Santrol announced the opening of the Santrol Technology Center (STC), expanding the company’s proppant portfolio for hydraulic fracturing. Scientists are working to engineer tougher, environmentally compliant proppants to improve reservoir conductivity and maximize oil and gas production.

The new lab relocated from the company’s original R&D center in Fresno, Texas.

The proper understanding of a material’s chemical structure is critical to synthesizing resins with unique properties to create stronger resin-coated proppants, Santrol said in the release. Scientists are working with lab equipment that is optimizing bonding between resins and high-quality quartz sand and other substrates. This R&D results in a stronger 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, according to the release.