Research on the hardness testing method of ceramsite proppants

Abstract A method for detecting the hardness of ceramic particle support agents is proposed. The feasibility, accuracy, and repeatability of the method are studied. Taking commonly used ceramic particle supports as the research object, the problem of difficult hardness detection caused by the macroscopic morphology of ceramic particle supports was solved by optimizing the pre-treatment sample preparation method; Using the method of controlling a single variable, the specifications (mesh size) and origin of the ceramic particle support agent were changed separately. The hardness of the ceramic particle support agent was tested using the indentation method. The relative standard deviation of the test results was evaluated. We use scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to characterize the microstructure and pore distribution of ceramic proppants and explain the reasons for the changes in detection results. As the specifications (mesh size) of ceramic proppants continue to increase, the hardness test results also increase, which is consistent with the crushing rate test results. Testing was conducted using ceramic proppants from different origins. The results showed the same trend as the crushing rate detection results. The SEM characterization results showed that the grain size and pore distribution varied with the specification of the ceramic proppant. This detection method involves the pre-treatment and testing process of a ceramic particle support agent, which can effectively detect its hardness. The decrease in grain size and porosity is the reason for the increase in sample hardness.