The demand for hydraulic frac proppant is at an all time high. The number of frac jobs that are being pumped into the drilling projects in the shales are requiring more and more total volumes of proppant. In the Haynesville Shale, it is not uncommon for four million pounds for resin coated sand to be required per well. That is more than 2,000 tons.
Why such an increase in demand for resin coated sand? With the improvement in technology comes innovation. Operators are starting to realize better wells with more proppant used in each stage of the well. Operators are also seeing improved drilling results by increasing the number of stages per well. More frac stages are being pumped per well than ever before. With the increase of tonnage per stage and the increase in stages it boils down to simple math and with that an increase in demand.
Resin coated sand it not readily available to operating companies. Resin coated sand facilities are across the country are all operating a 100% (Max) capacity and are not able to keep up with current demand. In the shale plays you are seeing an increased demand for resin-coated sand, but the usage is based on the availability.
In the proppant industry going forward you are going to see a steep rise in the demand for resin coated sand. As operators start to see the improved economic results of resin coated proppants utilization will increase even more.
Del Sol Services specializes in installing resin coated machinery and the construction of resin coating facilities. To learn more about how Del Sol Services can help you improve your proppant offerings, contact us.