Characterization of Resin-Coated Silica Sand from Tibawan Rokan Hulu for Potential Use as Proppant

This study is aiming to evaluate the properties of quartz sand in Tibawan, Rokan Hulu in order to determine its suitability as proppant material for the oil and gas industries. The evaluation of these materials is being carried out based on the guidelines of American Petroleum Institute (API) 19C criteria, specifically assessing sphericity, roundness, bulk density, turbidity, acid solubility, and crush resistance. Furthermore, a surface modification process is being carried out where the sand is being coated with epoxy resin in three different weight variants (6 grams, 9 grams, and 12 grams) to investigate the effect of this treatment on the material's physical and mechanical characteristics. The test results are confirming that the sample covered with 12 grams of epoxy resin (Sample 4) passed all API 19C specifications. In contrast, other samples are showing weaknesses in one or more parameters considered. The sample 4 is showing a value of 0.62 roughness, 0.85 sphericity, 1 turbidity, 0.91 g/cm³ bulk density, 2.5 percentage acid soluble, and 6.05 percentage mass loss at a pressure of 7000 psi. These observations are indicating the potential of Tibawan quartz sand, modified by epoxy resin, as a non-conventional proppant that is being used in the hydraulic fracturing of upstream oil and gas activities.