US20070114029A1

US20070114029A1 - Hydraulic fracturing proppants and methods of use

Info

Publication number: US20070114029A1
Application number: US11/283,381
Authority: US
Inventors: M. Kazi
Original assignee: Engelhard Corp
Current assignee: BASF Catalysts LLC
Priority date: 2005-11-18
Filing date: 2005-11-18
Publication date: 2007-05-24

Abstract

Hydraulic fracturing proppants for use in propping fractures in subterranean well bores comprising sand particles and methods for their manufacture are described. According to one or more embodiments, the proppants exhibit a narrow particle size distribution, crush resistance, sphericity, roundness and turbidity. Methods for propping open fractures during a hydraulic fracturing operation are also described.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to proppants and methods of using proppants in hydraulic fracturing of subterranean formations surrounding oil wells, gas wells, and similar boreholes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Hydraulic fracturing is a technique designed to increase the productivity of a well, for example, an oil well or gas well, by creating highly conductive fractures or channels in the oil or gas producing formation surrounding the well. A hydraulic fracturing process normally involves two steps. First, a fluid is injected into the well at a sufficient rate and pressure to rupture the formation and create a fracture or crack in the reservoir rock surrounding the well. As a result, channels with high liquid conductivity are created from the wellbore into the formation. However, the fractures tend to close if they are not propped open. Accordingly, during formation of the fracture or after the fracture has been formed, a particulate material, which is referred to as a proppant or propping agent, is placed into the formation to “prop” open the fracture.
Proppants must be able to withstand high pressures caused by closing walls of the fractured well and be inexpensive to produce in large quantities. In addition, it is desirable for the proppant particles to have the ability to form a porous structure for easy flow of liquid through the fracture. One property that enables the proppant particles to form a porous structure is the sphericity and roundness of the individual particles. Particles with greater sphericity and roundness tend to form a porous structure.
Different types of particles have been used as acceptable propping agents. These particles include sand, metallic shot, bauxite, glass spheres, alumina ceramic materials, hardenable resins, and particles coated with bonding materials. Each of these materials has drawbacks. For example, sand usually cannot withstand high pressures created by the forces closing the fractures. It has been shown that at stresses of 10,000 psi and above, even the highest grade sand is inadequate because sand particles tend to disintegrate. At higher stress levels, the fine particles produced by the particle disintegration plug the interstices of the propped fracture, drastically reducing fracture permeability and conductivity. Proppants other than sand may be rather expensive for the use in large quantities necessary for well propping.
The American Petroleum Industry (API) has established a commonly accepted standard in the industry which requires that the particle sizes be within pre-defined ranges. For example, particle size ranges are defined according to mesh size designations, such as 40/70, 30/50, 20/40, 16/30, 12/20, and 8/16. The first number in the designation refers to the ASTM U.S. Standard mesh size of the largest (top) sieve and the second number refers to the mesh size of the smallest (bottom) sieve. The API standards require that 90% of the spheres comprising the proppant material be retained between the top and bottom sieve when sieved through the mesh designations for the product.
While specially screened (usually 20-40 mesh) high grade sand (e.g., Ottawa sand or Brady sand) can be used with higher closure stress formations, performance drops off drastically as stress increases, particularly above 8,000 psi. At stresses of 10,000 psi and above, even the highest grade sand has been inadequate. Brady sand and Ottawa sand have been accepted as proppant sands having a desirable combination of properties for hydraulic fracturing operations. Sand from the Bidahochi formation in Apache County, Ariz. has been used for several years in hydraulic fracturing operations. The mining techniques and processing operations that have been used to acquire sand from the Bidahochi formation in the past has resulted in a proppant material having less desirable proppant properties than Brady sand and Ottawa sand. Because of its abundant supply and low cost, sand is favored as a proppant. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide improved sand proppants in addition to Brady Sand and Ottawa sand that has desirable properties such as particle size, crush resistance, sphericity, roundness, and turbidity for use in hydraulic fracturing.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

Embodiments of the invention relate to proppants and methods of use. The particles according to the various embodiments exhibit desirable crush resistance, sphericity, roundness, acid solubility, and turbidity, as determined by American Petroleum Institute Standard Recommended Practice 56 (RP-56). (See Recommended Practices for Testing Sand Used in Hydraulic Fracturing Operations, API Recommended Practice 56 Second Edition, December 1995, American Petroleum Institute). Other embodiments of the invention pertain to a method of propping open fractures during a hydraulic fracturing operation in a subterranean zone comprising placing the proppant particles of the various embodiments described herein in the fractures.
According to a first embodiment, a proppant comprises sand particles having a sand mesh size of 40/70, a median diameter of between about 0.20 mm and 0.40 mm, a crush resistance of less than about 10% fine particles by weight produced at a crush stress of about 5000 psi and turbidity of less than about 100 FTU, preferably less than about 50 FTU. In preferred embodiments, the 40/70 mesh sized proppant particles have a median particle diameter of about 0.32 mm, a crush resistance of less than about 5% maximum fine particles produced at a crush stress of about 5000 psi and a turbidity of less than about 20 FTU. In a particular embodiment, the 40/70 mesh sized proppant particles, the particles are sized such that between about 4 weight percent and 6 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 40 sieve, between about 20 weight percent and 25 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 45 sieve, between about 32 weight percent and 37 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 50 sieve, between about 32 and 37 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 60 sieve and between about 0.5 and 2 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 70 sieve. According to one embodiment, the 40/70 mesh sized proppant particles exhibit a sphericity exceeding about 0.75 and a roundness exceeding about 0.65. Another feature of the 40/70 sized proppant particles is that the specific gravity of the particles is between about 2.55 and 2.65. In a particular aspect, the 40/70 mesh sized particles have a median diameter of about 0.32 mm and being sized such that about 5.5 weight percent are retained on a 40 mesh sieve, about 23.3 weight percent are retained on a 45 mesh sieve, about 35.0 weight percent are retained on a 50 mesh sieve, about 34.8 weight percent are retained on 60 mesh sieve and about 1.4 weight percent are retained on a 70 mesh sieve.
In another embodiment, a proppant is provided which comprises sand particles having a 30/50 mesh size, a median diameter of between about 0.35 mm and 0.45 mm, a crush resistance of less than about 10% fine particles produced at a crush stress of about 4000 psi and a turbidity of less than about 100 FTU, preferably less than about 50 FTU. In a preferred embodiment, the median diameter of the 30/50 mesh sized particles is about 0.42 mm, have a crush resistance of less than about 3% fine particles produced at a crush stress of about 4000 psi and a turbidity of less than about 30 FTU. In a particular embodiment, the 30/50 mesh sized particles are sized such that between about 4 weight percent and 6 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 30 sieve, between about 20 weight percent and 25 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 35 sieve, between about 20 weight percent and 25 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 40 sieve, between about 20 and 25 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 45 sieve, between about 25 and 30 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 50 sieve, and between about 0.2 and 1 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 60 sieve, and the particles exhibiting a sphericity exceeding about 0.75 and a roundness exceeding about 0.70. According to one embodiment, another feature of 30/50 mesh sized proppant particles of is that the specific gravity of the particles is between about 2.55 and 2.65. According to a particular embodiment, the 30/50 mesh sized proppant particles are sized such that about 4.6 weight percent are retained on a 30 mesh sieve, about 22.8 weight percent are retained on a 35 mesh sieve, about 23.1 weight percent are retained on a 40 mesh sieve, about 22.1 weight percent are retained on 45 mesh sieve, about 26.8 weight percent are retained on a 50 mesh sieve and about 0.6 weight percent are retained on 60 mesh sieve.
According to another embodiment, proppant particles are provided comprising sand particles having a mesh size of 20/40, a median diameter of between about 0.50 mm and 0.70 mm, exhibiting a crush resistance of less than about 10% fine particles produced at about 4000 psi crush stress, and a turbidity of less than about 100 FTU, preferably less than about 50 FTU. In a particular embodiment, the 20/40 mesh sized particles have a median particle diameter of about 0.60 mm, exhibit a crush resistance of less than about 4% fine particles produced at a crush stress of about 4000 psi and a turbidity of less than about 20 FTU. In one embodiment, the 20/40 mesh sized particles are sized such that between about 2 weight percent and 4 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 20 sieve, between about 17 weight percent and 22 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 25 sieve, between about 28 weight percent and 32 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 30 sieve, between about 25 and 29 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 35 sieve, between about 18 weight percent and 22 weight percent are retained on a mesh size 40 sieve and between about 0.5 and 2 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 45 sieve, and the particles exhibiting a sphericity exceeding about 0.75 and a roundness exceeding about 0.65. According to one embodiment, a feature of the 20/40 mesh sized particles is that the specific gravity of the particles is between about 2.55 and 2.65. According to a particular embodiment of the 20/40 mesh size proppant particles is that the particles have a median diameter of about 0.60 mm and being sized such that about 3.1 weight percent are retained on a 20 mesh sieve, about 19.6 weight percent are retained on a 25 mesh sieve, about 30.1 weight percent are retained on a 30 mesh sieve, about 26.7 weight percent are retained on 35 mesh sieve, about 19.9 weight percent are retained on a 40 mesh sieve and about 0.6 weight percent are retained on a 45 mesh sieve.
Another embodiment is directed to a hydraulic fracturing proppant comprising sand particles having mesh size of 12/20, a median diameter of between about 0.90 mm and 1.10 mm, the particles exhibiting a crush resistance of less than about 10% fine particles produced at a crush stress of about 3000 psi and a turbidity of less than about 100 FTU, preferably less than about 50 FTU. In one embodiment, the 12/20 mesh size particles have a median diameter of about 1.02 mm, exhibit a crush resistance of about less than about 5% fine particles produced at a crush stress of about 3000 psi and a turbidity less than about 30 FTU. In a particular embodiment, 12/20 mesh size particles are sized such that between about 0 weight percent and 0.4 weight percent are retained on a mesh size 12 sieve, 3 weight percent and 4 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 14 sieve, between about 11 weight percent and 14 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 16 sieve, between about 25 weight percent and 30 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 18 sieve, between about 53 and 57 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 20 sieve and less than about 1.0 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 25 sieve. A feature of the particles according to the fourth embodiment is that they exhibit a sphericity exceeding about 0.70 and a roundness exceeding about 0.65. Another feature of the proppant particles is that the percentage of fine particles produced at a crush stress of about 5000 psi is less than about 5% and the specific gravity of the particles is between about 2.55 and 2.65. Still another feature of the proppant particles according to the fourth embodiment is that the turbity of the particles is less than about 20 FTU. Particular features of the proppant particles according to the fourth embodiments is that the particles have a median diameter of about 1.0 mm and are sized such that about 0.1 weight percent are retained on a 12 mesh sieve, about 3.6 weight percent are retained on a 14 mesh sieve, about 12.9 weight percent are retained on a 16 mesh sieve, about 27.5 weight percent are retained on 18 mesh sieve, about 55.1 percent are retained on a 20 mesh sieve and about 0.8 weight percent are retained on 25 mesh sieve.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 are graphs showing the long term conductivity and permeability versus closure stress of proppant sand particles according embodiments of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a graph comparing the conductivity versus closure stress of proppant sand particles according to one embodiment to prior art proppant sand particles;
FIG. 3 is a graph comparing the conductivity versus closure stress of proppant sand particles according to one embodiment to prior art proppant sand particles;
FIG. 4 is a graph comparing the conductivity versus closure stress of proppant sand particles according to one embodiment to prior art proppant sand particles;
FIG. 5 is a graph comparing the conductivity versus closure stress of proppant sand particles according to one embodiment to prior art proppant sand particles; and
FIG. 6 is a graph comparing the crush resistance of proppant sand particles according to one embodiment with prior art proppant sand particles.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before describing several exemplary embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the details of construction or process steps set forth in the following description. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various ways.
Embodiments of the invention relate to novel hydraulic fracturing proppants and methods for their manufacture and use. According to certain embodiments, the methods involve injecting a proppant suspended in a carrier fluid into a subterranean formation. The proppant particles, when so injected, are deposited in the fracture to “prop” the adjacent walls apart so that the fracture is not closed.
It is recognized in the art that particle size, particle size distribution, acid solubility, turbidity, crush resistance measured in quantity of fine particles, roundness and sphericity and proppant density all have an impact on fracture conductivity. Proppant particles generally should have a sphericity of 0.5 or greater and a roundness of 0.3 or greater according to the Krumbein and Shoss chart for visual estimation of roundness and sphericity. In certain preferred embodiments the sand particles have a sphericity and roundness of 0.7 or greater.
The “conductivity ratio” of a proppant material is its conductivity, usually measured in Darcy-feet, at a given closure stress divided by its conductivity, determined by the test procedure described below, measured in the same units and at the same closure stress. In general, siliceous sand, because it is widely available, inexpensive, and comparatively effective, is an ideal proppant, at least for use in comparatively shallow formations.
According to embodiments of the invention, sand from Engelhard's Cheto, Ariz. clay mine from the Bidahochi formation has been found particularly suitable for use as a hydraulic fracturing proppant as the sand particles exhibit a variety of desirable properties as will be seen further below. In years past, sand has been mined from this location for use in hydraulic fracturing operations, however, the processing used to mine the sand resulted in certain undesirable properties in the final product. According to an embodiment of the invention, improved mining and processing operations strip away fine sand to expose a prime band of sand and selectively extract this prime band without removing excessive clay containing sand with the extracted prime band.
The sand selectively removed from the prime band is preferably further processed utilizing wet processing to wash the sand, fluidized bed dryers, screens, etc. as is known in the art. In preferred embodiments, the selectively extracted sand is processed first with physical beneficiation by separating the loosely attached fines and clay. Intensive washing is accomplished by means of attrition scrubbing. It is conducted at solids loadings between 65-85%, preferably at 73% solids loading and contact time between 1.5-15 minutes.
The washed materials continuously flow into the next step for classification into concentrates of target particles size ranges. It has been found that so called “density separators” allow for optimum wet sizing into −1 mm +40 mesh, −40+70 mesh and −70 mesh products. At times, the density separator controls are adjusted to produce a −1 mm +50 mesh and −50+70 mesh and −70 mesh concentrates. In certain embodiments, two density separators are placed in series, the first of which divides the incoming sand into coarse concentrate (12/40 mesh) and one finer concentrate of minus 40 mesh. The second separator can make a 50 or 70 mesh separation or polish the 40 mesh separation for a more accurate fractionation. A 30/50 mesh concentrate or a 40 mesh concentrate can be made one at a time and stockpiled separately.
The output of the density separators can then be stockpiled for drying in a fluid bed dryer and/or other continuously drying device, for example rotary dryers. Exceeding recommended properties of size analysis, particle distributions and crush strengths are achieved by multi-deck dry screen polishing.
Thus, in preferred embodiments, sizing that involves at least two sizing steps, namely first using density separation in a liquid followed by sizing using a second density separator or separator screens results in a proppant product that has a narrow particle size distribution, acceptable crush resistance and turbidity. In addition, washing with an attrition washer for at least about 5 minutes aids in producing sand from the Cheto mine that has properties that are comparable to, and in some cases better than Brady sand and Ottawa sand.
Evaluations of the long-term conductivity of the samples of sand were completed as described below and are shown in FIG. 1 below. In addition, the conductivity versus closure stress of various samples according to embodiments of the invention was compared to samples of prior art Brady and Ottawa sands are shown in FIGS. 2-5.
The samples were dried, lightly disassociated and fractionated into −12+20, −20+40, −30+50 and −40+70. Then a sieve analysis was performed on each sample, and the results are shown in Tables 1-4. Median particle size as used herein is calculated from the measured size distribution of each sample.
These samples were evaluated at 2.0 Lb/ft²and 150° F. at 2,000, 4,000 and 6,000-psi closure stresses for 50 hours each. Various properties of hydraulic fracturing proppant particles are shown further below in the Tables. The equipment for conductivity and permeability testing included a 75 ton Dake Press with air oil intensifier; API SS316 or Monel K-500 flow cells with 10 sq. in. flow paths; Rosemont (smart family) 40:1 pressure transducers for measuring pressure drop and rate plumbed with ¼ in. lines and calibrated with the smart system computer; two gallon nitrogen driven fluid reservoirs filled with 2% KCl and deoxygenated with nitrogen; internal gauges and calipers for measuring widths; a personal computer to process data and calculate conductivity and permeability; two 10 sq. in. core slabs of Ohio sandstone.
The composition of the sand mined and processed according to embodiments of the present invention, particularly, by selective mining of the prime band and attrition washing of the sand was measured by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) analysis. The silica content is approximately 94.25%, the silica content is approximately 2.44%, the K₂O content is approximately 1.10%, the Na₂O content is about 0.38%, the Fe₂O₃content is about 0.40%, and the loss on ignition is about 0.67%.
The conductivity and permeability measurement of the proppant sand properties were conducted as follows:

a) An API cell was loaded with proppant sample to be tested. The proppant was leveled with a blade device.
b) The proppant sample was placed between the core slabs and was made a part of a four-cell stack.
c) The cells were stacked to within 0.002 inches from top to bottom and positioned between the platens of the Dake Press. Pressure was increased to 500 psi and the system was evacuated and saturated with water at 70-75° F.
d) Once saturated, the closure pressure was increased to 1,000 psi, at a rate of 100 psi/minute. The proppant was allowed to equilibrate as outlined in the data tables.
e) The flow rate, pressure differential, and average width were measured at each pressure in order to calculate conductivity and permeability. Five measurements were taken and averaged to arrive at each reported conductivity. Flow rate was measured with a LiquiFlow meter, which was calibrated with a Mettler balance to 0.01 ml/min. Darcy's Law was used for the calculations to determine the conductivity and permeability.
f) The test temperature was increased to 150° F. and allowed to equilibrate. The temperature was left at 150° F. for 12 hours prior to increasing the closure.
g) The conductivity and permeability of the proppant were collected at 1,000 psi closure at both room temperature and 50° F. as stated in the data tables.
h) The pressure was increased at 100 psi per minute at 1,000 psi increments and the above measuring technique repeated.
i) The conductivity and permeability of the proppant were continuously monitored at 2,000 psi and 150° F. for 50 hours.
j) The conductivity and permeability of the proppant were continuously monitored at 4,000 psi and 150° F. for 50 hours.
k) The conductivity and permeability of the proppant were continuously monitored at 6,000 psi and 150° F. for 50 hours.

All of the values provided in Table 5 were obtained using API RP-56 as described in Recommended Practices for Testing Sand Used in Hydraulic Fracturing Operations, API Recommended Practice 56, Second Edition, Dec. 1995, American Petroleum Institute, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. The values recited in the claims refer to values obtained according to API RP-56. Turbidity in water is the result of suspended clay, silt or finely divided organic matter in the proppant sand. Turbidity is a measure of an optical property of a suspension that results from scattering and absorbing of light by the particulate matter present. Crush resistance is a measure of the weight percent of sand passing through the smallest mesh sieve for a particular mesh size of sand (“fine particles”). For example, for 12/20 mesh size sand, the crush resistance is a measure of the weight percent of sand that passes through a 20 mesh size sieve using the test described in API RP-56. The acid solubility is a measure of the solubility of sand in 12-3 hydrochloric-hydrofluoric acid, which is an indication of undesirable contaminants such as carbonate, feldspars and iron oxides in the sand.

FIG. 1 contains a summary of conductivity and permeability vs. stress for sand according to several embodiments. The data for generating FIG. 1 is provided in Tables 1 thru 4 below. Table 5 shows a summary of the crush resistance, sphericity, roundness, acid solubility, and turbity, of proppant sand according to various embodiments, as determined by API RP-56. The recommended ranges according to API RP-56 are also shown in Table 5, where applicable. Table 6 also shows the specific gravity of various embodiments.

TABLE 1


Conductivity and Permeability of 40/70
Product (See sieve analysis below)

Hrs at
Closure &	Closure	Temp	Conductivity	Width	Permeability
Temperature	(psi)	(° F.)	(md-ft)	(in)	(Darcy)

−14	1000	75	1757	0.233	91
−2	1000	150	1589	0.232	82
0	2000	150	1435	0.229	75
10	2000	150	1406	0.228	73
20	2000	150	1378	0.228	72
30	2000	150	1372	0.228	72
40	2000	150	1363	0.228	72
50	2000	150	1355	0.228	71
0	4000	150	1082	0.222	59
10	4000	150	992	0.221	54
20	4000	150	954	0.220	52
30	4000	150	924	0.219	51
40	4000	150	902	0.219	49
50	4000	150	910	0.219	50
0	6000	150	676	0.215	38
10	6000	150	540	0.212	31
20	6000	150	509	0.211	29
30	6000	150	495	0.210	28
40	6000	150	486	0.210	28
50	6000	150	480	0.210	27

Sieve Analysis of 40/70 Product in Table 1

zebra	Sieve	% Retained

Median Dia. = 0.322 mm	30	0.0
	35	0.0
	40	5.5
	45	23.3
	50	35.0
	60	34.8
	70	1.4
	80	0.0
	100	0.0
	pan	0.0
	Total	100.0
	% In Size	94.5

TABLE 2


Conductivity and Permeability of 30/50
Product (See sieve analysis below.)

Hrs at
Closure &	Closure	Temp	Conductivity	Width	Permeability
Temperature	(psi)	(° F.)	(md-ft)	(in)	(Darcy)

−14	1000	75	2739	0.231	142
−2	1000	150	2698	0.230	141
0	2000	150	2410	0.228	127
10	2000	150	2317	0.227	123
20	2000	150	2298	0.227	122
30	2000	150	2279	0.226	122
40	2000	150	2262	0.226	120
50	2000	150	2233	0.226	119
0	4000	150	1670	0.220	91
10	4000	150	1544	0.219	85
20	4000	150	1466	0.219	80
30	4000	150	1437	0.218	79
40	4000	150	1414	0.218	78
50	4000	150	1404	0.218	77
0	6000	150	957	0.214	54
10	6000	150	786	0.211	45
20	6000	150	745	0.210	43
30	6000	150	719	0.209	41
40	6000	150	691	0.209	40
50	6000	150	689	0.209	40

Sieve Analysis of 30/50 Product in Table 2

zebra	Sieve	% Retained

Median Dia. = 0.423 mm	20	0.0
	25	0.0
	30	4.6
	35	22.8
	40	23.1
	45	22.1
	50	26.8
	60	0.6
	70	0.0
	pan	0.0
	Total	100.0
	% In Size	94.8

TABLE 3


Conductivity and Permeability of 20/40
Product (See sieve analysis below.)

Hrs at
Closure &	Closure	Temp	Conductivity	Width	Permeability
Temperature	(psi)	(° F.)	(md-ft)	(in)	(Darcy)

−14	1000	75	5370	0.230	280
−2	1000	150	5205	0.229	273
0	2000	150	4707	0.227	249
10	2000	150	4612	0.226	245
20	2000	150	4524	0.225	241
30	2000	150	4491	0.225	240
40	2000	150	4471	0.225	239
50	2000	150	4460	0.225	238
0	4000	150	2997	0.221	163
10	4000	150	2659	0.219	146
20	4000	150	2546	0.218	140
30	4000	150	2465	0.217	136
40	4000	150	2388	0.217	132
50	4000	150	2361	0.217	131
0	6000	150	1567	0.211	89
10	6000	150	1252	0.209	72
20	6000	150	1184	0.208	68
30	6000	150	1121	0.207	65
40	6000	150	1098	0.207	64
50	6000	150	1080	0.207	63

Sieve Analysis of 20/40 Product in Table 3

zebra	Sieve	% Retained

Median Dia. = 0.602 mm	16	0.0
	18	0.0
	20	3.1
	25	19.6
	30	30.1
	35	26.7
	40	19.9
	45	0.6
	50	0.0
	pan	0.0
	Total	100.0
	% In Size	96.3

TABLE 4


Conductivity and Permeability 12/20
Product (See sieve analysis below.)

Hrs at
Closure &	Closure	Temp	Conductivity	Width	Permeability
Temperature	(psi)	(° F.)	(md-ft)	(in)	(Darcy)

−14	1000	75	18959	0.230	280
−2	1000	150	18135	0.229	273
0	2000	150	14423	0.233	743
10	2000	150	14225	0.232	736
20	2000	150	14179	0.231	737
30	2000	150	14166	0.231	736
40	2000	150	14135	0.231	734
50	2000	150	14119	0.231	734
0	4000	150	7514	0.220	410
10	4000	150	6703	0.218	369
20	4000	150	6365	0.216	354
30	4000	150	6095	0.215	340
40	4000	150	6033	0.215	337
50	4000	150	6013	0.215	336
0	6000	150	3577	0.207	207
10	6000	150	2864	0.205	168
20	6000	150	2712	0.204	160
30	6000	150	2634	0.203	156
40	6000	150	2583	0.203	153
50	6000	150	2563	0.203	152

Sieve Analysis of 12/20 Product in Table 4

zebra	Sieve	% Retained

Median Dia. = 1.024 mm	8	0.0
	10	0.0
	12	0.1
	14	3.6
	16	12.9
	18	27.5
	20	55.1
	25	0.8
	30	0.0
	pan	0.0
	Total	100.0
	% In Size	99.1

TABLE 5


Summary of Sand Properties

Property

Units

	12/20	20/40	30/50	40/70

Crush Resistance	% fine	4.6%	3.6%	2.6%	4.1%
	particles
Crush stress	Psi		3000	4000	4000	5000
API RP-56 Recom.		<16%	<14%	<10%	<8%
Sphericity		0.78	0.80	0.76	0.71
Roundness		0.66	0.73	0.71	0.70
API RP-56 Recom.		>0.6	>0.6	>0.6	>0.6
Acid Solubility	% by wt	4.9%	5.5%	4.5%	4.6%
API RP-56 Recom.		<2.0%	<2.0%	<2.0%	<2.0%
Turbidity	FTU	29	15	25	19
API RP-56 Recom.		<250	<250	<250	<250
Specific Gravity	g/cm³	2.61	2.63	2.63	2.63

The sand mined and processed according to embodiments of the present invention exhibits a number of desirable properties for use as a hydraulic fracturing proppant as compared to prior art sands. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A hydraulic fracturing proppant comprising sand particles having a mesh size of 40/70, a median diameter of between about 0.20 mm and 0.40 mm, and exhibiting a crush resistance of less than about 10% fine particles produced at a crush stress of 5000 psi, and a turbidity of less than about 100 FTU.

2. The proppant of claim 1 wherein the percentage of fine particles produced at a crush stress of about 5000 psi is less than about 5% and the turbidity is less than about 20 FTU.

3. The proppant of claim 1 wherein the particles are sized such that between about 4 weight percent and 6 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 40 sieve, between about 20 weight percent and 25 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 45 sieve, between about 32 weight percent and 37 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 50 sieve, between about 32 and 37 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 60 sieve and between about 0.5 and 2 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 70 sieve, and the particles exhibiting a sphericity exceeding about 0.75 and a roundness exceeding about 0.65.

4. The proppant of claim 3 wherein the particles have a median diameter of about 0.32 mm and being sized such that about 5.5 weight percent are retained on a 40 mesh sieve, about 23.3 weight percent are retained on a 45 mesh sieve, about 35.0 weight percent are retained on a 50 mesh sieve, about 34.8 weight percent are retained on 60 mesh sieve and about 1.4 weight percent are retained on a 70 mesh sieve.

5. A method of propping open fractures during a hydraulic fracturing operation in a subterranean zone comprising placing the proppant of claim 1 in the fractures.

6. A hydraulic fracturing proppant comprising sand particles having mesh size of 30/50, a median diameter of between about 0.35 mm and 0.45 mm, and exhibiting a crush resistance of less than about 10% fine particles produced at a crush stress of about 4000 psi and a turbidity of less about 100 FTU.

7. The proppant of claim 6 wherein the crush resistance of the proppant is less than about 3% fine particles produced at a crush stress of about 4000 psi and the turbidity is less than about 30 FTU.

8. The proppant of claim 6 wherein the particles are sized such that between about 4 weight percent and 6 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 30 sieve, between about 20 weight percent and 25 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 35 sieve, between about 20 weight percent and 25 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 40 sieve, between about 20 and 25 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 45 sieve, between about 25 and 30 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 50 sieve, and between about 0.2 and 1 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 60 sieve, and the particles exhibiting a sphericity exceeding about 0.75 and a roundness exceeding about 0.70.

9. The proppant of claim 8 wherein the particles have a median diameter of about 0.42 mm and are sized such that about 4.6 weight percent are retained on a 30 mesh sieve, about 22.8 weight percent are retained on a 35 mesh sieve, about 23.1 weight percent are retained on a 40 mesh sieve, about 22.1 weight percent are retained on 45 mesh sieve, about 26.8 weight percent are retained on a 50 mesh sieve and about 0.6 weight percent are retained on 60 mesh sieve.

10. A method of propping open fractures during a hydraulic fracturing operation in a subterranean zone comprising placing the proppant of claim 6 in the fractures.

11. A hydraulic fracturing proppant comprising sand particles having mesh size of 20/40, a median diameter of between about 0.50 mm and 0.70 mm, and exhibiting a crush resistance of less than about 10% at a crush stress of about 4000 psi and a turbidity of less than about 100 FTU.

12. The proppant of claim 11 wherein the percentage of fine particles produced at a crush stress of about 4000 psi is less than about 4% and the turbidity is less than about 20.

13. The proppant of claim 12 wherein the particles are sized such that between about 2 weight percent and 4 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 20 sieve, between about 17 weight percent and 22 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 25 sieve, between about 28 weight percent and 32 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 30 sieve, between about 25 and 29 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 35 sieve, between about 18 weight percent and 22 weight percent are retained on a mesh size 40 sieve and between about 0.5 and 2 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 45 sieve, and the particles exhibiting a sphericity exceeding about 0.75 and a roundness exceeding about 0.65.

14. The proppant of claim 13 wherein the particles have a median diameter of about 0.60 mm and being sized such that about 3.1 weight percent are retained on a 20 mesh sieve, about 19.6 weight percent are retained on a 25 mesh sieve, about 30.1 weight percent are retained on a 30 mesh sieve, about 26.7 weight percent are retained on 35 mesh sieve, about 19.9 weight percent are retained on a 40 mesh sieve and about 0.6 weight percent are retained on a 45 mesh sieve.

15. A method of propping open fractures during a hydraulic fracturing operation in a subterranean zone comprising placing the proppant of claim 11 in the fractures.

16. A hydraulic fracturing proppant comprising sand particles having a mesh size of 12/20, having a median diameter of between about 0.90 mm and 1.10 mm, and exhibiting a crush resistance of less than about 10% fine particles produced at a crush stress of about 3000 psi and a turbidity of less than about 100 FTU.

17. The proppant of claim 16 wherein the crush resistance is such that the percentage of fine particles produced at a crush stress of about 3000 psi is less than about 5% and the turbidity is less than about 30 FTU.

18. The proppant of claim 17 wherein the particles are sized such that between about 0 weight percent and 0.4 weight percent are retained on a mesh size 12 sieve, 3 weight percent and 4 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 14 sieve, between about 11 weight percent and 14 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 16 sieve, between about 25 weight percent and 30 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 18 sieve, between about 53 and 57 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 20 sieve and less than about 1.0 weight percent of the particles are retained on a mesh size 25 sieve, and the particles exhibiting a sphericity exceeding about 0.70 and a roundness exceeding about 0.65.

19. The proppant of claim 16 wherein the particles have a median diameter of about 1.0 mm and are sized such that about 0.1 weight percent are retained on a 12 mesh sieve, about 3.6 weight percent are retained on a 14 mesh sieve, about 12.9 weight percent are retained on a 16 mesh sieve, about 27.5 weight percent are retained on 18 mesh sieve, about 55.1 percent are retained on a 20 mesh sieve and about 0.8 weight percent are retained on 25 mesh sieve.

20. A method of propping open fractures during a hydraulic fracturing operation in a subterranean zone comprising placing the proppant of claim 16 in the fractures.

21. A method of manufacturing a proppant comprising selectively removing a prime band of sand located below fine sand, sizing the sand using a density separator at lest twice, and attrition washing the sand for at least about 5 minutes.