties of the SE coating are revealed by the thermogravimetric analysis,the differential scanning calorimetry and the rheological tests.The self-aggregation behavior of the SMPs is demonstrated by the adhesion force tests.The reversible hydrogen bonding interactions in SE coating contribute to the self-aggregation behavior of the SMPs,which is revealed by the thixotropy test and the FTIR analysis at different temperatures.With the self-aggregation behavior,the crushed proppants can aggregate in situ to form a stable structure again and therefore reduce the threat of narrowing down the fracture and proppant flowback,which has an important practical significance during oil and gas production.

Self-aggregating behavior of poly(4-vinyl pyridine)and the potential in mitigating sand production based onπ-πstacking interaction

Unconsolidated sandstone reservoirs are most susceptible to sand production that leads to a dramatic oil production decline.In this study,the poly(4-vinyl pyridine)(P_(4)VP)incorporated with self-aggregating behavior was proposed for sand migration control.The P_(4)VP could aggregate sand grains spontaneously throughπ-πstacking interactions to withstand the drag forces sufficiently.The influential factors on the self-aggregating behavior of the P_(4)VP were evaluated by adhesion force test.The adsorption as well as desorption behavior of P_(4)VP on sand grains was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and adhesion force test at different pH conditions.The result indicated that the pH altered the forms of surface silanol groups on sand grains,which in turn affected the adsorption process of P_(4)VP.The spontaneous dimerization of P_(4)VP molecules resulting from theπ-πstacking interaction was demonstrated by reduced density gradient analysis,which contributed to the self-aggregating behavior and the thermally reversible characteristic of the P_(4)VP.Dynamic sand stabilization test revealed that the P_(4)VP showed wide pH and temperature ranges of application.The production of sands can be mitigated effectively at 20-130℃ within the pH range of 4-8.