NEAR-NET SHAPE INJECTION MOLDING OF FRAC BALLS

NEAR-NET SHAPE NEAR-NET SHAPE INJECTION MOLDING INJECTION MOLDING OF FRAC BALLSOF FRAC BALLS

Presentation by C. Andrew RosenholmDirector of Business DevelopmentBruce Diamond Corp.January 17th, 2013ERG Winter Meeting - Houston, TX

• 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

G10/FR4 BALLSG10/FR4 BALLSINEFFICIENT METHOD OF MANUFACTUREINEFFICIENT METHOD OF MANUFACTURE

FROM PLATE TO SPHEREFROM PLATE TO SPHERE

STEP 1: SAW PLATESTEP 1: SAW PLATEINTO BARS, THEN CUT INTO BARS, THEN CUT

INTO SQUARESINTO SQUARES

STEP 2: TURN SQUARE BLANK STEP 2: TURN SQUARE BLANK INTO A SPHEREINTO A SPHERE

STEP 3: GRIND STEP 3: GRIND TURNED SPHERE TURNED SPHERE

INTO BALLINTO BALL

56% OF THE MATERIAL IS WASTED!56% OF THE MATERIAL IS WASTED!

INJECTION MOLDED BALLS ARE FORMEDINJECTION MOLDED BALLS ARE FORMED TO NEAR-NET-SHAPE PRIOR TO GRINDING –TO NEAR-NET-SHAPE PRIOR TO GRINDING – NO TURNING OR MACHINING NECESSARY!NO TURNING OR MACHINING NECESSARY!

INJECTION MOLDING CAN REPLACE INJECTION MOLDING CAN REPLACE COMPOSITE AND THERMOSET COMPOSITE AND THERMOSET MATERIALS FOR A FRACTION MATERIALS FOR A FRACTION

OF THE COST!OF THE COST!

ADVANTAGES OF INJECTION MOLDING:ADVANTAGES OF INJECTION MOLDING:

•WIDE RANGE OF MECHANICAL AND WIDE RANGE OF MECHANICAL AND THERMAL PROPERTIES TO CHOOSE THERMAL PROPERTIES TO CHOOSE FROMFROM

•SPECIFIC GRAVITIES RANGE FROM A SPECIFIC GRAVITIES RANGE FROM A LITTLE MORE THAN WATER TO AS LITTLE MORE THAN WATER TO AS HEAVY AS LEADHEAVY AS LEAD

• WHAT LITTLE WASTE THERE IS CAN WHAT LITTLE WASTE THERE IS CAN BE REGROUND AND REUSEDBE REGROUND AND REUSED

• MOLDING MACHINE CYCLE TIMES ARE MOLDING MACHINE CYCLE TIMES ARE A FRACTION OF THE TIME IT TAKES TO A FRACTION OF THE TIME IT TAKES TO MACHINE COMPOSITEMACHINE COMPOSITE

A UNIQUE QUALITY OF INJECTION A UNIQUE QUALITY OF INJECTION MOLDED BALLS IS MOLDED BALLS IS NON-NON-

DIRECTIONALITYDIRECTIONALITY, I.E.: THERE IS NO , I.E.: THERE IS NO “WEAK” ORIENTATION TO THE BALL“WEAK” ORIENTATION TO THE BALL

ADDITIONAL FEATURES POSSIBLEADDITIONAL FEATURES POSSIBLEWITH INJECTION MOLDING:WITH INJECTION MOLDING:

•MULTI-LAYER BALL (THINK GOLF MULTI-LAYER BALL (THINK GOLF BALL) – MULTI-MATERIALBALL) – MULTI-MATERIAL

•INSERTED RFID CHIPSINSERTED RFID CHIPS

•INSERTED TRACERSINSERTED TRACERS

ARE INJECTION MOLDED BALLS AS ARE INJECTION MOLDED BALLS AS GOOD AS G10 BALLS USED IN GOOD AS G10 BALLS USED IN SLIDING-SLEEVE HYDRAULIC SLIDING-SLEEVE HYDRAULIC FRACTURING?FRACTURING?

CUSTOM PEEK and PAI RESINS HAVE CUSTOM PEEK and PAI RESINS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED AND TESTED THAT BEEN DEVELOPED AND TESTED THAT HAVE PROPERTIES SUPERIOR TO G10 HAVE PROPERTIES SUPERIOR TO G10 – LIGHTER AND STRONGER– LIGHTER AND STRONGER

CAN THERMOPLASTICS SUBSTITUTE CAN THERMOPLASTICS SUBSTITUTE FOR THE HEAVY PHENOLIC BALLS FOR THE HEAVY PHENOLIC BALLS USED WITH PLUG-AND-PERF FRAC USED WITH PLUG-AND-PERF FRAC PLUGS?PLUGS?

INJECTION MOLDED BALLS IN 1.000” , ⌀INJECTION MOLDED BALLS IN 1.000” , ⌀1.750” AND 2.125” ARE IN USE ⌀ ⌀1.750” AND 2.125” ARE IN USE ⌀ ⌀THAT PERFORM BETTER THAN THAT PERFORM BETTER THAN PHENOLIC AND COST LESSPHENOLIC AND COST LESS

CONCLUSION:CONCLUSION:

TWO YEARS OF PHYSICAL TESTING TWO YEARS OF PHYSICAL TESTING USING INDUSTRY-STANDARD TEST USING INDUSTRY-STANDARD TEST

EQUIPMENT AND METHODS HAS LED EQUIPMENT AND METHODS HAS LED TO THE SELECTION AND TO THE SELECTION AND

COMMERCIALIZATION OF THE RESINS COMMERCIALIZATION OF THE RESINS WE ARE MOLDING WITH CURRENTLY. WE ARE MOLDING WITH CURRENTLY. R&D CONTINUES WITH NEW RESINS R&D CONTINUES WITH NEW RESINS BEING SAMPLED CONTINUOUSLY.BEING SAMPLED CONTINUOUSLY.

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