PRESSURE ACTIVATED CURABLE RESIN COATED PROPPANTS

1 . A curable resin coated proppant comprising a proppant particle substrate and a curable resin coating on the proppant particle substrate, wherein the curable resin coating comprises the reaction product obtained when a molten mixture comprising a curable polymer resin, an aldehyde functional curing agent for the curable polymer resin, an organofunctional compound comprising one or more polyols, one or more polyamines or a mixture thereof, and a non-aldehyde functional covalent crosslinking agent for the curable polymer resin is coated onto the proppant particle substrate and then solidified in a manner so that the curable polymer resin remains curable.

2 . The curable resin coated proppant of claim 1 , wherein the curable polymer resin is a phenol aldehyde resin.

3 . The curable resin coated proppant of claim 2 , wherein the phenol aldehyde resin is a novolac resin.

4 . The curable resin coated proppant of claim 1 , wherein the non-aldehyde functional covalent crosslinking agent is selected from the group consisting of epoxides, anhydrides, aldehydes, diisocyanates, carbodiamides, divinyl compounds and diallyl compounds.

5 . The curable resin coated proppant of claim 4 , wherein the non-aldehyde functional covalent crosslinking agent is a diisocyanate.

6 . The curable resin coated proppant of claim 5 , wherein the diisocyanate is at least one of toluene-diisocyanate, naphthalenediisocyanate, xylene-diisocyanate, tetramethylene diisocyanate, hexamethylene diisocyanate, trimethylene diisocyanate, trimethyl hexamethylene diisocyanate, cyclohexyl-1,2-diisocyanate, cyclohexylene-1,4-diisocyanate, a diphenylmethanediisocyanate and an isocyanate-terminated polyurethane prepolymer.

7 . The curable resin coated proppant of claim 6 , wherein the diisocyanate is a mixture of diphenylmethanediisocyanates.

8 . The curable resin coated proppant of claim 1 , wherein the organofunctional compound is a polyol.

9 . The curable resin coated proppant of claim 8 , wherein the polyol exhibits a plasticizing effect on the curable polymer resin.

10 . The curable resin coated proppant of claim 9 , wherein the polyol is a hydroxyl terminated polyethylene glycol or a hydroxyl terminated polypropylene glycol.

11 . The curable resin coated proppant of claim 1 , wherein the curable polymer resin is a novolac, the aldehyde functional curing agent is hexamethylenetetramine, the non-aldehyde functional covalent crosslinking agent is a diisocyanate and the organofunctional compound is a plasticizer for the novolac resin.

12 . The curable resin coated proppant of claim 11 , wherein the organofunctional compound is a hydroxyl terminated polyethylene glycol or a hydroxyl terminated polypropylene glycol.

13 . The curable resin coated proppant of claim 1 , wherein the curable resin coated proppant exhibits a UCS value of 10 psi or more, when measured by the UCS analytical test described in the specification carried out under the conditions of 100° F.138° C. and 1,000 psi/6.9 MPa for 24 hours.

14 . The curable resin coated proppant of claim 1 , wherein the curable resin coated proppant exhibits a PCT value of 40 psi or less when measured by the PCT analytical test described in the specification carried out under the conditions of 250° F./121° C. and 0 psi for 24 hours.

15 . The curable resin coated proppant of claim 1 , wherein the amount of phenol leaching exhibited by the inventive curable resin coated proppant when subjected to the phenol leaching analytical test described in the specification is less than 100 ppm at pH=2 and at pH=7 and at pH=11.

16 . An aqueous fracturing fluid comprising an aqueous carrier liquid and the curable resin coated proppant of claim 1 .

17 . A method of fracturing a geological formation comprising pumping into the formation the fracturing fluid of claim 15 .