Resumen de Strict specifications: : UK frac sand potential
Industrial Minerals
[Frac] sand and foundry sand are both composed of high-purity silica sand (greater than 98-99% SiO[subscript]2 ), consisting of well rounded, spherical sand grains with a narrow particle size distribution. The silica sand workings in the UK that produce foundry sand are therefore potential sources of frac sand and are listed as follows:
It is difficult to predict the amount of frac sand that will be required. It depends on the number of wells that are drilled, their length and the number of fracking treatments carried out. The amount of frac sand required could be as little as 10,000 tpa or as much as 380,000 tpa. Before this point is reached, many years of exploratory drilling and fracking are needed before the first shale hydrocarbon production goes ahead in the UK.The most likely sources for the future production of frac sand in the UK are the Upper Carboniferous sandstones in the Midland Valley of Scotland, the Lower Cretaceous sands and sandstones of eastern and southern England, and the Pleistocene sands of Cheshire.The key parameters for frac sand are: a high silica content (quartz); a narrow particle size distribution; sand grains with a high sphericity and roundness; resistance to crushing; and a low silt and clay content. Existing sand resources that meet these requirements do exist in the UK, with the closest parallel being those used to produce foundry sand.
