Proppant plays a critical role in the exploitation of oil and gas, especially in the development of nonconventional oil and gas resources. Proppants are small spheres that have adequate strength to withstand high closure stresses to keep cracks open; therefore, hydrocarbon flows smoothly into the wellbore. However, traditional proppants are prone to settling in hydraulic fracturing operations, which seriously affects the operation effect. To this end, ultralow-weight proppants have been extensively employed in the petroleum industry. One of the widespread forms of ultralow-weight proppant application in the oil and gas industry is related to light density. Ultralow-weight proppants will provide substantial flow paths with a considerably high propped surface area and remarkably reduce fine generation and scaling. This paper presents a comprehensive review of over 50 papers published in the past several decades on ultralow-weight proppants. The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of the current ultralow-weight proppant development status in raw materials, manufacturing process, performance characteristics, hydrophobic and lipophilic capabilities, and field application to promote the research of new ultralow-weight proppants. Lastly, this study analyzes the current challenges and emphasizes the development direction of fractured proppants.

支撑剂在油气的开采中，特别是在非常规油气资源的开发中，起着至关重要的作用。支撑剂是具有足够强度的小球体，可以承受较高的闭合应力以保持裂纹开放。因此，碳氢化合物顺利地流入井筒。但是，传统支撑剂在水力压裂作业中容易沉降，严重影响作业效果。为此，超低重量支撑剂已在石油工业中广泛使用。石油和天然气工业中超轻型支撑剂的广泛应用之一与光密度有关。超低重量支撑剂将提供具有相当高支撑表面积的大量流路，并显着减少细粉的产生和结垢。本文对过去几十年来发表的有关超低重量支撑剂的50多篇论文进行了全面回顾。这项研究的目的是概述当前超低重量支撑剂在原材料，制造工艺，性能特征，疏水性和亲脂性方面的发展状况，以及在现场应用以促进新型超低支撑剂的研究。最后，本研究分析了目前面临的挑战，并强调了压裂支撑剂的发展方向。疏水性和亲脂性，以及在现场应用中促进新型超低重量支撑剂的研究。最后，本研究分析了目前面临的挑战，并强调了压裂支撑剂的发展方向。疏水性和亲脂性，以及在现场应用中促进新型超低重量支撑剂的研究。最后，本研究分析了目前面临的挑战，并强调了压裂支撑剂的发展方向。