99.5% water and sand

• 80.5% water • 19.0% proppant

• plus 0.5% chemicals

(What kind of chemicals? See below for more details…)

• Fresh Water – 80.5%

• Proppant – 19.0%

– Allows the fractures to remain open so the oil and gas can escape

Common use: Drinking water filtration, play ground sand

• Acids - 0.12%

– Help dissolve minerals and initiate fractures in rock (pre-fracture)

Common use: Swimming pool cleaner

• Petroleum distillates – 0.088%

– Dissolve polymers and minimize friction

Make-up remover, laxatives, and candy

• Isopropanol – 0.081%

– Increases the viscosity of the fracture fluid

Glass cleaner, antiperspirant, and hair color

• Potassium chloride – 0.06%

– Creates a brine carrier fluid

Low-sodium table salt substitute

• Guar gum – 0.056%

– Thickens the water to suspend the sand

Thickener used in cosmetics, baked goods, ice cream, toothpaste, sauces, and salad dressing

• Ethylene glycol – 0.043%

– Prevents scale deposits in the pipe

Automotive antifreeze, household cleansers, deicing, and caulk

• Sodium or potassium carbonate – 0.011%

– Improves the effectiveness of other components, such as cross-linkers

 Washing soda, detergents, soap, water softeners, glass and ceramics

• Sodium Chloride – 0.01%

– Delays break down of the gel polymer chains

Table Salt

• Polyacrylamide – 0.009%

– Minimizes friction between fluid and pipe

Water treatment, soil conditioner

• Ammonium bisulfite – 0.008%

– Removes oxygen from the water to protect the pipe from corrosion

Cosmetics, food and beverage processing, water treatment

• Borate salts – 0.007%

– Maintain fluid viscosity as temperature increases

Used in laundry detergents, hand soaps and cosmetics

• Citric Acid – 0.004%

– Prevents precipitation of metal oxides

Food additive; food and beverages; lemon juice

• N, n-Dimethyl formamide – 0.002%

– Prevents the corrosion of the pipe

Used in pharmaceuticals, acrylic fibers and plastics

• Glutaraldehyde – 0.001%

– Eliminates bacteria in the water

Disinfectant; Sterilizer for medical and dental equipment