What Is Frac Sand Used for in the Drilling Process?

Ground materials like organic shale contain considerable amounts of natural gas, natural gas liquids, and oil that do not flow into wells independently. Shale can’t freely flow into wells because rock formations lack permeability to seep into small pore spaces.

Hydraulic fracturing solves pore limitations by creating and generating within fracing wells. The drilling process involves well drilling into rock sediment, sealing well portions in the petroleum-bearing zone, and pumping water under intense pressure into the fracing portions of the well. Well water is treated with highly-specialized chemicals and thickeners to create gel in the well. The gel is a critical agent to expand the water’s ability to move frac sand grains into position for pumping efficiently.

Providers like Pontotoc Sand & Stone place large industrial pumps at the earth’s surface, increasing water pressure in the sealed portions of wells. Water pressure is increased until the breaking point of surrounding rock formations is reached. Once the breaking point is reached in the drilling process, the well ruptures, allowing water to rapidly advance into created fractures, extending the resource farther into rock sediment. As billions of sand grains are carried deep into fracing wells by the sudden rupture and rush of water, thousands of tons of frac sand are also created within the well.