METHOD FOR PRODUCING MEDIUM-DENSITY MAGNESIUM SILICATE PROPPANT AND PROPPANT Russian patent published in 2021 - IPC C09K8/80 C04B35/20 C04B35/622 

FIELD: oil and gas industry.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to the oil and gas industry, in particular to the technology for producing medium-density ceramic proppants, which are intended for use as splitting agents in the extraction of oil or gas by means of hydraulic fracturing - HF. The method for producing a magnesium silicate proppant containing a magnesium oxide from a serpentinite raw material on the basis of a natural magnesium-containing component comprises pre-roasting the serpentinite, grinding the serpentinite, granulating the material, burning the raw granules and scattering said granules. The pre-roasting of serpentinite at temperatures of at least 750-1000°C and the roasting of the raw granules shall be carried out at a temperature increase rate of more than 150°C/h. In the proppant, the serpentinites of the Kochkar deposit of the town of Plast of Chelyabinsk Oblast are used, containing in terms of a proximal substance, wt. %: MgO 37-49 magnesium oxides; SiO2 38-47; Fe2O3 8-10; Al2O3 0.05-4.0; the total sum of alkaline-earth and alkaline metal oxides CaO+Na2O+K2O is not less than 1.2; the remaining impurities are between 0.3-0.7; microimpurities is the rest. After the pre-roasting, the serpentinite is dry ground to a particle size of 78-99% through a sieve of 20 mcm. A binder in the form of a starch-containing reagent not exceeding 3.5% of the weight of the charge is added to the dehydrated serpentinite and a joint dry grinding with subsequent granulation with the addition of water of not more than 30 wt. % is carried out.

EFFECT: improvemed quality of characteristics due to a reduction in the level of porosity and increased density of the granules of magnesium silicate raw materials.

2 cl, 1 tbl, 3 ex