Geofacts No. 27—Fracture Sand in Ohio

GeoFacts No. 27 OHIO DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES • DIVISION OF GEOLOGICAL SURVEY FRACTURE SAND IN OHIO

INTRODUCTION The load is increased in increments of 1,000 pounds per square inch (psi) until the fi nes generated exceed 10% by weight of the The use of hydraulic fracturing is a critical component in the sample. Verifi cation of the stress is accomplished by lowering development of shale hydrocarbon resources in Ohio. During the stress in 1,000 psi increments until fi nes generated are less hydraulic fracturing, a prepared sand known as a proppant is than 10%; this bracketed pressure, rounded downward, results forced into the fractures created by the pressurized fl uid. The in the k-value. The k-value is used as a comparison of potential sand “props” the fractures open, allowing gas and fl uids to more proppants, not necessarily as a recommendation of closure stress easily fl ow to the wellbore. The fi rst well hydraulically fractured ranges for the proppant. in Ohio was drilled in 1952 in Stark County. Particle size distribution of a sandstone deposit is important General requirements for fracture sand are that it consists of for determining mining economics. The larger proppant sizes round to subrounded, nearly pure quartz grains; there should be have higher fracture permeabilities and are in higher demand, no carbonates or other impurities that would affect the viscosity especially for liquid hydrocarbon reservoirs. The smaller prop- of the carrier fl uids or potentially create fi nes that could reduce pant sizes have lower fracture permeabilities but may be more fracture permeability. Solubility should be <3% in hydrochloric suitable for shale formations. A minimum of 90% of the tested acid (HCl). Uniformly graded sand gives better permeability as sand sample should fall between the designated sieve sizes, with a proppant and improves fracture conductivity. Variations in not more than 1% smaller than the last sieve size (200 mesh or particle size distribution can yield large variations in fracture 0.75 microns, approaching silt size). conductivity; for instance a 5% increase in fi nes can exceed a 60% loss in propped fracture conductivity. A typical fracture treatment in a vertical well completed in the Silurian-age “Clinton” sandstone in Ohio uses approximately 10 tons (t) of sand, whereas a horizontally-drilled shale well fracture treatment may use more than 5,000 t of sand. So it is not unreasonable to expect the Ohio market for fracture sand to increase substantially as shale reservoirs in the state are devel- oped. Several companies in Ohio report production of fracture 1 mm sand as part of their industrial sandstone mining operations. Photo showing grain size and shape of an Ohio sandstone that has been used FRACTURE SAND TESTING AND as a fracture sand. WELL PERFORMANCE Other factors considered in evaluating a potential proppant The potential of sandstone to be used as a proppant can be include turbidity and specifi c gravity. A turbidity test is used to determined through laboratory testing. Tests used to determine determine the amount of suspended or colloidal particles (clay) if material meets American Petroleum Institute (API) and/or In- that may adversely affect fracturing fl uids. Measuring specifi c ternational Organization for Standardization (ISO) specifi cations gravity and bulk density of the proppant gives an indication of include Krumbein shape factors (grain shape); acid solubility; purity of the material. crush resistance; sieve analysis for particle-size distribution; turbidity; and bulk density/specifi c gravity. GEOLOGY OF POTENTIAL Grain shape is one of the most important physical characteris- FRACTURE SAND SOURCES IN OHIO tics of a proppant. In general, more round and spherical particles create more pore space, resulting in higher fracture conductivity. Sand-and-Gravel Deposits Round particles normally have a higher crush resistance due to less contact with the stress of overlying sediments. A visual The surfi cial geology of Ohio has been profoundly affected by inspection of a representative sample (minimum of 20 particles) Pleistocene glaciation; approximately 75% of the state is covered under low magnifi cation and comparison to a Krumbein chart by glacial deposits. The composition of the sand and gravel can determine whether the sandstone meets the 0.6 or greater related to these glacial deposits is strongly correlated with the shape factor, as per API/ISO recommendations. local bedrock geology. Pebble counts performed during sand- The second essential test for proppant suitability is acid solubil- and-gravel resource mapping in western Ohio reveal carbonate ity. Minor amounts of carbonates can have detrimental effects on contents that vary from 75 to 94%, refl ecting the limestone- and the fracture fl uid chemistry and the producing formation. Fine dolomite-dominated bedrock. No sand-and-gravel deposits in particles that may be generated due to geochemical interactions western Ohio would be acceptable as fracture sand due to acid will lead to a loss in fracture conductivity. A sample is tested with solubility loss. a HCl solution; the allowable loss is 2% for coarser material and The bedrock geology of eastern Ohio consists of Devonian- 3% for fi ner-grained samples. A fi eld test using 10% HCl on a through Permian-age interbedded sandstone, siltstone, and representative sample may give a good indication of whether the shale, with lesser amounts of clay, coal, and limestone. Pebble sandstone will meet the API/ISO acid solubility requirements. counts completed during sand-and-gravel resource studies in The strength of the proppant is a critical factor in the design of northeastern Ohio show a highly variable lithology. Carbonate a hydraulic fracture treatment. The crush resistance test proce- contents vary from 0 to 51%; sandstone contents range from dure recognizes that proppants are used in multiple layers, so the 5 to 81%; and siltstones vary from 1 to 100%. There also can load-bearing capacity of a single grain is not as important as the be signifi cant amounts of ironstone, chert, clays, and organics response of the confi ned grain packs. The crush resistance test (0–63%). Some localized sand-and-gravel deposits may exhibit is conducted by applying a load representing a fracture closure characteristics favorable for a potential fracture sand. Sand-and- stress pressure to a specifi ed volume and weight of the sample. gravel operators in eastern Ohio should consider fi eld checking continued ➮ ft thickinquarriesconsistingofgreaterthan98%silica. The facies butcanbeamassive,coarse-grainedsandstoneup to100 by theSunburyShale.TheBlackHandhasconglomeratic to silty siltstones andsandstonesoftheLoganFormationunderlain crops fromsouth-centraltonortheasternOhio.Itisoverlainby and hasbeenquarriedasabuildingstonesincetheearly1800s. Vista Sandstoneis20to30ftthicknorthofPortsmouth,Ohio, and associatedwiththinbedsofshaleorsiltstone.TheBuena grained, subroundedquartzgrains.Itisthintomediumbedded The BuenaVista Sandstoneislightgraywith Formation outcropsinalimitedareaofsouth-centralOhio. and lessthan1%ironoxide. ally greaterthan91%withapproximately4%aluminumoxide coarse grainedwithsubroundedquartz.Silicacontentisgener- northern Ohio.TheBereaSandstoneislightbrown,mediumto varies statewidefrom5fttomorethan120inthequarriesof Sunbury ShaleandunderlainbytheBedfordShale.Thickness since the1850sforuseasabuildingstone.Itisoverlainby of Devonian-agestratainOhioandhasbeenquarriedextensively Ohio inthecenterofstate.TheBereaisuppermostunit County andwashistoricallyusedintheToledo glassindustry. it isexposedinthelowerportionofatleastonequarryLucas to 95ft.TheSylvaniawasnotproducedinOhioduring2012;but bands ofchert.ThicknesstheSylvaniaSandstonevariesfrom0 The Sylvaniacontainsinterbedded,arenaceousdolomitewith may containscatteredmassesofcalcite,celestite,anddolomite. a white,friablesandstonewithwell-roundedquartzgrainsthat and underlainbytheSilurian-ageSalinaGroup.TheSylvaniais River Group.ItisgenerallyoverlainbytheDundeeLimestone in northwesternOhioandisthelowermostunitofDetroit the Sharonsandstone,andMassillonsandstone. industrial useswereproducedfromtheBlackHandSandstone, Vista Sandstone,andtheMassillonsandstone.Sandstones for quarries inOhioproducedfromtheBereaSandstone,Buena for buildingstoneorindustrialuses.In2012, Many ofthesesandstonedepositshavebeenquarriedhistorically age sandstonesoflimitedgeographicextentineasternOhio. Pottsville Group;andseveralPennsylvanian-agePermian- Pennsylvanian-age SharonandMassillonsandstonesofthe and BuenaVista SandstoneoftheCuyahogaFormation; the Berea Sandstone;theMississippian-ageBlackHandSandstone Sylvania SandstoneoftheDetroitRiverGroup;Devonian-age Ohio include,inascendingstratigraphicorder, theDevonian-age completed toascertainfracturesandsuitability. If theinitial a representativesampleofsandforshapeandacidsolubility. The BlackHandSandstoneoftheCuyahogaFormationout- The Mississippian-ageBuenaVista SandstoneoftheCuyahoga The BereaSandstoneoutcropsfromnortheasterntosouthern The SylvaniaSandstoneistheoldestDevonianstrataexposed Near-surface sandstonedepositsgreaterthan20feet(ft)thickin Time-stratigraphic units Group/Formation Members orbeds Members Group/Formation units Time-stratigraphic Permian/Pennsylvanian Mississippian Devonian iuinSalina Group Silurian fi eld testingispositive,laboratorycouldbe Generalized columnofbedrockunitsinOhiothatmaybe suitableforproppants( The Divisionof GeologicalSurveyGeoFacts Seriesisavailableonlineat Sandstone Deposits • ThisGeoFacts compiledbyMarkE.Wolfe •September2013 fi ne- tomedium- ukr-lehn rusUndefi Pottsville Group Dunkard-Allegheny Groups Cuyahoga Formation Logan Formation Detroit River Group Detroit River Wolfe, M.E.,2012,2011 ReportonOhiomineralindustries—Anannual Slucher, E.R.,Swinford,E.M.,Larsen,G.E., Schumacher, G.A.,Shrake, Stout, Wilbur, 1944,SandstonesandconglomeratesofOhio:OhioJournal Risser, M.L.,1986,Sandandgravelresources ofColumbianaCounty, Fuller, J.O.,1967,Sharonconglomerate,asource ofhighsilicarawmate- Ehlers, G.M.,Stumm,E.C.,andKesling,R.V., 1951,Devonianrocks with noncalcareouscementmayhavepotentialasaproppant. accessory minerals. A well-sorted,clean,friablesandstonephase grains. Theyoftencontainsigni coarse grainedwithsubroundedtosubangularquartzandfeldspar in someareasasbuildingstones.Thesandstonescanbe Ohio canbemorethan100ftthicklocallyandhavebeenused and turbidityof78. County includeshapefactorsof0.5–0.6,acidsolubility1.9%, Published physicalpropertiesdatafortheMassilloninPerry and isquarriedforbothindustrialsandbuildingstone. can beupto100ftthickineast-centralandnortheasternOhio fi by shalesandsiltstones.TheMassillonisalight-browntowhite, In someareas,theMassillonhasbeenerodedawayorreplaced the smallersizefactions. resistance ofupto6,000psi,andacceptablesizedistributionin shape factorsof0.6–0.7,solubility2.9%,turbidity19,crush Sharon sandstoneminingoperationinsouthernOhioreported and otherindustrialpurposes,includinghydraulicfracturing. A sandstone andconglomeratearequarriedforglassmanufacture Silica contentcanexceed99%.CurrentlyinOhio,theSharon conglomerate. Thicknessrangesfrom10to60ftinquarries. sive, the Sharonishighlyvariableinthickness.Theamas- at thePennsylvanian/MississippianboundaryineasternOhio, nian-age PottsvilleGroupinOhio.Duetothemajorunconformity of 0.6–0.7,acidsolubility1.5–1.7%,andturbidity92–100. physical propertiesdatafortheBlackHandincludeshapefactors sand, includinguseasahydraulicfractureproppant.Published Black HandiscurrentlyquarriedinKnoxCountyforindustrial ne- tomedium-grained,high-silicasandstone.TheMassillon Additional Pennsylvanian-ageandPermian-agesandstonesin The MassillonsandstoneispartofthePottsvilleGroupinOhio. The Sharonsandstoneisthelower-most unitofthePennsylva- of NaturalResources,DivisionGeologicalSurvey, 32p.,8appendices. summary ofthestate’s economicgeology:Columbus,OhioDepartment Division ofGeologicalSurveyMapBG-1,scale1:500,000. Map ofOhio:Columbus,OhioDepartmentNaturalResources, D.L., RiceC.L.,Caudill,M.R.,andRea,R.G.,2006,BedrockGeologic of Science,v. 44,no.2,p.75–88. Geological SurveyReportofInvestigationsNo.131,map,scale1:62,500. Ohio: Columbus,OhioDepartmentofNaturalResources,Division Geological SurveyReprintSeries6,8p. rial: Columbus,OhioDepartmentofNaturalResources,Division meeting, November, 1951,40p. stratigraphic of southeasternMichiganandnorthwesternOhio:Preparedforthe fi ne- tocoarse-grained,high-silicasandstoneandpebble fi eld tripoftheGeologicalSociety America Detroit FURTHER READING www.OhioGeology.com. bold Sharon sandstone Massillon sandstone Sunbury Shale Sandstone Buena Vista Black HandSandstone Sylvania Sandstone Dundee Limestone Bedford Shale Berea Sandstone ) andrelatedunits fi cant amountsofmicaandother ned fi ne to

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