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Proppants

Oceanit's Neutral Buoyancy Proppant (NBP) improves proppant transport, while High-Strength Oil & Gas Proppant Substitute (HOPS) provides significantly higher strength to frac-sands, regardless of quality
Slot test results for untreated silica sand proppant and Oceanit’s neutrally buoyant proppant (NBP). Untreated proppant settles quickly to the bottom of the slot channel, while NBP's neutrally buoyant properties carry the proppant through the length of the slot channel.
Vials with Oceanit's HOPS (High-Strength Oil & Gas Proppant Substitute) on the right and untreated brown sand on the left.

Unconventional hydraulic fracturing in the global market has been on the rise for the past several years. However, one of the main challenge of using proppant to stimulate wells outside of the continental US is the lack of a suitable domestic proppant supply. Import of silica, resin coated or ceramic proppants, is cost prohibitive, and adds a logistical burden to the entire operation. Many international locations are rich in sand deposits, however most of them fall under non-standard silica sand that are not suitable for hydraulic fracturing. Oceanit has developed an innovative solution to supply high strength proppant for hydraulic fracturing in international markets by using locally sourced sand.

To improve proppant transport, Oceanit developed NBP using a novel technology to effectively modify the proppant to achieve neutral buoyancy in low viscosity fluids. This gives the proppant the ability to maintain suspension in the fracturing fluids (slick water) and also travel deeper into the fractures without settling. With less proppant settling and greater distribution in the fracture sites, NBP economically increases production.

  • Enhanced proppant transport deep into the fractures with minimal settling increases stimulated reservoir volume
  • Higher proppant pack conductivity at high formation pressures for increased production
  • Reduced amount of proppant needed to completely fill the features compared to silica sand
  • Minimizes usage of fracturing fluid additives, like gaur, crosslinkers, and friction reducers, for pumping proppant through the fractures

Recognizing the need for stronger proppants, Oceanit's HOPS technology is a nanomaterials treatment for sand proppants to improve flow, maintain production, and reduce the need for remediation. The HOPS treatment imparts significantly higher crush resistance and improved chemical compatibility. HOPS can be applied to locally harvested proppant/sand directly at the well site as needed, greatly reducing logistical challenges and providing significant cost savings over traditional proppant. Applications include deep onshore wells and formations with closure stresses up to 10,000 psi and wells with easy access to "lower quality" sand, but limited resources to procure "high quality" proppant.

  • Doubling of crush strength to 10,000 psi allows for deployment in deep wells and formations
  • Substantially reduced fines generation over Brady and Northern White proppants
  • Chemical compatibility with all fracturing fluids, including strong acid, oil, and slickwater
  • Applicable on site, allows for local sourcing of proppant, and reduced cost to store excess imported proppant
  • Compatible with current proppant storage, handling, blending, and pumping operations