Partculas de determinado tamao mezcladas con fluido de fracturamiento para

mantener las fracturas abiertas despus de un tratamiento de fracturamiento

hidrulico. Adems de los granos de arena que aparecen naturalmente,
tambin se pueden utilizar agentes de sostn o apuntalantes artificiales o de
diseo especial, como arena cubierta con resina o materiales cermicos de alta
resistencia, como la bauxita sinterizada. Los materiales de los agentes de
sostn o apuntalantes se clasifican cuidadosamente por su tamao y
esfericidad para brindar un conducto eficiente para la produccin de fluido
desde el yacimiento hasta el pozo.

Agentes Propantes para el Fracturamiento Hidraulico

La fracturacin hidrulica consiste en inyectar fluido en la formacin a tal
presin que induce la separacin de la formacin (fractura). Los agentes de
sostn se utilizan en la fracturacin hidrulica para apuntalar o mantenga abrir
la fractura creada despus de la presin hidrulica utilizada para generar la
fractura ha sido aliviado. Varias pruebas de inyectividad se llevan a cabo antes
de que el principal tratamiento de la fractura para un mejor anlisis del
resultado de la simulacin de la fractura. Los pasos de fracturacin hidrulica
agente de sostn se describen en la figura 9.

Critical Proppant Selection Factors

Fracturing proppant selection is crucial to optimizing well productivity. Recent studies have
shown that many proppants often do not perform as expected when subjected to real-world
downhole conditions of pressure, temperature, and fluid. Besides the traditional proppant
selection factors of size, strength, and density, there are many other important factors to
consider.
Proppant Fines
Proppant fines generation and the resulting migration in the fracture are considered to be
one of the major contributors to poor treatment results and well performance. It has been
noted by Coulter & Wells1 that just 5% fines can decrease fracture flow capacity by as
much as 60%. Hexions advanced grain-to-grain bonding technology reduces proppant
fines generation and migration through the proppant pack. The curable resin coating
provides additional strength to individual grains, generates uniform stress distribution
throughout the pack, and encapsulates any loose fines that may occur.

The Wet, Hot Crush Test procedure,

recently developed by Hexion, more accurately simulates downhole conditions of
temperature, pressure and fluid. A Wet, Hot Crust Test was conducted at 8,000 psi (55 MPa)
to compare a curable resin coated sand (Hexions Prime Plus proppant) to both an
uncoated frac sand and a lightweight ceramic. Prime Plus generated only 0.5% fines,
significantly less than the other proppants. The fines generated by the lightweight ceramic
(8.2%) and uncoated frac sand (23.9%) greatly decrease well production.
Proppant Pack Cyclic Stress
During the life of a well, numerous events such as well shut-ins during workovers,
connections to a pipeline or possible shut-ins due to pipeline capacity lead to cyclic changes
in fracture closure stress. Curable resin coated proppants resist these cyclic stress changes
by forming a flexible lattice network that redistributes the stresses through the proppant

pack, reducing individual point loads on each proppant grain. This feature leads to
improved proppant pack integrity and well production.
Effective vs. Reference Conductivity
Traditionally, proppant performance has been measured using baseline or reference
conductivity testing. Effective conductivity is a much more accurate measurement of
downhole proppant performance. Unfortunately, the low flow rates during the baseline
conductivity test do not simulate downhole flow rates. High flow rates downhole can cause
proppant fines to migrate and severely decrease fracture conductivity.
To incorporate the effect of proppant fines, effective conductivity is calculated using the
Coulter & Wells method to derate the published reference conductivity.

As you
can see in the chart, utilizing effective conductivity to measure downhole proppant
performance, Prime Plus clearly outperforms a lightweight ceramic by limiting proppant
fines generation and migration.
Proppant Flowback
Post treatment proppant flowback is a leading cause of well production decline, equipment
damage, and well shut-ins for repairs. Proppant flowback can also cause loss of near
wellbore conductivity and reduced connectivity to the reservoir.

Hexions curable resin coated proppants

eliminate proppant flowback by forming a consolidated proppant pack in the fracture. This
grain-to-grain bonding occurs under a combination of reservoir temperature and closure
stress. This Stress Bond (SB) technology leads to increased proppant pack integrity and
well production compared to uncoated and precured resin coated proppants.
Proppant Pack Rearrangement
Proppant pack rearrangement in the fracture can cause a significant reduction in propped
width which can also lead to reduced fracture flow capacity and connectivity to the
wellbore. As a well is produced, high flow velocities in propped microfractures may cause
uncoated or precured proppant packs to shift or rearrange, causing the microfractures to
narrow or possibly close completely.
Hexions curable resin coated proppants will prevent the proppant grains from shifting,
keeping the microfractures propped open. This unique bonding technology provides
additional proppant pack integrity, enhanced fracture flow capacity, and increased
production during the life of the well.
Proppant Embedment
Uncoated proppants and precured resin coated sands often deeply embed into softer
formations due to the increased single point loading between the proppant grain and the soft
fracture face. This leads to reduced fracture width and lower fracture flow capacity.
Lightweight ceramic proppants, in particular, embed deeply into soft shale formations. An
additional issue with proppant embedment is the spalling of formation fines which can
migrate and cause additional loss of fracture conductivity. With curable resin coated
proppants, instead of just single grain point loading, there are multiple grains bonded
together. This lattice network of deformable surfaces provided by the curable resin coating
has shown to reduce embedment by redistributing stresses on the proppant pack within the
fracture.

Downhole Proppant Scaling

Proppant scaling is a geochemical reaction that occurs between an uncoated ceramic
proppant pack and the formation in a wet, hot downhole fracture environment. While this
reaction normally happens slowly in shallower formations, it accelerates under the higher
pressures and temperatures. The result of proppant scaling is a severe loss of proppant pack
porosity and permeability as fines and debris are created in the proppant pack. Uncoated
lightweight ceramics can lose up to 90% proppant pack permeability in just a few days.
Resin coated proppants drastically reduce the impact of downhole proppant scaling,
resulting in improved fracture flow capacity and significantly higher long-term
productivity.

Determinacin de la densidad bulk, Densidad aparente

y Densidad absoluta del agente de sostn
La densidad bulk se refiere a la masa del agente de sostn que llena un volumen unitario e incluye al
agente de sostn y a su porosidad. Se utiliza para determinar la masa del agente de sostn necesaria
para llenar una fractura o un silo de almacenamiento. El procedimiento para la determinacin de la
densidad bulk est basado en la norma ANSI B74.4. En la figura 6 se detallan las partes del equipo
utilizado (estas aparecen sealadas en negro).
La densidad aparente es medida con un fluido de baja viscosidad que moja las partculas e incluye el
espacio poral.
El lquido de prueba utilizado para el ensayo puede ser kerosene o petrleo parafnico y se utilizan
aproximadamente
10 g de muestra. Se observa en la figura 6 un conjunto de picnmetros utilizados en el laboratorio
(indica dos en azul). Esta densidad se utiliza para la calibracin de los densitmetros usados durante la
fractura y tambin para el tiempo de sedimentacin de las partculas.
La densidad absoluta es la densidad del grano de agente de sostn. Da una estimacin para la
comparacin entre
distintos agentes de sostn en cuanto a la calidad del mismo.
Es una medicin directa del volumen real que ocupan los granos sin tomar en cuenta la porosidad del
sistema, es decir, excluye poros que pueden estar en la arena como as tambin los espacios vacos.
Se utiliza el porosmetro al gas (figura 7) para su medicin, el cual est basado en la Ley
de Boyle.