Application of polymers for coating of proppant in hydraulic fracturing of subterraneous formations: a comprehensive review

Abstract

Polymers have extensively been employed by petroleum industry to maintain, treat and optimize drilling and production operation in oil and gas wells. Polymers minimize solid deposition in wells, maintain fluid viscosity, thicken water, reduce downtime caused by corrosion and maintenance work, but can also be used to clean well and surface equipment. One of the most widely forms of polymer application in oil and gas industry is related to coating of proppant in hydraulic fracturing (HF) operation. Proppants are small spheres that must have enough strength to withstand to high closure stresses. Application of polymers for coating of proppants is just emerging in recent years and promises higher performance by taking the both of strength and flexibility context into account. Coating of proppant with a thin layer of polymer will results in higher fracture conductivity, considerably reduce fines generation and scaling, thereby improving the quality of HF treatment. This paper reviews the polymer application for coating of proppants in HF treatment. The purpose of this article is three-fold: (1) to update petroleum and chemical scientists and engineers on the latest development in polymer utilization for coating of proppant, (2) to give some basic details on proppants and polymers to help understand why these developments came about and to (3) summarize the latest advances in proppant coating methods and procedures.