A comprehensive look at Ceramic Proppant

types and process

a business unit of M-I L.L.C.

Joe Roettle

Global Sales Manager

ECUTEC Barcelona S.L.

a business unit of M-I SWACO

j.roettle@ecutec.eu

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Family Tree

• Oilfield Services

• Resource Management Services

• Imaging & Surveying

• Drilling & Completion Fluids

• Solids & Pressure Control

• Treatment Services

• Dry & Wet Screening

• Liquid / Solid Separation

a business unit of M-I L.L.C.

• Ultrafine Milling and classification

• Engineering services

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• Ultrafine classification

Ecutec Core Competencies

• Particle coating

• System development

• Ultrafine milling

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Ecutec & Sweco Clients (partial list)

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Why Ceramic Proppant?

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Hydraulic Fracturing

• Engineered fluids are pumped into the reservoir at high pressure causing vertical fractures to open.

• Proppant is mixed with the treatment fluid to keep the fracture open when the treatment is complete.

• Typical wells require millions of pounds of proppants and thousands of gallons of fluids per treatment.

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Comparison of Commonly Used Proppants

Frac SandResin Coated

SandCeramic Proppant

Conductivity Low Medium High

Strength Low Medium High

Shape Irregular Irregular Uniform

Well Type Low PressureMedium-High

PressureHigh Pressure

Cost $ $$$ $$$$$

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Comparison of Proppant Performance

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

API Sand

20/40

Resin Coated

20/40

Ceramic

20/40

Co

nd

uct

ivit

y a

t 8

,00

0 p

si

0

200

400

600

800

1000

API Sand

40/70

Resin Coated

40/70

Ceramic

40/70

Co

nd

uct

ivit

y a

t 8

,00

0 p

si

Eagle Ford Shale Play (liquid) Haynesville Shale Play (gas)

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Frac Sands and Ceramic Proppants

Northern White Sand Brady Sand

Pelletized / Spraydried Extruded New Technology

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World Shale Gas Reserves

Northern White Frac

Sand Reserves

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Ceramic Proppant Manufacturing Processes

Recipe

ShapingSintering

Ceramic Proppant

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Recipe / Raw Material

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Typical Ceramic Proppant Plant

Pre-Crushing

“Calcining Kiln”

Cooling Drum

Milling

Classification

Mixing

Shaping

Green Pellet Screen

Sintering Kiln

Cooling Drum

Grading Screen

Substrate Mineral

Proppant

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Pre-Crushing

Calcining Kiln

Cooling Drum

Milling

Classification

Mixing

Shaping

Green Pellet Screen

Sintering Kiln

Cooling Drum

Grading Screen

Substrate Mineral

Proppant

Substrate Prep (milling & classification)

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Turbo Classifier System with Ball Mill

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ALPHAseries

Material Inlet

Coarse

Fines

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15µAir Classifier

Importance of Classifier Efficiency

Ball Mill

ClassifiedProduct

15µ

TargetProduct

Classifier Rejects(low efficiency)

Classifier Rejects(high efficiency)

Ball Mill Discharge

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Test Facilities

Barcelona, Spain Galveston, TX USA

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Specific Grinding Energy vs. Particle Size

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Ceramic Substrate Milling Plant

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Ceramic Substrate Milling Plant

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Mixing & Shaping

Extrusion

Calcining Kiln

Cooling Drum

Milling

Classification

Mixing

Shaping

Green Pellet Screen

Sintering Kiln

Cooling Drum

Grading Screen

Substrate Mineral

Proppant

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Mixing & Shaping

Spray Drying Pelletizing

Extrusion

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Process technology: Build-up agglomeration

Mixing & Pelletization

Dry mixing Liquid additionFinished

Primary grain size

distribution"Blackberry"

structure

Agglomeration

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100 200 500 1000 2000 5000 10000Diameter / µm

0

20

40

60

80

100

Cu

mu

lati

ve

dis

tr. u

nd

ers

ize

in

% (

lin

ea

r)

VolumeParticle size distribution

Sample

V24

V26

V27

V30

Slow secondary

rolling causes the

larger granules to

grow

+240 s 600 RPM

+ 60 s 300 RPM

+240 s 600 RPM

+ 0 s 300 RPM

Example: Granulating proppants in the 750 L mixer

Mixing & Pelletization

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100 200 500 1000 2000 5000 10000Diameter / µm

0

20

40

60

80

100

Cu

mu

lati

ve

dis

trib

. u

nd

ers

ize

in

% (

lin

ea

r)

VolumeParticle size distribution

Sample

V135

V142

V149

V151

V72

V73

The higher the

peripheral rotor

speed, the

narrower the

particle size

distribution

1080 RPM

920 RPM

770 RPM

Example: Granulating proppants in the 750 L mixer

Mixing & Pelletization

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100 200 500 1000 2000 5000 10000Diameter / µm

0

20

40

60

80

100

Cu

mu

lati

ve

dis

trib

uti

on

un

de

rsiz

e %

(li

ne

ar)

VolumeParticle size distribution

R05_72mm

Probe

V100.1

V100.2

V100.3

V100.4

V100.5

Granulation Time + CMC

4 min + 69.0 kg

6 min + 69.8 kg

8 min + 70.5 kg

10 min + 71.3 kg

12 min + 72.0 kg

Example: Granulating proppants in the 750 l mixer

Influence of

mixing time and

moisture content

Mixing & Pelletization

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Proppant Screening

Extrusion

Calcining Kiln

Cooling Drum

Milling

Classification

Binder Mixing

Pelletization

Green Pellet Screen

Sintering Kiln

Cooling Drum

Grading Screen

Substrate Mineral

Proppant

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Green Pellet Screening

70 US

212µ

20 US

850µ

72TBC / 259µ

fines 20/70 coarse

20 mill / 914µ

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Proppant Sintering

Extrusion

Calcining Kiln

Cooling Drum

Milling

Classification

Binder Mixing

Pelletization

Green Pellet Screen

Sintering Kiln

Cooling Drum

Grading Screen

Substrate Mineral

Proppant

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Proppant Sintering

85% Al2O3

60% Al2O3 + ZrO2

60% Al2O3

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Proppant Screening

Extrusion

Calcining Kiln

Cooling Drum

Milling

Classification

Binder Mixing

Pelletization

Green Pellet Screen

Sintering Kiln

Cooling Drum

Grading Screen

Substrate Mineral

Proppant

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Sintered Pellet Screening

40 TBC / 470µ

70 US

212µ

40 US

425µ

20 US

850µ

44 TBC / 437µ

78 TBC / 231µ

fines 40/70 20/40 coarse

22 TBC / 869µ

30/50

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Sweco BigMax Sifter

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Contact Information

Joe Roettle

Global Sales Manager

ECUTEC Barcelona S.L.

a business unit of M-I SWACO

j.roettle@ecutec.eu