Frac Sand Pump Applications

Frac Sand Pump Applications:

• Mining the Frac Sand
• Frac Blending Rigs
• Discharging the Frac Sand
• Frac Sand Pumping Equipment

Frac Sand Mining

High production costs, coupled with rapid pump wear, are some of the main issues affecting the frac sand industry. As with all sand and aggregate production, the key metric for producers is to tightly control the cost per ton to produce the end product. The EDDY Pump will increase those operation efficiencies by offering longer lasting pumps, less maintenance, resulting in higher output.

Frac Sand AKA hydraulic fracturing proppants, is a very abrasive type of sand that causes a plethora of issues for pumps in the frack sand mining and oil/gas industries. Initially, the frac sand is mined from pits and sandstone formations. Once mined, the sand is transported to fracking sites and often loaded into frac blender rigs. The frac sand is dumped into these large blender rigs which then mix the frac sand with chemicals such as hydrochloric acid and other components to get it ready for fracturing.

Frac Sand Blender Pumps & Blending Rigs

Once the frac sand has been loaded into the rig hopper (featured in the image), it is then conveyed into an onboard tank where chemicals and other additives are added to the frac sand and thoroughly mixed to a slurry-like state to prepare it for hydraulic fracking. Once the sand is fully blended and ready, it then needs to be pumped to the next station which utilizes high-pressure piston pumps to force the sand mixture into boreholes at extremely high pressures to crack open subterranean rocks and fissures. This transport process is where the EDDY Pump shines.

In this image, frac sand is being introduced into the hopper of the frac sand blending rig, ready to begin the process of hydraulic fracking.

Using the EDDY Pump to Transport and Discharge Frac Sand

The advantage of pumping frac sand with the EDDY Pump is that it starts with cleaning the fine grains instead of using conventional conveying. NO wasted movement with a hauler, just a steady flow of sand.

By utilizing the EDDY Pump through various deployments, manpower is decreased and your production significantly goes up. This saves large frac mining plants millions of dollars a year.

With the frac sand market quickly growing at a rapid pace, it’s important for the frac sand processing plants to be highly efficient. There are known shortfalls in production and keeping up with industry demand. That is where our heavy lifting EDDY Pump comes into play, with less far less downtime and more pumping output than traditional pumps.

The unique design of the EDDY Pump allows frac sand to be pumped at production rates of up to 1200 tons of material per hour. The patented EDDY Pump design allows the pump to move higher rates of sand versus water. Rates of up to 40-70% solids of frac sand by weight are easily achieved with the EDDY Pump. This is accomplished through the patented open rotor design with no critical tolerances.

The optimal equipment for mining Frac Sand are the Excavator Pump Attachment, Autonomous Dredge, and Cable Deployed Dredge Pump.

Frac Discharge Pumps utilize high-volume centrifugal pumps to feed the high pressure positive displacement pumps. The abrasive sands wear out the impellers of these centrifugal frac pumps very quickly and incur significant repair costs with spare parts and production loss during downtime.

The EDDY Pump, on the other hand, does not have the close, critical tolerance issues present in centrifugal and other types of pumps. This ensures the EDDY Pump will last many times longer and save a lot of money while continuously pumping abrasive frac sand.

The overarching goal is to the continuous improvement of key processes like mining, blending, drying, sizing, and shipping to reduce plant bottlenecks and drive out waste. Our pumps are another step in ultimate efficiency in addition to being the lowest lifecycle cost pump on the market, according to a US Navy study.

Equipment Options for Job:

• Frac Pits and transport to cleaning:  Excavator Pump Attachment, Autonomous Dredge, Cable Deployed Pump
• Fracking (Fracture) Pumps: Submersible, Self-Priming Pump

EDDY Pump Frac Sand Equipment

EDDY Pump’s equipment for pumping is ideally designed for the tough conditions of frac sand mining. EDDY Pump’s dredging equipment can be configured in many ways in order to optimize the frac sand retrieval.

Excavator Dredge Pump Attachment

The EDDY Pump Excavator Dredge Pump Attachment is one of our most popular units. Highly versatile for mining and dredging applications.

The EDDY Pump Excavator or Backhoe mounted dredge pump is the quickest and most cost-effective way for a frac sand and aggregate plant to improve production.

Within hours a crew can connect the EDDY Pump attachment and cutterhead to one of their existing excavators and begin pumping. The material can be transported at distances of over two miles directly into their processing plants.

For the frac sand recovery, the EDDY Pump Excavator or Backhoe mounted dredge pump is often the ideal solution for frac sand mining.  It will quickly attach to any excavator and begin pumping frac sand at rates of up to 1000 tons per hour at distances of over 2-miles.

The Backhoe Pump Attachment makes it so that a mining operation with no previous frac dredging experience can be up and running in a matter of days.  The Excavator or Backhoe Pump pins right at the end of the backhoe boom and can begin pumping material immediately.

Please click here to see more about proper pump and excavator size for your application: Excavator Dredge Pump Attachment Info 

Autonomous Dredge

Large frac mining pits can be tough to dredge.  For these frac mining pits,  EDDY Pump has designed the Autonomous Dredge.  The EDDY Pump Autonomous Dredge allows for 24/7 frac sand dredging with minimal manpower.   The Autonomous Dredge is an automated floating platform that runs continuously.  The EDDY Pump is deployed from an A-frame that is mounted on the floating dredge and can be powered either hydraulically or by electric power. Autonomous Dredge Page

Cable-Deployed Pump

For frac sand production sites where there is already a crane, the EDDY Pump Cable Deployed Dredge is a cost-efficient solution.  This cable deployed pump system comes with water jetting system to break up the frac sand. The cable-deployed pump can have an electric or hydraulic power system for optimal flexibility.  The EDDY Pump mounts on cable that hangs off the crane.   The water jetting ring is then attached to the pump. Cable Deployed Dredge info Here

Fracking Pumps

The EDDY Pump’s patented open rotor design is optimal for fracking.  It can be configured either electrically, hydraulically or directly driven off a diesel engine.  Production rates of up to 7,000 GPM can be achieved with a head of over 200-ft.  This is all achieved at a total life-cycle cost that is significantly less than any fracking pump on the market.  The high chrome volute and rotor allows the pump to last significantly longer in a fracture pumping application.  It also allows it to resist the corrosive fracking chemicals that are used while pumping.

Custom pumps are our specialty. Pump Info Here.

Questions?

Tell us about your project. See the custom pump curve page and we can start the first step of a quote to determine if your project is a fit for our equipment. Contact Us Here