American Oil and Gas Reporter - June 2023 - 71

benefit of a simplified supply chain, but
also a significant cost reduction for each
well. Operators that have adopted this
method have publicly announced savings
in the range of $100,000-$300,000 a well.
In the event that the United States
adopts a carbon tax, gas usage will become
even more pressing. Using frac sand demand
figures from 2022, a tax of $20 a
ton of CO2 emitted would have added up
to almost $28 million in additional costs
to dry frac sand. Combined with trucking
from a conventional mine (75 miles away),
a simple $20 carbon tax would have
added an estimated $83 million in annual
costs that, ultimately, would have to be
passed on to the U.S. consumer.
Some 300,000-400,000 Btus are required
to dry one ton of processed/washed
frac sand. We estimate nearly 1 million
tons of CO2 were emitted in 2022 in the
Permian Basin alone merely to dry frac
sand. Moreover, at an average 2022 Texas
industrial natural gas price of $6.89 an
Mcf, the Permian Basin would have spent
over $138 million in fuel cost for the
drying process last year. Consider all this
economic and emissions impact in light
of the fact that the dried sand is destined
to be mixed with water to re-wet it before
it is pumped down hole. How does that
make sense?
New Wet Sand System
Wet sand is more difficult to move
than dry sand because of its inherent
grain-to-grain cohesion. Those who have
built sandcastles can testify to the durability
of those structures thanks to wet sand's
" stickiness. " That same stickiness makes
it difficult to move wet sand without
some added energy because it does not
flow as easily as dry sand.
The industry's initial last-mile system
for delivering wet sand from truck to
blender adds this energy by applying
tuned vibration. This breaks the particle
cohesion and sets the wet sand into motion
out of the containers from which it has
been delivered. An additional and unique
patented feature entails a metering belt
delivering wet sand directly into the
blender tub, bypassing the surge hopper
with augers, which always have been a
consistent source of problems for frac
service companies. This state-of-the-art
wet sand system has pumped more than
3 billion pounds of wet sand successfully
at daily volumes sometimes in excess of
12 million pounds for a single frac crew.
The next challenge was developing
next-generation wet sand handling equipment
with a design goal to make it multimodal
so it could employ containers, belly
Everything for Oilwell Cementing
Everything
but the Cement!
MULTIPLE STAGE
CEMENTING COLLAR
This tool is used to effectively cement upper
sections of the casing string after displacing
cement around the lower section. The tool provides
a means of opening and closing port
holes for cement displacement and positive
containment of the cement after displacement.
All internal parts are easily drilled, and are
firmly held from rotating during drilling. The
port closing sleeve is positively locked in
position after cementing.
When running the collar, it is advisable to place
a casing centralizer above and below and to
run a cementing basket below the cementing
ports. After running the collar to setting depth,
the lower section is cemented in the conventional
manner except the cement is displaced with
the flexible cementing plug furnished with the
collar. This is bumped against the shut-off
baffle which is also furnished. A slight pressure
build-up of 300-400 psi will assure plug is
seated in baffle. The port holes in the multiple
stage cementing collar are opened for doing
the second stage by dropping the trip bomb
and applying approximately 800-1000 psi pressure.
The second stage is displaced with the
closing plug which is also furnished with the
tool. When the closing plug bumps approximately
800-1000 psi pressure will close the port holes.
EVERYTHING FOR OILWELL CEMENTING.
Plugs, casing centralizers, baskets, float equipment, stage cementing tools,
EVERYTHING BUT THE CEMENT!
CALL TOLL-FREE 800-457-4851 FOR PRICE AND DELIVERY
* P.O. Box 890068
Oklahoma City, OK 73189
* Phone: 800-457-4851
* Fax: 405-703-7049
* www.iri-oiltool.com
PRIVATELY OWNED -ESTABLISHED IN 1965
JUNE 2023 71
http://www.iri-oiltool.com
American Oil and Gas Reporter - June 2023

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