NEARNET SHAPE INJECTION MOLDING OF FRAC BALLS Presentation

NEAR-NET SHAPE INJECTION MOLDING OF FRAC BALLS Presentation by C. Andrew Rosenholm Director of Business Development Bruce Diamond Corp. January 17 th, 2013 ERG Winter Meeting - Houston, TX

• The standard ball used today in sliding-sleeve hydraulic fracking is manufactured from G 10/FR 4 - 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

G 10/FR 4 BALLS INEFFICIENT METHOD OF MANUFACTURE FROM PLATE TO SPHERE

STEP 1: SAW PLATE INTO BARS, THEN CUT INTO SQUARES

STEP 2: TURN SQUARE BLANK INTO A SPHERE

STEP 3: GRIND TURNED SPHERE INTO BALL

56% OF THE MATERIAL IS WASTED!

INJECTION MOLDING: A MORE EFFICIENT METHOD OF MANUFACTURE

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

INJECTION MOLDING CAN REPLACE COMPOSITE AND THERMOSET MATERIALS FOR A FRACTION OF THE COST!

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

• 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

A UNIQUE QUALITY OF INJECTION MOLDED BALLS IS NONDIRECTIONALITY, I. E. : THERE IS NO “WEAK” ORIENTATION TO THE BALL

ADDITIONAL FEATURES POSSIBLE WITH INJECTION MOLDING: • MULTI-LAYER BALL (THINK GOLF BALL) – MULTI-MATERIAL • INSERTED RFID CHIPS • INSERTED TRACERS

ARE INJECTION MOLDED BALLS AS GOOD AS G 10 BALLS USED IN SLIDING-SLEEVE HYDRAULIC FRACTURING? CUSTOM PEEK and PAI RESINS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED AND TESTED THAT HAVE PROPERTIES SUPERIOR TO G 10 – LIGHTER AND STRONGER

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

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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