Geological and engineering appraisal of hydraulic frac sand in some Egyptian localities as a proppant of oil well drilling.

Sand that comprises high purity silica grains, in large percent, is of the best naturally occurring grains that can be used as proppants during hydraulic fracturing processes. Proppants are used to increase formations' permeability; to increase reservoirs' productivity, or to reopen plays and utilize unconventional reservoirs. The potentiality of these grains to be used as frac proppants is determined according to certain physical, mechanical, petrographical and chemical evaluations that include particle size analysis, acid solubility, turbidity, bulk density, crush resistance and hardness, sphericity and roundness, mineral and chemical composition.