Triple-Screw Feeder for Frac Sand and Proppant
General Description
Sandbox Logistics provides storage, handling, and well-site delivery of frac sand and proppant, used for hydraulic fracturing of oil & gas wells. Hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking, is the process of injecting water, proppant, and chemicals into a well to break up underground bedrock to free up oil or gas reserves. Fracking creates new fractures in the rock and increases the size, extent, and connectivity of existing fractures in order to extract trapped oil and gas.
When Sandbox Logistics needed a very specialized triple-screw feeder to meter over 800,000-lbs. per hour of frac sand and proppant with a very short lead time, KWS and Motion provided superior service, excellent quality, and the shortest lead time in the industry.
Design Parameters
- Product Type: 200 Mesh Sand
- Material Density: 95 to 100 Lbs. per Cubic Foot
- Capacity: 800,000 Lbs. per Hour
- Duty: 12 Hours per Day, 6 Days per Week
KWS Advantages
KWS has the unique competitive advantage of engineering, product development, and manufacturing all under one roof at the Burleson, Texas location. Strict ISO processes and quality controls ensure products produced at KWS have been 100-percent certified for immediate service, completely tested, and approved for customer use.
Conversations began immediately with Sandbox Logistics and KWS concerning the specialized triple-screw feeder. A rapid technology team within KWS discussed the requirements with the customer. Listening, information gathering and a desire to satisfy the customer were crucial in creating a successful solution. Together, Sandbox Logistics and KWS rapidly finalized the design and details. KWS delivered the equipment in only 30 working days. Typical deliveries from any other manufacturer were well over six months.
KWS Special Features
KWS produced a sophisticated triple-screw feeder that while innovative, was rugged and could withstand the abuse of the oilfield. Oilfield equipment must be built for continuous duty in a very unforgiving environment. Ease of operation and maintenance along with extremely high feed rate were integrated into the design. Working closely with Motion, all ancillary and power transmission products were purchased immediately including hydraulics, electrical, power transmission, and pneumatic.
Screw feeders for frac sand and proppant required very close tolerances between screws and pipe walls for metering accuracy and feed rate. The gap between screw outside diameter and housing inside diameter were reduced to less than 0.125-inches. Screws must be precisely manufactured and balanced for the application. KWS has rigid quality checkpoints during every phase of the manufacturing process. During final testing, five quality assurance personnel completely inspected the equipment.
Testimonial
"KWS provided complete attention to detail, in depth engineering, and an unbeatable lead time. Thank you all for your service."
George Garcia, Project Manager – Sandbox Logistics
"Your expertise and response to every single need for this order was invaluable. A great team effort by KWS and Motion."
Casey Smith, Branch Manager – Motion