PART V: 23 TONS IN 2.5 MINUTES by Kenneth Freeman Frac sand delivery companies earn their keep by making as many daily trips between us and the well. So it’s important for us to get them in, loaded and on their way as fast as possible. Upon Arrival Efficiency starts from the moment the truck…
PART IV: SAND HANDLING by Oskar Cantu and Riggen Taylor There are hundreds of drilling rigs active in the U.S. and almost every one of those is making ready for thousands of tons of sand to be pumped downhole shortly after the drill bit comes out. We want to make sure our frac sand supplies…
PART III: SORTING SAND by David Kennedy As the Quality Control Superintendent, it’s my job to make sure all our sand gets cleaned and separated into appropriate mesh sizes per product before being shipped out to clients for frac jobs. Here’s an overview of how that works. Fortunately, I have a great team that works…
PART II: RUNNING A FRAC SAND MINE By Michael Simmons Operating a frac sand mine seems so simple. After all, the process is straightforward, predictable and linear: SAND IN GROUND Dig up sand and dirt from ground Wash dirt Get sand out of dirt Let sand decant Dry sand Segregate sand by mesh size Load…
PART I: FINDING FRAC SAND By Brittany Schamaun In the oil and gas industry we hear lots of people talk about the shale revolution. Oil companies knew about oil trapped in tight shale formations for years before they developed strategies to get that oil out—strategies that involve pumping huge amounts of water and sand into the…
Inside Frac Sand: The People and Processes Behind Frac Sand Mining By Beverly Suffern Frac sand mining is not new to the industry. However, with the growing popularity of in-basin frac sand mining, some communities are coming face-to-face with something completely new at lightning speed. As with any big change comes questions and concerns –…