Part Five - How is Frac Sand Used in Oil & Natural Gas Exploration?
Thanks to its crush resistant attributes, silica sand is the preferred material used in hydraulic fracturing to prop open tiny fissures in shale formations that hold vast deposits of oil and natural gas. In fact, silica sand is so popular that a recent US Geological Survey Minerals Yearbook noted that frac sand demand has tripled in three years (from 20 to 60 billion pounds per year). Because the length of horizontal wells (laterals) continues to increase, more silica sand is used in nearly every well.
