Sometimes testing specifications can be a real pain! Especially the frac sand specs – the sand is required to meet superhero requirements for purity, roundness, and strength.
Very little of the sand out there can even be in the ballpark for frac sand. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t get your sand into some market somewhere.
There are lots of options for sand, especially if the material is just falling short on the crush testing, but does have above average sphericity and roundness.
One potential product is water well packing sand.
Water well packing sand is typically marketed as “Colorado Well Sand” or “Oregon Well Sand” and is a mix specifically designed to work well in wells that supply water. There is also demand for this sand to pack monitoring wells for environmental compliance.
Here are some characteristics of a well packing sand that can make it into the market:
1. Silica content: 90%+
** Why: Pure silica sand is resistant to acidic water, and it has no adverse effects on water quality.
2. Acid solubility in 10-15% HCl: <1%
** Why: Ensures that the sand will perform in acidic water.
3. Sphericity and Roundness: 0.6+
** Why: Provides the best porosity and permeability; less likely to be compacted when developing the well.
4. Porosity: 44%+
** Why: Porosity measures the ability for water to flow between the spaces between the grains.
Now, the local ground and aquifer conditions (as well as an engineer’s specifications) dictate whether a well packing sand will be used and what kind. This product certainly has greater demand in different geographic areas, but it would be a market to research for your area if your sand meets the specifications.
What if you don’t even have the specs to make it into well packing sand business?
Many riches have been made in the “plain old” sand and gravel business. If you have big enough deposit, and the quality and logistics are right, you can still sell it in the sand and gravel and aggregate industries.
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