METHOD OF PREPARING LIGHTWEIGHT PROPPANT AND PROPPANT Russian patent published in 2011 - IPC C09K8/80 C04B35/14 C04B35/64 

FIELD: chemistry.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to production of ceramic shear proppants meant for use in oil industry as proppants when extracting oil through hydraulic fracturing. The method of preparing a lightweight proppant, involving drying initial components of the mixture, their batching, grinding, granulating the mixture and firing the obtained granules, uses a mixture of the following composition, wt %: quartz-feldspar sand 90.0-97.0, clay and/or kaolin 3.0-10.0, and firing is carried out at heating rate of 350-370°C/h and cooling rate of 800-820°C/h. The mixture is moistened using 2-8% sodium hydroxide and/or potassium hydroxide solution. Components of the mixture are ground to fractions not larger than 40 mcm, with content of the fraction not larger than 5 mcm less than 60 wt %. Said drying is carried out at temperature 200-240°C.

EFFECT: lightweight proppant is characterised by that it is obtained using the method described above.

8 cl, 2 ex, 4 tbl