Marcellus Shale Fracking – Transloading Bulk Materials for Marcellus Shale Drilling

Archive for the ‘Fracture Sand’ Category

The job of Frac Sand Transportation is conducted by many different sectors of business working together. The three different sectors include the rail car, transloading stations and tractor trailer services.

When all three work in harmony together, the transportation of frac sand is done in an efficient manner and at the lowest possible cost. Each player in this cycle of providing the energy industry with this necessary raw material for hydrofracking and propane fracking contributes significantly to the over all process.

New sand towers at Valley, WIFrac sand is quickly becoming big business in Wisconsin. This shipping facility under construction along the Adams Line now has the track in place under the towers. The siding and main track are visible at the left edge of the picture. June 18, 2011.
Author:view2share

The rail cars and train service that picks up the frac sand at the supplier has the rail cars loaded into vessels that are designed for this type of bulk transport. This allows for the loading and unloading of the frac sand to be done easily and quickly without contaminating the raw material.

The transloading stations have the most complex part of this intricate of this process. These have to be strategically located near the final destination of the frac sand while still being on the main rail lines that criss cross the nation. Not every part of the country has transloading stations that can handle frac sand since this is a raw material that is only used by the energy industry in the hydrofracking of existing wells.

These transloading stations must also off load the rail cars efficiently and transfer the loads to awaiting tractor trailers in a manner that the frac sand does not become contaminated. This is usually done by the transloading stations having dedicated conveyors for the frac sand to be moved from the cars to the trailers. In an efficient station a rail car can be offloaded each hour per conveyer they have on location.

The last section of this transportation mechanism is the tractor trailers. These vehicles follow the short path to the final destinations which are the surrounding oil and natural gas wells in the local vicinity. In most instances the amount of travel time for these trucks is less than a day’s ride.

When all three of these industries are working together, the transportation of frac sand from the quarries where it is mined to the wells where it will be used to help extract the maximum amount of oil and natural gas from the ground can help to minimize the cost of the energy being demanded by consumers of the world.

The Frac Sand Transportation is a little known and thought about mechanism that helps to keep the total cost of energy for the consumers as low as possible.

Check out this video that explains one stage of the frac sand processing that takes place.

Sepro-Atalay Frac Sand Screening Test

This video demonstrates the Sepro-Atalay’s ability to screen very fine dry material (-70 mesh) effectively. That patented VFE exciter creates the chaotic motion on the screen deck to allow for classification through the screen media. The application …

Related articles

• Mining for FRAC SAND (wisair.wordpress.com)
• Marcellus Shale Fracking (transloading.org)
• Hydrofracking Advantages (transloading.org)

The fracking sand used in both hydrofracking and propane fracking is what makes the process successful. This little quartz particle does more than annoy beach visitors between their toes, it also holds open the fractures in the grounds that allows the trapped oil and natural gas to escape so it can be collected at the surface.

The reason sand is ideal for this application is due to its tensile strength. The rock formations that are fractures are held open by the sand. The sand acts as a porous barrier that keeps the cracks open without plugging it. This is when it allows the oil and natural gas to flow past it in the rock layers that lie below ground.

The frac sand is the common component for both types of fracking which includes hydrofracking and propane fracking. Since quartz is not dissolvable in either of the mediums used to transport the frac sand to its intended destination, it is ideal for the job at hand.

The frac sand is available in two general types. There is the white round sands found up in the northern part of the continent and the yellow irregular sands found in the southern portions of the United States. Both types have been used successfully over the years to hold the fractures open in shale and other types of rock formations.

The differences in the available frac sand are in the sizes that are used. These sizes are categorized by mesh sizes. The small number is the smallest particle size while the larger number is the largest particle size in that category. These sizes include 20/40, 30/50, 30/70 40/70 and over 100.

The size of frac sand that is appropriate for your application is dependent on the type of rock you are fracturing and the depth at which the process is taking place. The choice of either the round silica quartz or the irregular shape of the southern frac sands fields is a personal one of the project manager of the well site. Many believe the round frac sands of the northern variety can fit into the fractures easier, but there is no scientific data to prove this is actually occurring in the fracing procedure but it does make common sense.

If you are looking to use fracking sand for your well, it can be easily transported to your destination by rail car then transloaded onto trucks for its final delivery. This is the most economical way to take delivery of this bulk product.

Related articles

• Why Use Sand with Fracking (transloading.org)
• Frack Sand Described (transloading.org)
• Alternatives to Hydrofracking (transloading.org)

Image via Wikipedia

The term frack sand is not a reference to the sand you might find on the beach that is mixed with salt and debris.  While the basic component of both is the same being silica, the preparation and characteristics are different.

Sand that is used in the hydrofracking procedure in the energy industry needs to not only be clean and free of debris, but has to be of a particular size. Depending on the rock bed that is to be fractured, different pressures are used which form different size fractures. It is these fractures in the rock bed that the frac sand is used.

The frac sand is part of the slurry mixture that is pressurized while in the well to help release trapped energy reserves. The pressure breaks the rock bed forming fissures which are then filled by the sand. The sand keeps the fissure open so the trapped energy reserves can escape and be recovered at the surface. These reserves can be either oil or natural gas.

There are two distinct type of sand used in this hydrofracking process. The Ontario sand is white and spherical that was deposited after the last ice age by the glaciers. The yellow Texas sand found across the south in America has an irregular shape.

Both types of frac sand are sold in bulk by size. A common size is called 20/40. This is silica that is larger than 20 microns but smaller than 40 microns. Another size that has more variability to it is the 40/140 frac sand. This, too, is available for use by the natural gas explorers.

No matter what you might call it, frack sand, frac sand, silica or quartz, they are all referring to the same type of material. The key difference is the way it is sorted by size and the amount of foreign debris that is present in it.

CONTACT: TRAN-Z, a company that serves the bulk material delivery needs of the natural gas production industry.  Transloading facilities are available for all of the products required.

Related articles

• ‘Fracking’ Comes to Europe, Sparking Rising Controversy (alternet.org)
• Why Use Sand with Fracking (transloading.org)
• Frac Sand Distributors (transloading.org)

Why use sand with fracking is a question some of the land owners are asking. This has become a topic amongst many land owners that are located on the Marcellus shale deposit in the northeastern portion of America.

Transloading Sand for Fracking

The reason is rather simple. Frac sand is a very same but dense substance that is readily available. This makes this material rather inexpensive. It can be found in many deposits across the nation, including in the northeast part of the United States and in the Texas region.

The shape of this sand does vary from the different deposits from round to irregular. This does not matter or interfere with its use as frac sand. Sand or silica is not water soluble. This is a very important characteristic of frac sand and why it is the medium of choice for hydrofracking. Since it does not dissolve in any capacity, it is always suspended.

Since frac sand has this characteristic of always being suspended, it flows into the crevices and fractures that are created when the well is placed under pressure during the hydrofracking process. Once the pressure is relieved, the frac sand stays in place. This keeps the fractures open and allows the oil and natural gas to escape into the well’s main reservoir.

Once the oil and natural gas is in the main reservoir, it can be extracted by normal means and collected for processing.

Frac Sand Pile

The frac sand does come out during the pressure release of the fracking process, but not during the extraction of the oil and natural gas. This makes it ideal for fracking.

Why use sand with fracking is because it is the perfect medium in price and characteristic properties to perform the necessary job that is required.

Click this link for more on Marcellus Shale Fracking.

If you are in the natural gas recovery business and have transloading requirement needs for sand, and all types of drilling materials for use in the Marcellus Shale region, you should contact the sponsor of this blog at TRAN-Z for assistance.

There are 15 different frac sand distributors across North America. There are several suppliers that have multiple distributing outlets in different areas of the country. What is convenient about their locations is that they are situated near the major shale rock bed deposits.

Each of these distributors of sand offer their clients clean high-purity, round and oval shaped silica sand for use in the gas and oil industry for the process of hydro and propane fracking.

The largest concentration of these distributors is in the state of Texas. There is Texsand in Fort Worth. Carbo Ceramics is in Irving. DG Concepts is in Waxahachie. Oglebay Norton Co. is in Brady. Texas Silica is from Brady. FlexFrac is located in Kosse, and the largest is Western Atlas, Inc. which has facilities in Alice, Hempstead and Victoria, Corpus Christi, and San Antonio.

The state with the second largest number of distributors is Louisiana. There, Western Atlas has facilities in Lafayette, Brousand, and Metairie.

Arkansas is a state with two facilities. Arkhola Sand and Gravel Co. are located in Fort Smith and VanBuren.

In California, there is Cal Silica with a facility in Ontario, and Anthracite Filter Media Co. out of Culver City.

In the northwestern part of the country, there is Western Garnet International in Coeur d’Alene in the state of Idaho.

Located in Ohio is Fairmount Minerals, in the city of Chardon.

Nearby in Wisconsin, there is the Badger Mining Corporation out of Berlin with industrial silica for sale.

The Manley Bros. of Indiana are located in Troy, Illinois, along with another Western Atlas facility in South Beloit, Illinois.

Arkhola Sand and Gravel can be found in Muskogee and in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma.

In the state of Pennsylvania, located within easy convenience of the Marcellus Shale deposit is the Sierra International, Inc. in the town of Limerick.

These are most of the major frac sand distributors serving the needs of the natural gas and oil industries with silica sand in America.

For your frac sand requirements in the North East just contact one of the experts at TRAN-Z

When many people think about fracking sand and sources, the beach comes to mind. While it is true most coast lines are covered with sand, these are considered small deposits of this highly sought after silica material.

The best sources of frac sand are from the large deposits located inland in America. To the surprise of many, there are over 50 large deposits across the country. But not all sand is equal. The exact composition of the sand is determined by the rock formations that exists in the area. This is because sand is just the granular material of the rock once it is broken down by age and the weather.

Generally located with the sand is silt and gravel. The difference between them is the size of the particles. Silt is the smallest and is no larger than 62.5 microns. Sand is from 62.5 microns all the way up to 2 millimeters. Gravel is from 2 millimeters to 64 millimeters in diameter. From inland deposits, the basic composition of this sand is silica dioxide. This is what is ideal for frac sand.

The reason most coastal sand is not used as a source of frac sand is its composition. While there is silica dioxide present in this sand, there are also shell and coral fragments, along with limestone deposits. These materials do not have the same resistance to crushing as does silica.

The purpose of the frac sand is to filter in between rock layers and keep the crevices open so the trapped reservoirs can be extracted from the ground. This is why close to pure silica dioxide from inland deposits, mainly in Texas and the north eastern portions of America, are used as sources of frac sand.

There are other fracking sand and sources around the world, but the deposits in America are of sufficient quantities that importing this material would not be a cost effective move for the natural gas and oil industries.

The term TranZ sand is sometimes used instead of frac sand in the transportation industry. No matter what it is being called, this little silica crystal does a remarkable job.

The term TranZ is short for transportation and loading from rail car to tractor trailer. This is how the frac sand is moved from the quarries where it is found to its final destination at the wells in the natural gas and oil industry.

Once it arrives at the well, the frac sand is combined with water to make a slurry for a process called hydrofracking. This is the typical way it is used. A new technique involving a gel made out of propane is making headway into the industry. This too uses the frac sand as the choice material to keep the crevices open underground.

The frac sand itself is divided up into what is called sieve sizes. The sieve is a metal screen that allows for smaller particles to pass through but retains the larger ones. For 20/40 frac sand, the size of the sand particles will be roughly between 20 and 40 micrometers in size.

This might sound very small, and it is, but that is all that is needed in the hydrofracking process to release the trapped natural gas and oil from the rock beds below ground.

This process of hydrofracking with sand has been used for over 60 years now. This is the same process that many use to revitalize water wells also. So no matter what you desire to collect from under the ground, the use of hydrofracking is the most economical way to achieve your goal.

The TranZ sand is the medium you should use to help you in this venture.

Click here to read more about Fracking sand and sources

Click here to visit our sponsor: Tran-Z

When the reference of Marcellus shale sand is used, most are not talking about a deposit of sand in the Marcellus shale region in the northeastern part of America. Their reference is to the frac sand that is used in the hydrofracking process to release the trapped energy reserves in the Marcellus shale rock layers that lie below the surface.

A large portion of this frac sand is actually called Ottawa white frac sand. This is a specific type of sand that is found in the northeastern part of America and the southeastern edge of Canada. Some in the oil and natural gas exploration field prefer this sand because of it symmetry.

Deposits of this frac sand can be found in Canada, along with Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Ohio and Illinois. Their close proximity to the Marcellus shale oil deposits is the leading reason for this particular frac sand being the preferred medium used in the slurry by the energy explorers.

No matter if the frac sand comes from this area of the country or from the southern portion where the deposits are of the brown sand, all of it will have to use the railway for transport. Many suppliers down south discount their process to get the business in the Marcellus region. The only variable in the transport of the frac sand is then which transloading station is used to transfer the frac sand from rail car to tractor trailer.

Not all transloading stations are the same. There are a few that specialize in the TranZ loading of frac sand and other bulk material for the oil and natural gas industry. These are the ones that can do the fastest and most efficient transfer so the demurrage on the railcars is minimized.

If you are looking to have your Marcellus shale sand transported at the lowest possible cost, look into the many TranZ loading stations in the area for the best price and quickest service that will fit your needs.

The process of frac sand loading onto a truck or railcar requires special equipment to reduce the chance of contamination. To the layman, sand is sand and they see no reason why frac sand is so special. To those in the oil and natural gas exploration field, they know otherwise.

Frac sand is a very specific type of sand that has a purpose only it can perform. These little particles are the reason that fracking a well actually works. When a fissure is formed, the frac sand penetrates the crack and keeps it from closing again.

The tiny particles that make up the frac sand must be kept free of foreign debris so clogging of the machinery does not occur. This also allows for the maximum effect of the frac sand to occur.

For the transfer of the frac sand from a rail car to a tractor trailer, a conveyer belt is used. These conveyors are specially designed to handle this type of bulk material that reduces the chance of not only contamination, but loss of the material.

For this type of transfer to work in the most efficient way, the container that is holding the frac sand must have an access point in the bottom so the frac sand can easily flow out.

This is the type of equipment that can be found at the transloading facilities that handle this type of bulk material. Because this is so specific, not every transloading facility has this equipment that is dedicated for this specific type of transfer of bulk frac sand only.

It does take a professional to properly conduct the frac sand loading so the material does not get contaminated or lost in the transfer.

There is fracking sand hauling anywhere there are oil and natural gas wells being developed. The process of fracking a well to recover greater amounts of the trapped energy reserves has been proven to be successful for over 60 years.

The hauling of the fracking sand has to be accomplished in the most cost effective manner possible so as not to drive up the already soaring cost of energy exploration. For this reason, there is an established mechanism from transporting the fracking sand from the sand pits to their final destination or the energy wells.

There are two different scenarios for this process. In most cases, the fracking sand is loaded onto rail cars at the site of the sand deposit. This is for the larger, more established frac sand suppliers. The other is when the frac sand is first loaded onto a tractor trailer and hauled to a transloading station that is located nearby.

When the trainload of frac sand approaches the region of the country where the wells are located, a transfer must be preformed. For the wells that need frac sand that are being developed in the Marcellus region in the eastern part of America, there are two reliable stations for this type of transfer to occur. One is in Owego, New York and the other in Wyalusing, Pennsylvania.

Both of these stations are preferred by many well owners because of their incredible safety record and their 24/7 service. At these stations, they have the capabilities to unload a railcar full of frac sand in less than an hour. With each rail car holding 5 tractor trailer loads, you can figure the time needed for your order. The trucks then make the last leg of the journey in a timely manner to fill the needs of the well operators.

This is the typical process for fracking sand hauling from start to finish.