Our photo this week shows proppant samples from the FEECO Innovation Center.
Proppants are used to help extract natural gas from shale formations in a process called hydraulic fracturing. As drills dig deep down into shale formations, they fracture the formation with a liquid solution containing the proppants. The proppants then move into the fractured rock and “prop” them open, allowing natural gas to flow out.
The ceramic proppants, as seen in the photo, are instrumental to the fracking industry, because they can be manufactured to meet preferred size and strength characteristics for each unique fracking job. However, since desired proppant characteristics vary from one job to the next, testing is often necessary to produce the proppant size and strength most suitable for the fracking operation at hand.
That’s where the FEECO Innovation Center comes in. Our team is highly skilled in product and process development for hundreds of materials, proppants included. The Innovation Center is also equipped with a batch rotary kiln which uses rotational motion and high temperatures to process the sought after proppant, producing the desired product characteristics. Samples are gathered at regular intervals in the sintering process to measure crush strength and density. After our Process Experts perform the batch kiln tests, they offer summarized reports, and process recommendations.
For more information on proppant development at the FEECO Innovation Center, contact us today!