| abstract |
An aqueous slurry composition comprising water, particles and a chemical compound which renders the particulate surface hydrophobic wherein the chemical compound is a quaternary siloxane, a quaternary ammonium silane, a polysiloxane modified with organic cationic groups or a polysiloxane modified with amphoteric groups. The particle size is about 150 to 2000µm. The particulates could be sand, ceramics, shale, coal or glass beads. The slurry is used in petroleum and pipeline industries for hydraulic fracturing, drilling, completion and sand packing operations. The composition maybe formed by mixing the particulates with a medium containing the chemical compound to render the surface of the particulate hydrophobic, separating the particulates from the medium and blending the hydrophobic particulates with water. |