Aqua Prop LLC is adamantly working to change the way oil and gas producers get, store and use frac sand at their well sites by delivering “smarter wet sand solutions,” according to Dane Walker, former President of Aqua Prop LLC and CEO of Wallstreet Sand Co. LLC, where Aqua Prop sources its material from. 

“The smarter part is taking out a lot of the processes at the mine,” explained Walker. “Typically in our industry, frac sand is mined, washed and dried. Drying is done to make the sand more mobile, but it also increases overall costs.”  

Walker continued, “We saw an opportunity in the wet sand space. In the aggregate world, wet sand is moved all the time, so it just made sense to move the market in that direction and eliminate the drying costs. It makes pumping sand into the well more economical.”  

Walker added that the evolution of Aqua Prop happened out of order. Instead of starting at the mine, Aqua Prop’s genesis began with trucking for sand mines throughout the Permian Basin, when someone noticed a pile of wet frac sand at a well site and thought the idea of offering a similar solution was a good idea.  

Aqua Prop developed a flat storage system that allows wet frac sand to be piled high and reduces or eliminates traditional storage methods such as silos. It has resulted in increased efficiency, greater storage capacity and reduced truck traffic.  

“We worked backward, in a sense,” quipped Walker. “We coupled the trucking with on-site sand service, then worked on opening a mine to finish the process. Ultimately, our goal is to be a closed loop from the mine to the frac site, and we are doing that. By keeping it all in-house, we can be more cost-effective. An additional benefit is that wet sand is an all-weather product, so there is little to no downtime associated with inclement weather.”  

Greater storage capacity 

Aqua Prop’s operations began in 2023 when it started working for an oil and gas company to provide on-site and trucking services. Within months, Aqua Prop had a second fleet and was on its way to where it is now with four.  

“Our customers saw the efficiency and reduced non-productive time on the sand side due to factors such as weather events,” stated Walker. “The benefits of the streamlined operation are obvious. With increased productivity and efficiency, the bottom line is better, safety is improved, and we’re increasing sustainability by reducing CO2 emissions because there is less trucking involved with being able to store more on-site.” 

With a dedicated source of material through Wallstreet Sand, Aqua Prop’s trucking efficiency increased as well. Located in Kermit, Texas, the mine allows drivers to go directly from the source to a well site without diverting to multiple locations. Aqua Prop currently has about 300 trucks running in the Permian Basin and delivers to about a 100-mile radius of the mine.  

Once overburden is removed, the sand is washed, sieved and stockpiled. When delivered, it is offloaded and stacked at the well site. An Aqua Prop team member transfers it from its storage location to a blender where it’s mixed and used in the fracking process. 

“Customers are excited about having our full-service capability with greater storage capacity,” commented Walker. “With a single cost, we provide mine to on-site services, so it’s easier to budget. Our aim is to be their partner by delivering a mutually beneficial outcome.”  

Aqua Prop’s success prompted its sale to ProPetro Holding Corp., a provider of integrated completion services to leading upstream oil and gas companies engaged in the exploration and production of North American unconventional oil and natural gas resources. The acquisition advances ProPetro’s commitment to delivering more integrated and industrial solutions while adding value for all stakeholders, according to ProPetro CEO Sam Sledge. 

“The acquisition of Aqua Prop aligns seamlessly with our strategy of pursuing more innovation and integration for our disciplined operating model and high grading our capital allocations,” said Sledge. “This acquisition, while highly complementary to our core business, is also aimed squarely at industrializing our operations with the ultimate goal of bringing more value to our customers and ProPetro. As part of the transaction, ProPetro will own and provide on-site sand storage and handling, while also leveraging strategic agreements for both logistics and preferred access to wet sand supply. ProPetro is continuing to build on our reputation of delivering best-in-class integrated completions services desired by operators in the Permian Basin.” 

Aqua Prop also considers Kirby-Smith Machinery Inc. (KSM) a partner and a driver of success as Aqua Prop grows. Odessa-based Territory Manager Kevin Demel has helped Aqua Prop acquire Komatsu wheel loaders for moving materials and Masaba offloading and stacking equipment for stockpiling.  

“Customer Service goes hand in hand with quality,” Walker indicated. “If you sell a quality product, but don’t back it up, that’s pointless. Fortunately, Kevin and Kirby-Smith have been great on both counts. They have helped us get equipment we can rely on and build a fleet that meets our needs. One of the considerations was mobility because we move on average every 20 days. We wanted equipment that was easily and efficiently moved without the need for items such as a crane. Kevin and the Kirby-Smith team helped us come up with a solution that’s highly productive and provided training along with Masaba that ensured we knew how to most effectively utilize it.”  

Demel and KSM’s aggregate production team helped Aqua Prop design a system that includes portable tri-fold Masaba truck unloaders that transport materials to 80-foot Masaba radial stackers.  

“A typical frac fleet burns about 2,000 to 2,500 tons a day, so we’re moving a lot of truckloads of sand,” said Walker. “The stackers allow us to put 1,500 tons on the ground without moving the radial at all, so there is a lot of buffer. One thing we looked for was reliability because we are a 24-hour operation. The Masaba equipment gives us that without any downtime.”  

Sand is transported from the stockpile to a feeder with Komatsu WA480-8 wheel loaders. Aqua Prop also uses Komatsu WA500-8 wheel loaders to load trucks.  

“The WA480s are perfectly sized to our feeders’ hoppers,” noted Walker. “That reduces cycles from the pile to the feeder, so our productivity and efficiency are increased, and our fuel usage and wear and tear is less. The WA500s make loading trucks fast and easy. Kirby-Smith has done a very good job of tracking them, as well as the rented Komatsu dozers we use to strip material at the mine, to make sure the service intervals are done on time through the Komatsu Care program and in such a way as to reduce our downtime.” 

A bright future 

Walker emphasized that Aqua Prop is still in its infancy and looking forward to many years of offering its unique solutions to customers in the Permian Basin and possibly beyond.  

“We are lookIng at continued growth,” stated Walker. “We’re excited to get the sand mine online and be a one-stop-shop for customers, which takes a lot of headache out of their planning. We are also looking at other potential locations to expand mining operations. We believe the future is very bright.”  

*The opinions expressed here are from the end user as quoted. The results described herein are those of these end users under certain conditions. Individual results may vary.