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. INEFFICIENT METHOD OF MANUFACTURE
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. A MORE EFFICIENT METHOD
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
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.

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