Use of uncalcined/partially calcined ingredients in the manufacture of sintered pellets useful for gas and oil well proppants

摘要

A composite, sintered, spherical pellet and a method for its manufacture are described. The pellet comprises clay and a member of the group of bauxite, alumina, or mixtures thereof; the pellet being prepared from at least one uncalcined or partially calcined ingredient. The pellet may have an alumina-to-silica ratio from about 9:1 to about 1:1. The pellet has a specific gravity of less than 3.40. Use of such pellets in propping hydraulically fractured subterranean formations is also described.