4 Things You Should Know About the Frac Ball
What is a Frac ball?
Fracturing is the main means of increasing production in oil and gas fields, and a frac ball is an indispensable tool. During the fracturing construction process, tools such as frac balls and bridge plugs are required to block the construction strings of different working layers. Tools such as the frac ball made of common alloys can reduce well productivity if they become lodged in the well. Soluble frac balls replace steel balls and resin balls, which can avoid risks such as difficult flow back and blockage during construction.
Role of Frac ball
At present, large-scale staged fracturing of horizontal wells is the main technology for the effective recovery of tight gas and shale gas. Large-scale staged fracturing of horizontal wells is a complex and comprehensive technology, in which staged fracturing tools play an important role. The frac ball is the key to a variety of staged fracturing tools. The initial staged frac ball cannot be dissolved (or broken in other ways), which will have a negative impact on the production or subsequent operations of the oil and gas well. Nowadays, the frac ball is coated with dissolvable materials so that it can be called a dissolvable frac ball.
Materials for the surface of the frac ball
The surface of the frac ball is made of soluble alloy materials. Soluble alloy materials consist of a magnesium matrix and other alloying elements. It can dissolve itself in an aqueous solution containing electrolytes, with different compositions, mechanical properties, and dissolution rates. Structural parts like the frac ball made of soluble alloy materials not only have good solubility properties but also have high strength and certain plasticity. This series of soluble alloy materials is made by melting and hot extrusion process. It is low cost, easy to access, and has a high production capacity, suitable for large-scale application and promotion.
Frac ball manufactured by WINGOIL
As the target of oil and gas exploration and development gradually shifts to low-permeability and low-grade resources, the staged fracturing technology of horizontal wells has become an important means for reservoir stimulation and the effective increase of single good production. As an important tool in fracturing operations, frac balls and bridge plugs are increasingly used.
At present, conventional bridge plugs include drillable bridge plugs and large-diameter bridge plugs. After fracturing, the drilling tool milling process of the drillable bridge plug is likely to cause downhole accidents and high operation and construction costs. At the same time, debris and operating fluids are easy to pollute the reservoir, which will reduce the productivity of the oil well. Therefore, soluble bridge plugs have become the best choice for fracturing in oil and gas fields.
According to the needs of drilling technology in the petroleum industry, Wingoil has carried out different processes on materials and can process multiple products such as frac balls, ball seats, and bridge plugs that meet different construction needs. The Frac ball has been applied in many oil fields. The soluble magnesium alloy bridge plugs and ball seats have also passed the good test, and soluble alloy materials have been exported to many regions.
In addition, according to the demand of oil industry fracturing technology for soluble bridge plugs, our company has developed All-Metal Dissolvable Frac Bridge Plug, and the processed soluble bridge plugs have been approved by petroleum customers.
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