Preparation and optimization of a low cost, high breakage resistance ceramic proppant special for the coal‐bed methane.

A kind of low cost, high breakage resistance ceramic proppant special for exploitation of the coal‐bed methane is successfully produced. The producing conditions are optimized through orthogonal experimental design method. The breakage resistance results of the orthogonal analyses show the best condition of this kind of ceramic proppant is A4B3C3D2, which means sintering temperature of 1350 °C, manganese mineral powder content of 5 wt.%, weight ratio of 75/25 (second grade bauxite to mujie clay), and holding time of 3 h. The ceramic proppants under this very condition of A4B3C3D2 are then prepared and their phase structure and microstructure are characterized subsequently. X‐ray diffraction pattern exhibits that mullite and corundum are the main crystallographic phases. Scanning electron microscopy illustrates the A4B3C3D2 sample is with non‐porous morphology and small amount of corundum grains and liquid phase, which play the role of improving strength. It reveals the orthogonal experimental design is a feasible optimization method and the ceramic proppant made under the condition of A4B3C3D2 is a promising material for exploiting the coal‐bed methane resources. The conditions for preparation of a kind of low cost, high‐breakage‐resistance ceramic proppant were optimized through orthogonal experimental design method. Nearly all the grains show a uniformly acicular morphology that represents the mullite grains, which intertwine around each other, but apparent pores are also formed. While a small amount of liquid phase can be observed, and few apparent pores can be seen. Both the generation of moderate liquid phase and the increasing corundum phase contribute to the better breakage resistance of the sample A4B3C3D2 than that of A4B3C2D1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]