Frac sand is used in the Oil & Gas industry to enhance production of hydrocarbons from drilled wells. Hydrocarbons contained in shale are frequently difficult to extract because the shale does not have interconnected pores or the pores are so small that liquids cannot flow freely through them. To remedy this situation, drilling companies frequently use a process known as fracking to liberate large amounts of oil, natural gas or natural gas liquids.
Fracking is accomplished by drilling a well into the rock and sealing the part of the well that runs through the area that contains the oil. High pressure pumps are then used to pump a viscous gel into the rock. This gel consists of water, chemicals and thickeners that give the gel the ability to carry sand in the water. The pressure is increased to the point where the rock fractures and the gel rushes into these fractures and expands them and the sand in the gel holds these fractures open so that the hydrocarbons can flow to the well bore
Frac sand is specialized in that the grains are of silica sand and spherical in shape. This shape is ideal in that it resists crushing by the force of the rock and props the fracture open to allow the hydrocarbons to flow.
Skyway Grain Systems has expanded their storage offerings to include frac sand storage tanks. Long experience in the grain storage and handling business has given Skyway the knowledge and expertise to design and build frac sand storage facilities with loading and unloading features to service both trucks and rail cars.
Skyway offers a full line of sand storage tanks, constructed from heavy gauge cold rolled steel. Sand storage bins are constructed with a knock-down bolt together format that can be easily shipped and built on-site by Skyway's expert installation teams. These sand tanks are backed by Skyway's one-year warranty for commercial bins.
Because sand silos have greater strength requirements, Skyway's sand tank is built to handle the extra stress that heavier commodities such as frac sand place on sand storage facilities.