With the energy needs of North America and the world increasing rapidly, hydraulic fracturing and the related industries have experienced a surge of growth.

Hydraulic fracturing is the process of creating channels in hard rock by injecting pressurized fracturing fluid, which allows fossil fuels such as petroleum and natural gas to seep out from the rock and into a well. A key component of fracturing fluid is the introduction of a proppant; it allows the channels to be kept open to allow gas through, despite extremely high pressure from the surrounding rock.

One of the most common proppants is naturally occurring silica sand, called “frac sand”.

The ideal properties that frac sand should possess include the following:

  • Rounded and spherical shape
  • Low percentage of “clusters” – smaller particles cemented together
  • Crush resistance under high pressure

Sepro Laboratories, with its diverse knowledge and experience in mineral processing, uses a variety of tests to determine the most efficient method of taking non-ideal sand and improving its properties, allowing it to meet and exceed industry standards.