Low density proppant have generally resulted in failure

Previous efforts undertaken to employ Low density proppant have generally resulted in failure because of insufficient strength to maintain fracture conductivity at even the lowest of closure stresses (1,000 psi). Recent research on material properties has at last led to the development of an ultralight weight(ULW) material with particle strength more than sufficient for most hydraulic fracturing applications. The current ultra lightweight proppant have apparent specific gravities of 1.25 and 1.75 g/cm3. Laboratory tests will demonstrate exceptional fracture conductivity at stresses to 8,000 psi. This paper presents data illustrating the performance of the new ULW proppant over a broad range of conditions and a discussion of relative performance in field applications.