Upstream — Process Challenge

Hydraulic Fracturing Chemicals (Friction Reducers & Gels)

Frac operators pump large per-stage volumes of friction reducer, guar/HPG gel, oxidative breaker, crosslinker and biocide to place proppant and keep fractures conductive, across the full frac-fluid stack including field-ready inverse-emulsion friction reducers.
Updated Jun 2026
Solution Approach

RawSource supplies the base chemicals that go into these programs. We can help with product selection, grade matching, and sourcing from multiple origins for supply security.

Typical Treatment Workflow
1
System Assessment
Characterize operating conditions — fluid composition, temperature, pressure, flow, and H2S/CO2/water cut — and benchmark current treatment performance.
2
Chemistry Selection
Match scale and corrosion inhibitors, biocides, or demulsifiers to the operating envelope, factoring compatibility, regulatory constraints, and downstream impacts.
3
Field Trial & Dosing
Determine treat rates through bottle and field trials, and configure continuous or batch delivery and packaging (drums, totes, ISO tanks) to logistics.
4
Monitoring & Adjustment
Track corrosion coupon/ER rates, residual inhibitor, and separator and water-quality performance, adjusting chemistry and dose as wells change.
Recommended Chemistries (6)
Polyacrylamide Flocculant (anionic PAM)
CAS 9003-05-8
Polymers & Resins
Primary flocculant backbone
High-molecular-weight anionic polyacrylamide reduces turbulent drag in slickwater so frac fluid can be pumped at lower surface pressure and horsepower
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Guar gum
CAS 9000-30-0
Specialty Additives
Viscosity Modification
Galactomannan gelling agent that builds viscosity to suspend and transport proppant into the fracture
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Hydroxypropyl guar
CAS 39421-75-5
Specialty Additives
Cleaning / Degreasing
Derivatized, lower-residue guar that crosslinks for higher-temperature gel stability and cleaner proppant-pack conductivity
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Sodium Persulfate
CAS 7775-27-1
Specialty Additives
Crosslinking / Curing
1505 (SODIUM PERSULFATE) · Class
Oxidative breaker that cleaves the polymer backbone on a timed schedule to break the gel and restore fracture conductivity after placement
Physical Description: Sodium persulfate appears as a white crystallin…   Solubility: Solubility in water, g/100ml at 20 °C: 55.6   Density: 1.1 g/cm3
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Boric Acid
CAS 10043-35-3
Acids & Salts
Biocidal Action
Borate crosslinker that links guar chains into a high-viscosity, shear-reversible gel above about pH 9
Physical Description: Colourless, odourless, transparent crystals or …   Appearance: Colorless, transparent crystals or white granul…   Odor: Odorless
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DBNPA (2,2-Dibromo-3-Nitrilopropionamide)
CAS 10222-01-2
Specialty Additives
Fast-acting biocide
2923 (2,2-DIBROMO-3-NITRILOPROPIONAMIDE) · Class
Fast-acting biocide that controls bacteria including sulfate-reducers in frac water, preventing souring and bio-degradation of the polymer
Melting Point: 123 to 126 °C   Boiling Point: Decomposes at 190 °C   Solubility: In water, 1.5 g/100 mL (15,000 mg/L)
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