Frac Sand Moisture

Intentional Avoidance of Quality Issues

During the extraction of oil and natural gas from shale, frac sand plays a crucial role in the oil and gas industry. However, before it can be used in fracking, it must undergo a complex mining and refining process. Maintaining the moisture content within a specific range is essential during the manufacturing process to ensure the effectiveness of the frac sand in assisting with the extraction process. After washing the sand to eliminate unwanted particles and removing excess water through settling ponds or belt presses, the sand is then moved to stockpiles for drying.

Drain tiles beneath the sand piles help in water removal and recycling to reduce environmental impact. Subsequently, the dried sand is transferred to rotary dryers for further drying, with moisture content needing to be reduced from 4-8% to 1% or less. The use of a near-infrared moisture sensor in this stage provides continuous and instant moisture measurement, enabling real-time adjustments to be made to minimize product loss.

 

Calculate Potential ROI

non-contact

Our equipment never comes into contact with the product, allowing for less waste

zero drift

Our sensors are guaranteed not to drift over time – which saves time and money

closed loop

Create a closed-loop process by tying a moisture sensor into your PLC. Full control over the line!

no recalibrations

We’ve mastered the art of moisture sensors – your unit will never need to be recalibrated for the same product twice!

What is the Solution?

Dryers are far more effective and reliable when the input moisture content is kept consistent. The moisture of the sand will vary constantly as typically sand in stockpiles is between 2%-8% moisture. This variation in stockpile sand can result in dryer inadequacies which wastes energy, money and creates out-of-spec frac sand.

MoistTech Corp. provides a top-of-the-line solution with their IR3000 series moisture and control gauges. Utilizing the 3000 collection of sensors allows the rapid control of the drying system, which results in quality spec sand without wasting time, energy, and money. Our top-quality sensors are developed for tough installations where competing sensors often cannot perform. The straightforward plug-and-play operation allows for sensor mounting 4”-12” above the moving product, producing live moisture readings with a repeatability of 0.1% or better.

Installation Points

Installation of the sensor is easy and can be in numerous locations depending on your need: Primary Screen, Sump Pump, Dewatering Screen, Dryer Infeed, Dryer Dump, Belt Filter, Press, Discarded Solids, Screw, Belt, and Pipeline.

Contact

We offer service and support throughout the world for our moisture measurement sensors and would be happy to connect you with a rep in your area. Contact us today for more information!

Understand the Process

The IR-3000 is your best performing option when it comes to material moisture analyzers.