ConFINE™ Fines Fixing Agent

Applications

Movement of formation fines into gravel packs and hydraulic fracture proppant packs can be controlled with ConFINE™ treatments. These treatments work by catching and retaining fine formation particles at the point of contact with the gravel or proppant. This action prevents fines from migrating into or through the gravel or proppant pack where plugging could occur near the wellbore or at the sand control screen, if equipped.

Advantages

• Fracture conductivity is preserved by keeping formation fines out of the proppant pack
• ConFINE product is delivered as a liquid slurry that can be easily pumped by liquid additive pumps
• Product can be added to frac blenders or paddle mixers on the fly or in batch mix applications
• ConFINE treatments do not interfere with fracturing or gravel-packing fluid performance
• Nanometer-sized particles do not impede gravel or proppant pack conductivity
• ConFINE treatments can be applied in remedial fashion to existing gravel packs and fracture proppant packs

Additional Information

Nanoparticles have significant high surface forces to attach themselves to the surface of proppant during fluid pumping treatment. As formation fines move through the ConFINE treated gravel or proppant bed, the surface forces of the nanoparticles capture or fixate the fines to the proppant or gravel, preventing the fines from moving into the proppant pack or gravel pack.

ConFINE treatments do not rely on oily, sticky or tacky filming agents for fines fixation. A special solid material is manufactured to nanometer-particle size and added to fracturing proppant or gravel pack sand on the fly to stabilize formation fines. The nanoparticles have an affinity for proppants and gravels and also maintain an attraction for formation fines, including swelling clays, migrating clays, silicates and other formation fines. ConFINE nano particles have been shown to retain 20 times their weight of simulated formation fines.