Santrol Increases Proppant R&D Investment With New Technology Center

SUGAR LAND, Texas, March 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Santrol, a Fairmount Minerals company, announced today the opening of the Santrol Technology Center (STC). The new STC laboratory, relocated from Santrol's original R&D center in Fresno, Texas, is expanding the company's proppant portfolio for hydraulic fracturing. Scientists are engineering tougher, environmentally compliant proppants to improve reservoir conductivity and maximize oil and gas production.

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"This is pure research in pursuit of next-generation technology and other applications, based on a forward-looking view that is anticipating customers' long-range needs for energy production at lower cost," said Vinay Mehta, vice president, Technical Excellence and Innovation for Fairmount Minerals.

The proper understanding of a material's chemical structure is critical to synthesizing resins with unique properties to create stronger resin-coated proppants. Scientists are working with exceptional laboratory equipment that is optimizing the bonding between resins and high-quality quartz sand and other substrates. This R&D results in a superior proppant pack that is increasing reservoir contact during multistage hydraulic fracturing treatments and maintaining that contact during the well life.

The center is researching proppant surface science and other structural features at the atomic and molecular level, in addition to developing new chemistry, that is also ensuring a more productive proppant pack for operators drilling in shale oil, shale gas, and conventional plays.

The STC is the third Fairmount Minerals' R&D center. The Resin Development Center in Detroit is also engineering tougher resins that meet or exceed environmental regulations. The Innovation Center in Ottawa, Illinois, is developing solutions for Fairmount Minerals' six other business segments: Foundry, Building, Glass, Specialty Products, Sports and Recreation, and Water Filtration.

About Santrol Santrol, part of the Fairmount Minerals family, is a vertically integrated company with leading, environmentally responsible proppants for most applications. Strategically located infrastructure is supported by the most terminals and one of the largest private railcar fleets to ensure operators have proppant at the right place at the right time. Innovative R&D is engineering better solutions. For more information, please visit: Santrol.com.

Contact Bruce Goldfaden Santrol 281.750.5966 [e-mail]

SOURCE Santrol

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