Frac Sand – Is My Sand Frac Sand?
Needless to say, we receive a lot of phone calls about sand. I would have to say that the most frequent of these calls is from land owners, mine operators, and quarry operators saying that they have frac sand. In a few instances, they actually do. But, how do you know if your sand is frac sand? What makes frac sand special?
The answer to the first question, how do you know if it is frac sand is easy. It has to be tested by a qualified third party lab. Del Sol offers this service. So, if you really want to know the properties of your sand, we need a 5 gallon sample of what you want tested and we will have it tested for you.
The answer to the second question is a bit more involved. Frac sand is special. Not every sand out there will meet the requirements. In fact, I would say that a very small amount of the sand out there is frac capable. Frac has very particular characteristics that are required by the end user.
- The sizing has to be very specific (which can be accomplished with further processing).
- The strength needs to be high. It must be able to sustain massive loads when pumped into the earth and only the strongest of sands can handle it.
- It needs to be the right mineralogy and purity in order to pass chemical analysis.
- It has to be the right shape.
- It really should be located either close to rail or close to the point of use in order to be trucked cost effectively. This is not a deal breaker but definitely has a cost impact.
- There are even more detailed requirements which we can discuss by phone...
Do you think the sand that you have meets these criteria? Give us a call and we can have it tested for you. 830-935-4430