EnerCorp Sand Solutions provides patented and proprietary sand management solutions to the oil and gas industry. The company specializes in developing sand control technology and is well established as an innovator in the sand management industry. EnerCorp designs, manufactures, sells, rents, and services its equipment throughout North America and intends to expand its reach.
EnerCorp was established as the result of a joint venture between two sand management companies: Dynacorp, a Canadian company founded in Calgary Alberta in 2008, and Energes Oilfield Solutions, an American company founded in 2013. The companies operated independently until March of 2016 when the two collaborated on a project in the Permian Basin. By December of the following year, Energes and Dynacorp merged to form EnerCorp Sand Solutions.
The company has grown substantially by keeping its attention on the changing needs of the industry and its customers. EnerCorp has been able to stand above the competition and push sand management technology forward with its innovative products. “We’re a research and development company with a full line of patented products on the leading edge of sand management,” says Vice President of Business Development Bruce McKenna. “EnerCorp is by far the leader in adopting new technology, new products, and new ways to solve sand management challenges.”
Managing the sand is vital. If the flow of sand is not effectively controlled, it will erode mechanical valves and other important mechanical components. The result is costly maintenance and repairs, at best. At worst, sand erosion can result in explosions, fires, and other serious risks to the safety of everyone working at the site. As shale producers drill deeper and longer laterals, more frac sand is pumped in multiple stages in order to keep these tight formations open for oil and gas production. Even when only small percentages of this frac sand is returned to surface it can amount to thousands of pounds over various time frames. Enercorp products are designed to handle the largest amount of sand returns versus other competitors. Managing and monitoring the sand return with the most efficient technology is what separates Enercorp.
EnerCorp’s patented sand control products enable operators to flow back sand at a higher rate, resulting in much higher initial productions than have been possible in the past. Its equipment allows for much faster and much safer output throughout the entire lifecycle of the well.
EnerCorp’s products consist of three product types that are each in a state of constant evolution. All three of these lines, including the dual and triple horizontal sand filters, vertical sand cyclone, and flowback test separators, are patented proprietary products that have each significantly improved the way sand management is being done in oil fields throughout North America. These products have been widely adopted and are considered state of the art, but EnerCorp refuses to rest on its laurels.
“We’re not happy just inventing one or two products and saying ‘Here’s what we’ve got. We’re the nicest guys in the world. You should use us,’” says McKenna. “It’s continuing to strive to enhance our product line and staying ahead of the curve.” Despite the success of its products, the company concentrates on research and enhancing its equipment and is always working to push the technology even further.
The first of EnerCorp’s three main product types is its horizontal filtration solution. Dual and triple horizontal sand filters use innovative, field-tested, patented technology to filter sand particles as small as fifty microns. Competing equipment often relies on velocity-knockout to allow sand to drop out of the production stream. This process is very inefficient and ineffective. While this process allows much carryover of sand, Enercorp’s screen-based solution will remove even the smallest particles.
A major oil producer located in the Delaware Basin was having trouble with one of its separators. When a seal failed after only a few days, the company realized that sand was passing through the filtration system and accumulating in the equipment. As a result, equipment was always failing, resulting in significant and highly expensive downtime. The company installed EnerCorp’s horizontal filtration system and eliminated the problem entirely.
While the horizontal filters can handle up to five thousand pounds per square inch (psi) of pressure, the vertical cyclonic system is designed for much higher volume and higher flow rates with up to 15,000 psi of pressure.
As well as offering these products for sale, EnerCorp also maintains a rental fleet with installation and maintenance services and operator training. This means that customers can reduce the initial expense of becoming operational. The company’s rental agreements are flexible enough to allow an operator to rent high-capacity equipment to use during the early high volume production stage and then switch to different equipment for longer-term use. The company has complete training services for all of its equipment, ensuring that, whether owned or rented, the customer will be able to operate it safely, efficiently, and for a very long time.
After more than a decade in business, EnerCorp has grown to be the largest sand management company in North America, with nearly three hundred employees at two locations in Canada and seven in the United States. The company is poised to expand even more in the future.
“Our reach currently is all of North America, but we do some work in South America,” says McKenna. “The vast majority of our field service work in completions and sand management occurs in the United States. We are very successful in the Montney and Duvernay zones and we fabricate all of our equipment in Canada, but we want to continue to evolve internationally. We see a lot of opportunities abroad. We want to build more of an international base and show those producers why we’re the leader.”
A key component to the company’s success is a strongly held commitment to its values. These are reflected in the company’s commitment to research, development and an engineering team that has consistently worked at the leading edge of sand management technology to create quality of the work and a solid reputation. Every employee of EnerCorp believes in its principles and operates accordingly, driving the company to so much success.
The company has also been very active in giving back to the communities in which it operates. EnerCorp supports many charitable organizations and educational programs including the Alberta Children’s Hospital, the Ronald McDonald House of Southern Alberta, Women in Trades, the Special Olympics, and many more.
“We’re very passionate about giving back to the community and supporting various charities,” says McKenna. “Giving back is a big thing for us.”
As the oil and gas industry changes, EnerCorp will keep investing in research and development to help minimize sand problems and increase production for producers as this ever-growing industry evolves.
“Traditionally, sand is a pain, and a lot of companies struggle with it,” says McKenna. “They’ll use whatever they can to try and get by, but what we do, and what our company strives to do, is to continue to lead the industry with continuous research and development. We aim to be a full solution provider, rather than just a product provider. We need to continue to adapt to that and stay on the leading edge of what we’re offering.”
