Telebelting frac sand has become an important part of the fracturing process since its introduction to the oil and gas industry in 2010. They’ve proven themselves as a safe, fast, and the most effective way of moving frac sand in the industry.
So welcome to part 1 of our 6 part mini series on Telebelting frac sand. As operators in the field, we’ve put together the most comprehensive information you’ll find anywhere on Telebelts in the oil and gas industry.
We’ll introduce you to what Telebelts are and why they’re so valuable by comparing them to traditional pneumatic systems.
Keeping up with the industry
Technology changes quickly in the oil and gas industry and the demands for larger volumes of sand have to met as fracturing has quickly become Superfracking. Methods like this have allowed the frac sand industry to meet and even exceed this demand.
Oil companies have become aware of the safety, speed and productivity of Telebelting equipment and they’re now specifically requesting them from the fracturing service companies. Keeping up with these requirements is a necessity to ensure a competitive edge and future growth.
Almost all fracturing service companies in Alberta now use this valuable piece of equipment and they’re also being provided by some third party carriers.
Telebelting Frac Sand. An extended TB-130 Telebelt unloading sand into vessels on a frac location in northern BC.
What is a Telebelt and what are the advantages of using one?
It’s an extendable boom conveyor system originally designed for the construction (concrete), and aggregate industry to efficiently unload products at high rates in difficult to access areas.
The reasons why this method has become so popular are mostly safety related. Having been a part of the introduction in the field as an operator and trainer, I took an in-depth look at their full value. Here’s a few of the more obvious advantages,
Speed, less truck traffic congestion, less silica dust, elimination of pressurized lines on location, easier and safer recovery capabilities are just the start.
There’s also financial benefits to the companies that use them like increased trucking efficiency, more accuracy with sand counts and better control over product. The oil company has benefits like better well conductivity through resin coated sand quality preservation.
We know that the advances in proppant technology mean better well conductivity and contribute to millions of dollars in savings over the life of a well. It’s the service companies job to ensure the proppant can accomplish what it was designed to do to excel as a service provider.
Telebelting Frac Sand is quickly replacing Pneumatic trailer unloading. These systems are outdated in the oil and gas industry. Dust, high pressure lines and congestion on location are only a few of the problems.
Telebelts increase company productivity
Countless hours can been wasted waiting on frac sand to be offloaded, but now a large job that previously took 7 days can now be completed in as little as 4 days. This represents a significant savings in time and money while increasing the amount of jobs completed per year.
They can also significantly reduce demurrage. (We’ll cover this later on in another section.) Let’s move on to a closer look at unloading frac sand using this method as opposed to a conventional pneumatic system.