API 60 : 1995

1 Scope
1.1 Scope
1.2 Objective
1.3 Test Procedures
2 References
2.1 Standards
2.2 Other references
3 Recommended Proppant Sampling Procedure
3.1 Description
3.2 Equipment
3.3 Recommended Number of Samples
3.4 Sampling (Bulk Material)
3.5 Sampling (Sacked Material)
4 Recommended Samples Handling and Storage
4.1 Sample Reduction (Sacked Material)
4.2 Sample Splitting
4.3 Sample Retention and Storage
5 Recommended Proppant Sizes
5.1 Sieve Analysis
5.2 Recommended Proppant Size
6 Proppant Sphericity and Roundness
6.1 General
6.2 Sphericity
6.3 Roundness
6.4 Recommended Sphericity and Roundness
6.5 Alternate Method for Determining Average
      Sphericity and Roundness
7 Acid Solubility Considerations
7.1 General
7.2 Acid Solubility Test Cautions
8 Recommended Proppant Crush Resistance Test
8.1 General
8.2 Equipment and Materials
8.3 Recommended Test Procedure
8.4 Suggested maximum fines
8.5 Variability of crush resistance test results
9 Recommended Procedures for Determining
      Proppant Bulk Density, Apparent Density and
      Absolute Density
9.1 General
9.2 Bulk Density
9.3 Apparent Density (Measured in Kerosine or Water)
9.4 Absolute Density
Appendix A - Derivation of Equations 8 and 9
Figures
1 - Example box sampling device
2 - Example Sample Reducer Equipment
3 - Example Sample Splitter Equipment
4 - Example of Testing Sieve Shaker Equipment
    and Nest of Six U.S.A. Sieves Plus Pan
5 - Chart for Visual Estimates of Sphericity
    and Roundness
6 - Example Test Cell, Proppant Crush Resistance
    Test
7 - Example apparatus for measuring proppant
    absolute density
Tables
1 - Recognized high-strength proppant sizes
2 - Suggested Fines Limit According to
    Proppant Size for Stated Stress Levels
3 - Equivalent Load on Cell Versus Stress on
    Proppant Pack

Describes procedures and equipment that can be used in testing and evaluating high-strength proppants, i.e. proppants stronger than silica sand. Procedures are presented for proppant sampling, samples handling, storage, and retention; sieve analysis of proppant samples; average particle sphericity and roundness; proppant crush resistance; and density of proppant materials.