Oil shale mining process, hydraulic fracturing is a oil fracturing proppant technique commonly used. It is mainly the use of ground high-pressure pump, a large number of chemical substances doped water, sand, etc. made fracturing fluid, poured into the depths of the rock fracturing so dense rock cracks expand, and ultimately release of oil or natural gas. The US Geological Survey estimates that by 2018 23 percent of US oil and 57 percent of gas production using hydraulic fracturing method. More than that, in addition, hydraulic fracturing can be used to increase the general yield of water and increasing the capacity of geothermal power and so on.
Fracturing fluids used in hydraulic fracturing method of 99% water and sand composition, in which the main role fracturing proppant sand proppant. Statistics show that fracturing oil and gas wells bite requires about 1,500 tons of sand, but if you use more sand in the fracturing process, oil and gas production the mine will be further improved. It also makes a number of oil and gas companies try to use more sand in the mining process.

Most proppant material obtained by LAS, additives petroleum proppant can reduce the sintering temperature fracturing proppant. Studies have shown that: the additive at a lower temperature may promote generation liquid, or a solid solution reacts with Al2O3, improved sintering activity. The most commonly used additives are mainly manganese powder, barium carbonate, calcium carbonate, dolomite, chromite and so on. In the high-temperature sintering manganese ore and manganese ions are easy to replace aluminum ion, the lattice variation, thus promoting sintering, its amount is generally 1% to 3% is appropriate; barium carbonate and calcium carbonate at high temperature sintering process will monoclinic barium feldspar and anorthite Dan Shengcheng, both to protect the other components of the product from acid erosion, which amount to 3% to 5% and 1% to 2% is appropriate; dolomite at high temperatures can promote liquid generate, promote sintering, but also to promote the precipitation of corundum surface secondary mullite crystals, high crush proppants improve the sintering properties of the sample, is generally added in an amount to 2% to 3.5% is appropriate; chromite sintering temperature can be reduced, promoting mullite phase formation, the amount of chromite corundum grains will promote development, increase density, improve strength, its amount is generally 1% is appropriate.

Proppant trends

Ceramic proppant fracturing proppant can be used in deep, high-pressure oil and gas layers. High-quality clay as the main raw material finely ground into fine powder after crushing, with various additives, repeatedly kneading, granulation, polishing, high temperature sintering, the product has high strength, low density, sphericity, finish high conductivity and strong advantages.
Industry analysts pointed out that ceramic proppant is a ceramic granular product with high fracture strength, mainly used for oil well supported, to increase production of oil and gas,fracturing proppant  an environmentally friendly product This product use high-quality bauxite and other raw materials. High temperature sintering. Natural quartz sand, glass beads, metal balls and other low intensity support alternatives to increase oil and gas has a positive effect.

The primary composite proppant particles

Proppants currently used mainly Proppant quartz sand, bauxite and ceramic sand and resin-coated composite particles. Due to the low cost quartz sand, while low density easy pumping, is widely used, but quartz sand strong low end, the ball is poor, reducing fracture conductivity, does not apply to closed high pressure deep well. Resin composite particles coated quartz sand, sphericity improved corrosion resistance strong, conductivity is also good, but the products remain short-term, the cost is too high, the cost-oriented promotion today is not easy, and the use of bauxite ceramic proppant ceramic technology, high density, good sphericity, corrosion, high temperature, high pressure, while the costs can be better controlled, and therefore more and more widely used in oil and gas fields. Practice has proved that ceramic proppant the use of ceramic proppant fracturing of oil wells can increase production by 30-50%, but also to extend the service life of oil and gas wells, a key material in the oil and gas wells in low permeability oil and gas extraction, construction, not only to increase oil and gas production, and can extend the service life of oil and gas wells.

Proppant development well

With the rise of shale gas exploration Low density proppant and development in China, China's ceramic proppant will usher in greater market development. The past two years, price rises ceramic proppant large increase in production costs in emerging economies will push up the price of proppant. Since the production of bauxite is an important raw material of ceramic, although China has the advantage of cheap local bauxite, but with the advance of China's rare earth ore strategy, future prices will keep rising, so there is a certain ceramic proppant price increases.
Meanwhile, China's ceramic proppant manufactured with good support capabilities, gradually replace the conventional proppant sand, into the US market. Data show that China-made ceramic proppant has occupied 13% of the total ceramic proppant market share in North America, the average annual business volume of $ 3 billion. Currently, the US shale oil and gas well drilling is entering the heating up, the demand for ceramic proppant great, price increases also have some tolerance. As long as oil and gas to maintain a certain price,Proppant China's production of ceramic proppant in the United States and other countries would be marketable.
At present, the research and development of Chinese ceramic proppant fracturing of oil well, showing good momentum of development. The future, the industry can continue to support high-strength oil fracturing support agent special ceramic materials and products technical development, focusing on the development of oil fracturing support agent products.

Proppant huge market space

After oil and gas exploration China proppant wells over time, high closure pressure after fracturing low permeability deposit processing, the hydrocarbon formation split, passage of oil and gas from the cracks formed in the collection out. Ceramic proppant material along with high-pressure solution is filled into the formation of cracks in the rock, the crack does not play a supporting closed due to stress release effect, thereby maintaining high conductivity, so that oil and gas flow, increase production.
Widely used in ceramic proppant oil and gas operations, the increase in oil and gas production, because the quality of different ceramic, its role is not the same. Shale, flowers and other ceramic proppants ultra-light ceramic mainly used for decoration, concrete and other industries; dense, low breakage rate ceramic mainly used in petroleum industry, as proppants used. Ceramic proppant technology has made great progress in recent years.

ceramic proppant

Support for oil products in the ceramic proppant country is currently in its infancy, most manufacturers can only produce medium and low intensity of products, most of granulation equipment with dozens of aircraft icing, more employment, dust, high production costs, plus labor unstable operation quality, low production efficiency, to meet the needs of international and domestic markets. The original instrument of labor and the corresponding monitoring and control system there is a big flaw in the technology, production caused great waste. Chuzhou, China Metallurgical and Mechanical Technology Limited in QPY type form the basis of the ball machine, and the rule of powder into a ball joint R & D center constantly sum up innovation, optimize the process route, completely solve the granulation automatic integration into a ball (feed water tracking Automatic granulation technology) the technical ceramic proppant manufacturers problems, significantly reducing the granulation workers, saving production costs, reduce labor intensity and reduce dust pollution and improve production efficiency. Related ceramic sand production line equipment is being declared national patent. QPY-Ⅱ-type oil proppant (ceramic sand) dedicated to the ball granulation equipment. Completely changed the oil proppant (ceramic sand) industry with more than sugar-coated pan granulation and dusty history.