Research progress and prospects of self-suspending proppants

YANG YADONG; ZOU LONGQING; WANG YIXUAN; HUANG JINGYUN; ZHAO ZHIMING; FENG QIANG; WANG CHUAN; SUN YONGHUA; ZHU JINGYI

doi:10.13809/j.cnki.cn32-1825/te.2024543

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Research progress and prospects of self-suspending proppants

Engineering Techniques | 更新时间：2026-03-10

- Research progress and prospects of self-suspending proppants
- Petroleum Reservoir Evaluation and Development Vol. 16, Issue 2, Pages: 469-478(2026)
- 作者机构：
  
  1.中国石油集团川庆钻探工程有限公司地质勘探开发研究院，四川成都 610051
  2.中国石油集团川庆钻探工程有限公司地川庆钻探页岩气勘探开发项目经理部，四川成都 610051
  3.西南石油大学化学化工学院，四川成都 610500
  4.成都理工大学油气藏地质及开发工程全国重点实验室，四川成都 610059
- 作者简介：
- 基金信息：
- DOI：10.13809/j.cnki.cn32-1825/te.2024543
  CLC： TE37
- Received：14 November 2024，
  
  Published：26 March 2026
- 稿件说明：
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杨亚东, 邹龙庆, 王一萱, 等. 自悬浮支撑剂的研究进展与展望[J]. 油气藏评价与开发, 2026, 16(2): 469-478.

YANG Yadong, ZOU Longqing, WANG Yixuan, et al. Research progress and prospects of self-suspending proppants[J]. Petroleum Reservoir Evaluation and Development, 2026, 16(2): 469-478.
杨亚东, 邹龙庆, 王一萱, 等. 自悬浮支撑剂的研究进展与展望[J]. 油气藏评价与开发, 2026, 16(2): 469-478. DOI： 10.13809/j.cnki.cn32-1825/te.2024543.

YANG Yadong, ZOU Longqing, WANG Yixuan, et al. Research progress and prospects of self-suspending proppants[J]. Petroleum Reservoir Evaluation and Development, 2026, 16(2): 469-478. DOI： 10.13809/j.cnki.cn32-1825/te.2024543.

摘要

自悬浮支撑剂是一种新型材料，用于解决传统支撑剂在水力压裂中沉降快、分布不均、裂缝支撑效果差等问题。通过特殊的设计与制备技术，自悬浮支撑剂能够在低黏度流体中保持悬浮性，提高自身在裂缝中的均匀分布程度和导流能力，从而显著提升油气井产量并减少储层损害。根据自悬浮机理，可将自悬浮支撑剂分为3种类型：气体自悬浮、密度自悬浮和表面自悬浮。通过对自悬浮支撑剂制备技术的综述，包括支撑剂表面改性技术、低密度支撑剂制备技术和功能性涂层技术，总结自悬浮支撑剂的现场应用效果，并分析其在绿色高效开采中的应用前景。研究表明，自悬浮支撑剂不仅能够提升压裂效果，在不同油气田中使用自悬浮支撑剂可以显著提升油气产量，日产量或累计产量增长幅度可达2~7倍。将自悬浮支撑剂应用于油气开采能减少水资源和稠化剂的使用，还能降低环境污染，符合绿色循环经济理念。尽管目前面临成本和技术复杂性等挑战，但在自悬浮支撑剂依然表现出较佳的油气增产效果。未来的研究和开发应聚焦于以下几个关键领域以实现自悬浮支撑剂的广泛应用：首先，提升材料的稳定性和环境适应性，确保在极端条件下的可靠性；其次，通过优化制备过程和原材料的使用，降低自悬浮支撑剂的生产成本；再次，开展长期性能评估，确保支撑剂在长期应用中的效果持续稳定；最后，开发具备多功能性的自悬浮支撑剂，如具有防腐蚀、增加裂缝复杂性或改善油气流动性的新型支撑剂。通过这些创新的研究和技术进步，自悬浮支撑剂有望在未来油气田开发中发挥更大的作用，为油气增产和环境保护贡献力量。

Abstract

Self-suspending proppants are innovative materials designed to address the limitations of conventional proppants in hydraulic fracturing

including rapid settling

uneven distribution

and poor fracture support. Through specialized design and preparation techniques

self-suspending proppants maintain their suspension in low-viscosity fluids

thereby enhancing their uniform distribution and fracture conductivity. Consequently

they significantly improve oil and gas well productivity while reducing reservoir damage. Based on the self-suspension mechanisms

self-suspending proppants are classified into three types: gas-assisted

density-controlled

and surface-modified self-suspending proppants. This review summarizes the preparation techniques for self-suspending proppants

including surface modification techniques

low-density proppant preparation methods

and functional coating technologies. The field application performance of self-suspending proppants is reviewed

and their prospects for green and efficient oil and gas exploitation are analyzed. Existing studies demonstrate that self-suspending proppants significantly enhance fracturing performance. Field applications in various oil and gas reservoirs show that using self-suspending proppants increases daily or cumulative production by approximately 2 to 7 times. Moreover

the application of self-suspending proppants in oil and gas development reduces the consumption of water and thickening agents

mitigates environmental pollution

and aligns with the principles of a green and circular economy. Despite the challenges of production costs and technological complexity

self-suspending proppants exhibit superior stimulation performance and significant production enhancement potential. Future research and development should focus on several key aspects to promote the widespread application of self-suspending proppants: first

improving material stability and environmental adaptability to ensure reliable performance under extreme conditions; second

reducing production costs of self-suspending proppants by optimizing preparation processes and raw material utilization; third

conducting long-term performance evaluation to ensure the sustained effectiveness of the proppants during extended field applications; and finally

developing multifunctional self-suspending proppants with additional capabilities

such as corrosion resistance

enhanced fracture complexity

or improved oil and gas flow behavior. Through continuous innovation and technological advancement

self-suspending proppants are expected to play an increasingly important role in future oil and gas field development

contributing to both oil and gas production enhancement and environmental protection.

关键词

Keywords

references

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