PROPPANT: THE GREATEST OILFIELD INNOVATION OF ...

I was perusing Murray Roth’s recent presentation “Unconventional Oil and Gas: Implications for Global Field Development” and it made a pretty bold statement that I figured was worthy of discussion all on its own.

You can find more information on our web, so please take a look.

What is the greatest driver of oilfield innovation and value in the 21st Century?

Sand.

Without sand, or more generally proppant, there is no hydraulic fracturing, without hydraulic fracturing there is no opening of tight oil and gas plays, there is no economic advantage to horizontal drilling, there is no rise of pad drilling.

What is proppant?

Proppant is “sand or similar particulate material suspended in water or other fluid and used in hydraulic fracturing (fracking) to keep fissures open.” (from Wiktionary)

A brief history of sand

Although hydraulic fracturing was first performed in 1947 (in Kansas, using sand from the Arkansas river), wide-spread experimentation didn’t occur until the Barnett Shale play in the 80s, and usage has exploded in the first decade of this century.

Initially, proppant was simply sand, but over time other materials have been incorporated. There are resin-coated sands, ceramic-coated sands, and now we have proppant composed of sintered (powdered) bauxite – tiny manufactured rocks!

Source: https://images.sdsmt.edu/learn/speakerpresentations/Kullman.pdf

Properties of proper proppant

By integrating these other materials into the proppant we are able to vary some key properties:

• Size – the physical size of the proppant needs to be adjustable per the condition of the rock. Typically measured between 8 and 140 mesh (106 µm – 2.36 mm).
• Geometry – in some cases the shape of the proppant needs to be adjusted.
• Weight – largely depending on the depth of the frac the density of the proppant will need to be adjusted.

By adjusting these properties we can create the optimum pathways for the extraction of hydrocarbons. Some important measured qualities of proppant are:

• Conductivity – basically the amount of flow that the proppant will allow.
• Crush Resistance – deeper wells and varied lithologies require different stress properties.
• Acid Solubility – tests of solubility in acid can indicate contaminants, and let you know how the proppant is likely to perform underground.

How much will that sand cost me?

Downholetrader.com has a variety of fracking sands up for trade; all pretty much at least a couple of pennies per pound. This week, 20/40 Mesh Finished Black Gold Sand with a 7k crush in North Dakota is going for $.13/lb.!

Source: https://downholetrader.com/#2040

How much will I need?

A lot. The first experiments in the 1940s used around 150 pounds of sand, but now it’s around 5 million pounds per well.

So, if you are in the Eagle Ford and are looking for a 20/40 mesh and your buddies are all speaking highly of “Antioch Sand” you can expect to spend $.056 * 5,000,000 = $280,000 on sand! And that means the proppant industry is definitely up and to the right – 57 billion lbs in 2012 = $BIG!

Source: https://www.cadreproppants.com/files/shaletech_cadreproppants_new.pdf

Also, notice the market is 80% sand with the other 20 percent split between resin coating and ceramics.

That’s great, but what should I use for my well?

I am not really qualified to tell you that, but I will say that I have been learning a lot about how proppants are being used in the field by looking at fracfocus.org.

Source: FracFocus.org

The elephant in the room

Logistics. These are huge quantities of sand that need to be shipped to your well site when you’re ready for them – you don’t have room to store them, and can’t risk contamination. And even if it’s just across Texas, distances can be quite long.

Final Thoughts

If you’re thinking about proppant business, you need to know where the rigs are, because as the rigs move, so will the proppant trucks soon thereafter.

If you decide to go on a field trip and visit one of your favorite operators to see how they are using proppant, you can save valuable windshield time with the brand new Rigs Mobile app for the iPhone.

For more information, please visit AnYiCheng.

Recommended article:
What are the benefits of OEM oil proppants manufacturing?

Your Turn

What do you think? What types of proppant are you seeing in your operations? Leave a comment below.

We have patent technology for high quality ceramic proppant (frac sand) production plant, welcome to contact us for full design and solutions based on your specific requirements.

Quartz sand proppant (fracture sand or frac sand) is primarily used in hydraulic fracturing operations in the oil and gas industry. It is used to prop open fractures in rock formations, allowing oil and gas to flow more freely to the wellbore.

The proppant is typically mixed with a fluid and pumped into the well under high pressure, causing the rock to fracture. The proppant then fills the fractures, holding them open and allowing oil and gas to flow through.

Quartz sand proppant is preferred for hydraulic fracturing because it is strong and durable, able to withstand high pressures and temperatures without breaking down. It also has a uniform size and shape, which helps to optimize flow through the fractures.

The production of quartz sand proppant typically involves the following steps:

1. Mining and crushing: The raw quartz sand is mined from a quarry or a mine and then crushed into smaller pieces to facilitate processing.

2. Washing and grading: The crushed quartz sand is then washed to remove impurities and graded according to particle size.

3. Drying: The washed and graded quartz sand is then dried to remove any remaining moisture.

4. Sintering: The dried quartz sand is then sintered at high temperatures to form small, spherical particles known as proppants.

5. Coating: Some proppants are coated with a resin or other material to improve their performance in hydraulic fracturing.

6. Packaging: The finished proppants are then packaged and shipped to oil and gas exploration sites for use in hydraulic fracturing operations.

For more details about ceramic proppant production line or frac sand production processing plant, welcome to contact us via Cellphone /whatsapp: +861509337835

The advantages and highlights of a ceramic proppant manufacturing plant include:

1. High-quality proppant production: Ceramic proppants are known for their high strength, durability, and uniformity, which make them ideal for use in hydraulic fracturing. A well-designed and operated manufacturing plant can produce high-quality ceramic proppants that meet industry standards and customer requirements.

2. Cost-effective production: With efficient manufacturing processes and economies of scale, a ceramic proppant manufacturing plant can produce proppants at a lower cost than other materials such as resin-coated sand.

3. Customization: A ceramic proppant manufacturing plant can produce proppants with different properties and specifications to meet the needs of different customers and applications. This allows for greater customization and flexibility in product offerings.

4. Environmental benefits: Ceramic proppants are made from natural materials such as clay and bauxite, which are abundant and renewable. They also have a lower environmental impact than other materials such as resin-coated sand, which can release harmful chemicals into the environment during production and use.

5. Innovation: A ceramic proppant manufacturing plant can invest in research and development to improve product performance and develop new products to meet changing industry needs. This can lead to new innovations in hydraulic fracturing technology and improved efficiency in oil and gas production

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Want more information on ceramic coated proppant factories? Feel free to contact us.