Method of making particles having a ridge portion for use as proppant

Abstract

A method for forming particles having a ridge portion includes inducing flow of a slurry of particles and a reactant through one or more orifices, detaching an amount of the slurry from the slurry flow following exit from the one or more orifices, the detached amount forming a slurry body, forming the slurry body into a particle shape, contacting the particle shaped slurry body with a coagulation solution to form a stabilized particle having the ridge portion, and drying and/or sintering the particle having the ridge portion.

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         14 . Particles having a ridge portion, wherein the ridge portion comprises a single ring around an entire circumference of the particle, wherein the ridge portion has an average size of from 0.1 mm to 1 cm, and the ridge portion has a curvature of a surface on one side of the ring that is greater than the curvature of a surface on an other side of the ring. 
     
     
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         16 . The particles according to  claim 14 , wherein if the particles having the ridge portion were completely spherical, the surface on the one side of the ring would lie within the diameter of the sphere and an arc length of the surface on the one side would be such that either end of the arc would not extend to meet the circumference of the sphere. 
     
     
         17 . A fracture treatment fluid comprising a viscous fluid and the particles of  claim 14 . 
     
     
         18 . The fracture treatment fluid according to  claim 17 , further comprising fibers. 
     
     
         19 . The fracture treatment fluid according to  claim 17 , further comprising proppant particles.