Living off the fat of the frac sand

• Autores: Emma Hughes
• Localización: Industrial Minerals, ISSN 0019-8544, Nº. 549, 2013
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • The fracking fluid creates a viscous gel which facilitates the water's ability to carry grains of frac sand in suspension. Billions of frac sand grains are carried into the fractures made by the pumping action. The frac sand is used to prop open fractures; this is why frac While all frac sand is silica sand, not all silica sand is suitable as frac sand. This is because not all silica sand is able to withstand the high pressure durability required for propping open the fractures created in shale rock.

    Within the US, Wisconsin is leading the fore in the production of frac sand. Wisconsin has become the US' "top frac sand hub of activity" (see IM October 2012), showing a 100% increase in frac sand activity between 2011 and 2012, growing from just a handful of facilities to more than 100 frac sand sites.