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NEAR-NET SHAPE INJECTION MOLDING OF FRAC BALLS

NEAR-NET SHAPE INJECTION MOLDING OF FRAC BALLS. Presentation by C. Andrew Rosenholm Director of Business Development Bruce Diamond Corp. January 17 th , 2013 ERG Winter Meeting - Houston, TX.

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NEAR-NET SHAPE INJECTION MOLDING OF FRAC BALLS

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  1. NEAR-NET SHAPE INJECTION MOLDING OF FRAC BALLS Presentation by C. Andrew Rosenholm Director of Business Development Bruce Diamond Corp. January 17th, 2013 ERG Winter Meeting - Houston, TX

  2. The standard ball used today in sliding-sleeve hydraulic fracking is manufactured from G10/FR4 - a thermosetting industrial fiber glass composite laminate consisting of a continuous filament glass cloth material with an epoxy resin binder. • There is a “weak” and “strong” plane to laminated balls due to the two-dimensional nature of the layup – nearly a 50% difference in strength

  3. G10/FR4 BALLS INEFFICIENT METHOD OF MANUFACTURE FROM PLATE TO SPHERE

  4. STEP 1: SAW PLATE INTO BARS, THEN CUT INTO SQUARES

  5. STEP 2: TURN SQUARE BLANK INTO A SPHERE

  6. STEP 3: GRIND TURNED SPHERE INTO BALL

  7. 56% OF THE MATERIAL IS WASTED!

  8. INJECTION MOLDING: A MORE EFFICIENT METHOD OF MANUFACTURE

  9. INJECTION MOLDED BALLS ARE FORMED TO NEAR-NET-SHAPE PRIOR TO GRINDING – NO TURNING OR MACHINING NECESSARY!

  10. INJECTION MOLDING CAN REPLACE COMPOSITE AND THERMOSET MATERIALS FOR A FRACTION OF THE COST!

  11. ADVANTAGES OF INJECTION MOLDING: • WIDE RANGE OF MECHANICAL AND THERMAL PROPERTIES TO CHOOSE FROM • SPECIFIC GRAVITIES RANGE FROM A LITTLE MORE THAN WATER TO AS HEAVY AS LEAD

  12. WHAT LITTLE WASTE THERE IS CAN BE REGROUND AND REUSED • MOLDING MACHINE CYCLE TIMES ARE A FRACTION OF THE TIME IT TAKES TO MACHINE COMPOSITE

  13. A UNIQUE QUALITY OF INJECTION MOLDED BALLS IS NON-DIRECTIONALITY, I.E.: THERE IS NO “WEAK” ORIENTATION TO THE BALL

  14. ADDITIONAL FEATURES POSSIBLE • WITH INJECTION MOLDING: • MULTI-LAYER BALL (THINK GOLF BALL) – MULTI-MATERIAL • INSERTED RFID CHIPS • INSERTED TRACERS

  15. ARE INJECTION MOLDED BALLS AS GOOD AS G10 BALLS USED IN SLIDING-SLEEVE HYDRAULIC FRACTURING? CUSTOM PEEK and PAI RESINS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED AND TESTED THAT HAVE PROPERTIES SUPERIOR TO G10 – LIGHTER AND STRONGER

  16. CAN THERMOPLASTICS SUBSTITUTE FOR THE HEAVY PHENOLIC BALLS USED WITH PLUG-AND-PERF FRAC PLUGS? INJECTION MOLDED BALLS IN 1.000” ⌀ , 1.750” ⌀ AND 2.125” ⌀ ARE IN USE THAT PERFORM BETTER THAN PHENOLIC AND COST LESS

  17. CONCLUSION: TWO YEARS OF PHYSICAL TESTING USING INDUSTRY-STANDARD TEST EQUIPMENT AND METHODS HAS LED TO THE SELECTION AND COMMERCIALIZATION OF THE RESINS WE ARE MOLDING WITH CURRENTLY. R&D CONTINUES WITH NEW RESINS BEING SAMPLED CONTINUOUSLY.

  18. Brought to you by: www.brucediamondcorp.com/frac

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