Vista Sand’s Sister Company Explains What Frac Sand Is Used For

You have probably heard of frac sand, but do you really know what it is? Vista Sand produces “Texas Premium White”, the frac sand that possesses the highest crush strength in Texas. But why does this matter? MAALT, LP, a sister company of Vista Sand, does a good job in explaining what frac sand is used for and why it’s so important for oil and gas production in Texas and elsewhere in the United States.  Here were a few points made in the article:

What Is Frac Sand?

In a nutshell, frac sand is crush-resistant quartz sand. It is usually made from natural, high-purity sandstones. The quartz grains of frac sand have gone through cycles of weathering and erosion, which have increased the sand’s durability and crush resistance. Frac sand is silica sand that has the durability needed to withstand crushing forces during hydraulic fracturing.

How Is Frac Sand Used?

Frac sand is an important part of hydraulic fracturing to produce petroleum fluids, like oil and natural gas, in rock units that do not have the pore space needed for the fluids to flow to a well. Hydraulic fracturing, using frac sand, creates fractures in these rock units.  Frac sand is used in a wide variety of capacities in the oil and gas industry, and it has been a key part of the recovery in the Texas oil and gas industry.

As the owner of Vista Sand will tell you, frac sand suppliers appear to be in good standing in 2017 and beyond as the U.S. rig count continues to rise, and oil and gas companies become more efficient with their excavation techniques to produce petroleum fluids.

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