Preferred Sands, one of North America’s largest proppant, well-logistics and resin technology companies, announced significant growth in demand for Garnet, its resin-coated sand (RCS) featuring Teraforce technology from The Dow Chemical Co. Highlighted in the September 2013 issue of Inc. magazine as one of this year’s “coolest products,” RSC Garnet is completely non-phenolic and has helped spur greater interest in sustainable alternatives in the oil and gas industry. In addition to being environmentally sensitive, the product is both cost effective and more efficient than phenolic-based frac sands, helping Preferred Sands to assume a greater share of the low-temperature proppant market, according to information fro the company.
“Initially, we anticipated that RCS Garnet would be desired among drillers, particularly because of its design specifications for flowback control in low temperatures as well as its minimal environmental impact,” said Michael O’Neill, founder and CEO of Preferred Sands. “The terrific increase in material demand since its launch illustrates the industry’s movement toward more sustainable operational strategies. We are seeing companies shift toward environmentally sensitive products and designs, and Preferred, utilizing Dow’s chemistry, is proud to offer the product that is fast becoming the industry standard.”
The proprietary technology for Garnet was developed in conjunction with Dow as part of the Preferred RCS product line, which consists of the only high-performing, non-phenolic alternatives available on the market. RCS products are cleaner and more environmentally conscious compared to traditional, phenolic-based resins due to the built-in activating mechanism that eliminates additional procedures and contaminate.
Currently distributed to well sites throughout North America, the RCS products developed collaboratively by Preferred Sands and Dow are not only cost effective but highly efficient, as they consistently outperform phenolic resin competitors on conductivity and bond strength.
“This novel technology is helping America achieve energy independence by making domestic oil and gas wells more productive, and in turn fueling the resurgence of manufacturing that the country is experiencing,” said Alan Robertson, Dow’s marketing director for North America. “As the demand for RCS products continues to increase, Dow looks forward to further deepening our relationship with Preferred Sands to develop cutting-edge proppants that are environmentally conscious.”