The Oilfield Technology Group (OTG) of Hexion Inc., Columbus, Ohio, announced the release of new resin-coated proppants that are produced in Canada.
Hexion’s True North proppants are a curable resin-coated sand available in 20/40 and 30/50 mesh sizes. The True North resin system is applied to Canadian frac sand to provide an economical resin-coated proppant for the region.
These new proppants incorporate Hexion’s Stress Bond technology. They bond in the fracture with closure stress, providing all the benefits of a curable resin-coated sand such as increased fracture flow capacity and proppant flowback control along with proppant fines reduction. There is also a low-temperature version of the product. True North L proppants are specifically designed for low temperature reservoirs.
Additionally, the resin system of these proppants offers reduced dust generation during the pneumatic transfer and conveying process compared to uncoated frac sand. True North proppants can reduce the amount of respirable silica to levels below the new U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and existing Canadian limits. This helps improve the health and safety of workers on location.
“These new proppants add an economical offering to our Canadian product line that still provide the benefits of curable resin coated sand,” said Jerry Kurinsky, senior vice president and general manager, OTG. “They are already being produced in Hexion’s proppant plant located in Sturgeon County, north of Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada.”
Technological innovations and Hexion’s introduction of enhanced materials have expanded the use of resin-coated proppants into unconventional reservoirs that feature complex and challenging geological formations. Hexion’s experienced personnel, with their years of hydraulic fracturing knowledge and expertise, continue to bring advanced proppants to the industry, the company stated.