Receiving proppant from metallurgical slag for petroleum industry

To improve the efficiency of oil wells with the use of fracturing technology, fractures created during fracturing are filled with a proppant (proppant). In this case, the efficiency of oil recovery of wells increases due to the prevention of the closing of cracks under the influence of rock pressure. As a proppant, various ceramic materials are used in the form of granules with a diameter of 0.5 to 1.2 mm. For the production of proppants it is advisable to use waste from metallurgical production in the form of slags formed in various melting units - blast furnaces, converters and steelmaking furnaces, as well as in the production of ferroalloys. The storage of these slags requires large areas and is associated with environmental problems. In this article, we studied the possibility of obtaining high-strength magnesian-quartz proppants from a mixture of blast furnace slags with additives of non-deficient natural materials, quartzite and magnesite. The technology of obtaining proppants is tested in laboratory conditions. The slag mixture was melted in an induction furnace with a graphite crucible. The melt was granulated on a specially developed centrifuge. The granules obtained are tested in accordance with the main indicators specified in the standard. The macro- and microstructure of proppants, water absorption, crushing resistance, acid resistance have been studied. In all respects, with the exception of acid resistance, proppants showed quite acceptable properties.