Cross-Linked Poly(styrene-Co Quartz and Kaolinite Proppants for Hydraulic Fracturing Applications

Abstract

The hydraulic fracturing operation, used as a production process in shale gas and coalbed methane reservoirs in the oil and natural gas industry, consists of fracturing fluid, proppant, and many other chemicals. This study successfully produced hydraulic fracturing proppants based on quartz and kaolinite minerals using divinyl benzene cross-linked styrene polymer with an in situ suspension polymerization method. Morphological analysis of the prepared proppants confirmed their spherical structure and the sphericity of quartz and kaolinite proppants were determined as 0.9. The polymer shells of the prepared proppants showed thermal resistance up to 375 degrees C and then decomposed between 375 degrees C and 575 degrees C. As a result of mechanical tests, quartz proppants showed a crush resistance of 14.08% under a load of 18,000 psi. Similarly, a crush resistance of 14.28% for kaolinite proppants was determined under a load of 15,000 psi. The apparent densities of quartz and kaolinite proppants were determined as 1.635 g/cm3 and 1.365 g/cm3, respectively. However, quartz proppants mostly display brittle breakage behavior, while kaolinite proppants are plastically deformed under the applied load.