announcement, page-27

this sort of post in the uk is the reason why i hang in there, despite being battered for having a very optimistic view on the SL project.

quality can be found there...

quattro44 - 27 Sep'07 - 22:58 - 57834 of 57835


Sometimes proppants are coated with a thin layer of resin.
After it is pumped into the well and fractures the pressure of the earth trying to squeeze the fractures back closed and the temperature of the deep well force individual proppant grains into each other and fuse them together due to the resin melting and then setting at the point of contact. This leaves a solid mass of porous proppant through which the oil/gas can flow, but because the proppant mass is now fused together the force of the oil rushing out of the formation cannot carry the proppant with it.

Uncoated proppant that is forced out of the well with the oil acts like sand blast material and wears everything out from the casing down hole and all the valves and pipework at surface, and is a nuisance. Also, as proppant is lost from the well, then the fractures close and the production gradually reduces.

When using a resin coated proppant and the fracture operation screens out prematurely or before all the proppant is pumped into the formation, then the proppant in the casing is still subject to pressure and temperature. This will tend to fuse the proppant together, and although it is not as strong a bond as in the fractures it is strong enough to prevent it from simply being washed out of the well with open tubing. Hence you have to run in with a drill bit and 'drill' the unused proppant out. Normal practice.
q44

Lotire - 27 Sep'07 - 23:37 - 57835 of 57835


Quattro
As you said it is unusual to use resin on an initial Frac(used mainly for well which are already fracced).........unless it is reasoned?? (by the frac teams ) there is a high degree of natural pearmeability or already a lot of natural fractures. would I be correct in this hypothesis?


very very interesting points in my view.


i hope for some good results myself with the screen out, snorkler, i am not certain, like you, as to why no refrac immediately.. but TCEi has the data, and we go with them as operator!!