Control of particulate entrainment by fluids
View Patent ↗An aqueous slurry composition for use in industries such as petroleum and pipeline industries that includes: a particulate, an aqueous carrier fluid, a chemical compound that renders the particulate surface hydrophobic, and a small amount of an oil. The slurry is produced by rendering the surface of the particulate hydrophobic during or before the making of the slurry. The addition of the oil greatly enhances the aggregation potential of the hydrophobically modified particulates once placed in the well bore.
1. A method of making a hydraulic fracturing fluid composition comprising the steps of:
contacting particulates having a surface with a medium containing a chemical compound to render the surface of the particulates hydrophobic;
separating the particulate from the medium; and
mixing the hydrophobic particulate with water and an oil to form a mixture; wherein the particulates are proppants.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the particulates are selected from the group consisting of sand, resin coated sand, synthetic polymeric beads, ceramic proppants, glass spheres, bauxite and combinations thereof.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the particulates are sand or ceramic proppants.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the method further comprises the step of adding a friction reducing agent in the fluid.
5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the method further comprises mixing a gas with the mixture.
6. The method of claim 2 , wherein the method further comprises the step of adding a friction reducing agent in the fluid.
7. The method of claim 2 , wherein the method further comprises mixing a gas with the mixture.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the chemical compound is selected from the group consisting of an organosilane, an organosiloxane, a fluoro-organosilane, a fluoro-organosiloxane, a fluoro-organic compound and combinations thereof.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the chemical compound is an organosilane having the formula
R n SiX (4-n)
wherein R is an organic radical having 1-50 carbon atoms, X is a halogen, alkoxy, acyloxy or amine and n has a value of 1-3.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the chemical compound is selected from the group consisting of: CH 3 SiCl 3 , CH 3 CH 2 SiCl 3 , (CH 3 ) 2 SiCl 2 , (CH 3 CH 2 ) 2 SiCl 2 , (C 6 H 5 ) 2 SiCl 2 , (C 6 H 5 )SiCl 3 , (CH 3 ) 3 SiCl, CH 3 HSiCl 2 , (CH 3 ) 2 HSiCl, CH 3 SiBr 3 , (C 6 H 5 )SiBr 3 , (CH 3 ) 2 SiBr 2 , (CH 3 CH 2 ) 2 SiBr 2 , (C 6 H 5 ) 2 SiBr 2 , (CH 3 ) 3 SiBr, CH 3 HSiBr 2 , (CH 3 ) 2 HSiBr, Si(OCH 3 ) 4 , CH 3 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , CH 3 Si(OCH 2 CH 3 ) 3 , CH 3 Si(OCH 2 CH 2 CH 3 ) 3 , CH 3 Si[O(CH 2 ) 3 CH 3 ] 3 , CH 3 CH 2 Si(OCH 2 CH 3 ) 3 , C 6 H 5 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , C 6 H 5 CH 2 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , C 6 H 5 Si(OCH 2 CH 3 ) 3 , CH 2 ═CHCH 2 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , (CH 3 ) 2 Si(OCH 3 ) 2 , (CH 3 ) 2 Si(OCH 2 CH 3 ) 2 , (CH 3 ) 2 Si(OCH 2 CH 2 CH 3 ) 2 , (CH 3 ) 2 Si[O(CH 2 ) 3 CH 3 ] 2 , (CH 3 CH 2 ) 2 Si(OCH 2 CH 3 ) 2 , (C 6 H 5 ) 2 Si(OCH 3 ) 2 , (C 6 H 5 CH 2 ) 2 Si(OCH 3 ) 2 , (C 6 H 5 ) 2 Si(OCH 2 CH 3 ) 2 , (CH 2 ═CH) 2 Si(OCH 3 ) 2 , (CH 2 ═CHCH 2 ) 2 Si(OCH 3 ) 2 , (CH 3 ) 3 SiOCH 3 , CH 3 HSi(OCH 3 ) 2 , (CH 3 ) 2 HSi(OCH 3 ), CH 3 Si(OCH 2 CH 2 CH 3 ) 3 , (CH 2 ═CHCH 2 ) 2 Si(OCH 2 CH 2 OCH 3 ) 2 , (C 6 H 5 ) 2 Si(OCH 2 CH 2 OCH 3 ) 2 , (CH 3 ) 2 Si(OCH 2 CH 2 OCH 3 ) 2 , (CH 2 ═CH) 2 Si(OCH 2 CH 2 OCH 3 ) 2 , (CH═CHCH 2 ) 2 Si(OCH 2 CH 2 OCH 3 ) 2 , (C 6 H 5 ) 2 Si(OCH 2 CH 2 OCH 3 ) 2 , CH 3 Si(CH 3 COO) 3 , methyldiethylchlorosilane, butyltrichlorosilane diphenyldichlorosilane, vinyltrichlorosilane, methyltrimethoxysilane, vinyltriethoxysilane, vinyltris(methoxyethoxy)silane, methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane, aminopropyltriethoxysilane, divinyldi-2-methoxysilane, ethyltributoxysilane, isobutyltrimethoxysilane, hexyltrimethoxysilane, n-octyltriethoxysilane, dihexyldimethoxysilane; trichloro-octadecylsilane, 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyldimethyloctadecyl ammonium chloride, 3-(trimethylethoxysilylpropyl)didecylmethyl ammonium chloride and triethoxysilyl soyapropyl dimonium chloride.
11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the chemical compound is a fluoro-organic compound.
12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the chemical compound is a fluoro-organosilane.
13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the chemical compound is a fluoro-organosiloxane.
14. The method of claim 8 , wherein the chemical compound is a cationic fluoro-organic compound.
15. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the chemical compound is an alkoxy silane.
16. The method of claim 8 , wherein the method further comprises the step of adding a friction reducing agent in the fluid.
17. The method of claim 8 , wherein the method further comprises mixing a gas with the mixture.
18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the chemical compound is selected from the group consisting of 2-(n-perfluoro-octyl)ethyltriethoxysilane, perfluoro-octyldimethylchlorosilane, (CF 3 CH 2 CH 2 ) 2 Si(OCH 3 ) 2 , CF 3 CH 2 CH 2 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , (CF 3 CH 2 CH 2 ) 2 Si(OCH 2 CH 2 OCH 3 ) 2 and CF 3 CH 2 CH 2 Si(OCH 2 CH 2 OCH 3 ) 3 and (CH 3 O) 3 Si(CH 2 ) 3 N + (CH 3 ) 2 (CH 2 ) 3 NHC(O)(CF 2 ) 6 CF 3 Cl − .
19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the chemical compound is selected from the group consisting of polysiloxanes modified with one or more organic cationic groups, polysiloxanes modified with one or more organic amphoteric groups, polysiloxanes modified with one or more organic anionic groups, amine silanes and combinations thereof.
20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the chemical compound is selected from the group consisting of polysiloxanes modified with one or more organic cationic groups.
21. The method of claim 19 , wherein the chemical compound is selected from the group consisting of polysiloxanes modified with one or more organic amphoteric groups.
22. The method of claim 19 , wherein the chemical compound is an amine silane.
23. The method according to claim 19 , wherein the chemical compound is an organo-polysiloxane having the formula
wherein each of R 1 to R 6 and R 8 to R 10 , represents an organic radical containing 1-6 carbon atoms, R 7 represents an organic amphoteric group for an organic amphoteric polysiloxane or an organic cationic group for an organic cationic polysiloxane, and m and n are from 1 to 200.
24. The method according to claim 19 , wherein the chemical compound is an organo-siloxane having the formula
where R 12 to R 17 each represents an organic radical containing 1-6 carbon atoms, one of R 11 and R 18 represents an organic amphoteric group and the other of R 11 and R 18 represents an organic amphoteric group or an organic radical for a di-betaine polysiloxane or one of R 11 and R 18 represents an organic cationic group and the other of R 11 and R 18 represents an organic cationic group or an organic radical for a di-cationic polysiloxane, and m is 1 to 200.
25. The method of claim 1 , wherein the oil is selected from the group consisting of a hydrocarbon oil, a silicone oil, kerosene oil, a frac oil and combinations thereof.
26. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises the step of adding a friction reducing agent in the fluid.
27. The method of claim 26 , wherein the method further comprises mixing a gas with the mixture.
28. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises mixing a gas with the mixture.
29. The method of claim 28 , wherein the gas is selected from the group consisting of air, nitrogen, carbon dioxide and methane, and mixtures thereof.
30. The method of claim 28 , wherein the gas is nitrogen, carbon dioxide or mixtures thereof.