Frac Sand Proppants

Image courtesy of Forbes

What Is A Proppant?

When it comes to hydraulic fracturing, having a strong, quality proppant is key. What is a proppant? As the name implies, a proppant is implemented to “prop” open fractures and cracks made deep within the earth’s shale layers. These shale layers run anywhere from 5,000 to 9,000 feet underneath the earth’s surface. The pressure at this depth is immense. Therefore, when fractures are made within these layers, they do not stay open on their own.

In hydraulic fracturing, a high pressured liquid of various chemicals, water, and a proppant is pumped through a well and into these shale layers. The pressure from the water forces cracks and fracturing to occur within the shale rock, releasing the valuable natural gases within. However, once the water ebbs, the fractures close unless a proppant is supplied. Frac sand is one such proppant to maintain these fractures remain open so that the natural gases can be released.

Frac Sand

Not just any type of sand is used, but high quality, round sand granules with a high “crush factor” are mined from locations such as the northeast United States. Once the sand is mined, it goes through a series of filters, screens, and tests in order to collect the strongest, highest quality frac sand granules. Most of the mined, frac sand are coated with a resin to add strength, maximize the fracture width, and the outer resin coating allows better redistribution of force, minimizing particles that are crushed.

From strength and shape to coatings and crush factor, there are many areas to consider when it comes to choosing frac sand proppants. There are different grades of frac sand, some of which can be seen here on the Del Sol Industrial Services website. Del Sol Industrial Services is a frac and foundry consulting and product representation company located in Central Texas.

Frac Sand Silos

When it comes to storage and transport of frac sand, there are a few available options. It is all about spending more money today so that you save time, money, and hassle in the long run. Choosing to build a frac sand silo is an incredible undertaking that requires a significant investment. However, the end result is a much more efficient mode of transportation and loading. Let’s check out the other storage and transport options to see why cheaper is not always better.

Railcar → Truck

Many companies choose to load from a railcar directly to a transfer truck via mobile conveyor units because of the minimal cost. The only structures that are required include a truck scale, conveyor belts, and rails. You can also implement the rails in close proximity to the mining area.

However, a frac sand business will require additional railcars to transport the frac sand, especially since some of these cars will be used for temporary storage. Also, the amount of transport trucks will need to be increased when transferring the frac sand to the well. The time it takes to load a truck, unload, then return for another load is a fair amount. Therefore, you may require more transport trucks to stay on top of your game. This can increase costs dramatically over the long run.

Railcar → Storage / Sacks

Another method of frac sand transport involves storing the sand in a warehouse. When it is stored on the floor of the warehouse, it is called flat storage. It can also be stored in durable sacks. This form of transport and storage eliminates the need for extra railcars in which to store additional frac sand.

You still run into some of the same issues as seen in the “Railcar → Truck” method. Truck lines can become long and loading times are not fast. You would still need more trucks to keep up to speed with transport and drop off. There is also the risk of contamination and incorrect inventory count from the frac sand lying in the same area for a period of time, especially when one is trying to count piled sacks.

Railcar → Silos

The storage of frac sand in nearby silos is considered the most efficient way of transporting and storing sand. However, the initial costs to construct a silo are high. Also, if the mining moves to another, distant location, the silo cannot be moved, and the investment is lost.

However, the longer a frac sand silo is used, the cheaper it becomes to move one ton of sand. The silo eventually begins to pay for itself because of the sheer amount of volume that can be transported and stored. You also do not have the issue of double counting inventory. Trucks can be loaded extremely fast (3-5 minutes compared to 30-45 minutes), so you are saving money by not having to purchase additional railcars and transport trucks.

No matter which solution you choose, it is important to consider the ramifications of each. Do you have the manpower and money for the job? If a job is shut down because of a broken down truck or inefficient loading time, then the extra money spent on incorporating a frac sand silo will be more than worth the initial cost.

For more information on frac sand silos and other aspects of the industry, including consulting, visit Del Sol Industrial Services.

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About Del Sol

Del Sol Industrial Services has been offering prime frac and foundry services to thousands of companies around the world. During this time, Del Sol Services has come to know the ins and outs of these industries, in order to provide expert advice when it comes to sand processing facilities, foundry and frac equipment, foundry and frac supplies, and consulting services.

Because of their vast amount of knowledge and past and current expertise in these fields, Del Sol has come to know the difference between okay suppliers and the BEST suppliers. Here are just a few of the companies with which Del Sol Industrial Services has a professional relationship.

DIDION

Didion International has been a family run business since 1875, implementing hard work, ethics, and quality handiwork in the foundry industry. It wasn’t until 1974, that the Didion we know of today was founded. Tired of the inherent problems with the current vibratory shakeout systems, Didion began developing and manufacturing Didion Rotary Processing Machinery. Over time, Didion has become a well known household name when it comes to foundry machinery because of their reliability, efficiency, and low maintenance qualities.

SINTO

Sinto is another leading foundry manufacturer. The company began in 1934 with a vision of providing the highest quality foundry equipment to businesses around the world. Since 1934, Sinto has grown to over 42 companies around the world in 10 countries. Even though Sinto caters to a variety of industries, their primary focus is the foundry industry, always looking into the future to create advanced pieces of equipment.

UNITED ERIE

United Erie was also founded in the early 1900’s in 1928. Since this time, they have been a prime producer of foundry resins and other similar products. After they were acquired by Interstate Chemical Company, Inc. in 1984, they were able to highly expand their distribution area, making United Erie the 13th largest distributor in North America. United Erie produces a variety of foundry specialty products, a handful of which are listed on their website, along with a complete breakdown of their properties and benefits.

PALMER

Palmer Manufacturing is actually a parent company of a various divisions:

• Palmer Machinery
• Palmer Engineered Products
• Gorilla Machinery
• Palmer Golf Solutions
• Palmer Manufacturing and Supply

Each of these companies provides different qualities, services, and products for a variety of industries, with a primary focus on the foundry industry. From no bake machinery and foundry consumables to industrial machinery and supplies, the divisions of Palmer Manufacturing all go by the same industry standards. All of the Palmer equipment is built to last, and it is designed with the customer’s safety in mind. Also, the level of quality service that Palmer Manufacturing provides is extremely high quality. Who doesn’t want top customer service!


These are just a few of the companies with which Del Sol Services works on a consistent basis. Their consistent research and experience has led Del Sol to only choose companies that they know will work, not companies who simply give the cheapest price. To find quality service and machinery, it takes time, research, and some fails. Del Sol has already done this for you, and they are now able to use their vast database of knowledge and experience to help you get your foundry or frac business to the next level!

Types of Proppants

When you are in involved in hydraulic fracturing, then you understand the importance of using a quality proppant. From the common frac sand to synthetic resins, the options from which to choose for your hydraulic fracturing job are multiple. The following is a breakdown of different types of proppants and their qualities.

Ceramic Proppants

The benefit of man made, ceramic proppants is their consistency. Each grain is the same size and shape, allowing them to be uniform across the board. Because of the uniformity, ceramic proppants stack more efficiently, allowing more natural gases to flow through unimpeded.

Frac Sand Proppants

When silica sand is used as a proppant, the smoothness and uniformity of shape are both important factors in determining the strength and quality of the frac sand proppant. Even the smoothest and most uniform frac sand granules don’t stand up to the strength of a ceramic proppant. However, frac sand is a naturally occurring proppant, causing it to be much more environmentally friendly. Also, it is lower priced and completely untreated. The compromise is the reduction in strength and permeability.

Resin Coated Frac Sand Proppants

Resin coated proppants, known as RCP’s are a compromising mix between frac sand and ceramic proppants. RCP are high quality granules of silica sand that have been coated by a strengthening outer layer of resin. The resin is applied via hot or cold coating. This increases the performance, strength, and quality of the frac sand.

From the strongest ceramic proppant to the weakest RCP’s, there are multiple options from which to choose for your hydraulic fracturing process. Each has their own benefits and range in price.

For more information on hydraulic fracturing and frac sand equipment, visit the Frac Sand sections of the Del Sol Industrial Services website.

What is Frac Sand?

FRAC Sand is a high, quality and high purity sand that is extremely durable and possesses very round grains. It is crush resistant, and can be used in hydraulic fracturing to aid in the production of petroleum fluids.

At Del Sol Industrial Services, we serve the FRAC market by providing analysis of your sand and mines. If you are going to become involved in the FRAC Sand market, you need to be sure you are producing a quality products. Del Sol Industrial Services also provides FRAC Sand processing facilities, FRAC Sand Plant construction, and the refinement of already existing FRAC Sand plants.

Del Sol Industrial Services also provides FRAC Sand Consulting. Let us offer our knowledge and expertise to design and produce an efficient FRAC Sand Facility for your business. We provide on-site analysis, post-visit analysis, plant design optimization, and process flow improvement. There's really now way to lose when you invest your time and money in our FRAC Sand Consulting services.

What Does Frac Sand Look Like?

Since Del Sol Industrial Services deals with FRAC Sand on a daily basis, here are a couple of pictures of High Quality FRAC Sand, Medium Quality FRAC Sand, and Low Quality FRAC Sand for reference. These are great indicators, but not completely conclusive, of FRAC Sand.

High Quality Ottowa White. 8k Crush Factor.

 Medium Quality Shore or River Sand. 5k Crush Factor

 Low Quality Angular Sand; will not pass a crush test