PGA Frac Balls

- Great mechanical strength to withstand 10K PSI pressure with proper design

- Highly prodictable degradation rate regardless of iconic type and salinity level

- Preditable degradation rate not affected by acid fracking fluids

In hydraulic fracking industry, PGA frac balls are used to create a temporary, high‑pressure seal inside the wellbore so a specific fracture stage can be isolated and stimulated. When the ball is pumped downhole, it travels until it lands on a matching seat inside a frac plug or sliding sleeve, blocking flow past that point. This allows pressure to build above the seat, forcing fluid into the perforations of that stage and generating fractures in the targeted rock interval.

After the stage is completed, the ball’s role ends, and it will dissolve to restore full-bore access. The frac ball is a critical control element that enables sequential, stage‑by‑stage stimulation in long horizontal wells.

PGA's superior mechanical strength, fast and predictable degradation under wells regardless of salinity level, chloride level or iconic type makes it the ideal material for frac balls- robust, safe, reliable and economical.

TecoMax PGA frac balls are made with TecoMax PGA rod through CNC machining for optimized mechanical strength and good dimensional tolerance. PGA balls can also be made through injection molding especially for smaller sizes.

Degradation testing in pure water(TecoMax PGA 1.4"D frac ball)

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How do TecoMax PGA balls degrade

TecoMax PGA frac balls in water degrade from the outside inward, with each layer undergoing hydrolysis before the next layer is exposed. The outer surface absorbs water first, and because PGA is highly polar and has a very small repeat unit, water molecules quickly penetrate the amorphous regions.

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Hydrolysis cleaves the ester bonds at the surface, breaking the molecular chains, reducing molecular weight and turning the outermost layer into very brittle flake and powder. As this weakened layer loses strength and allow water to penetrates easily, a fresh, still‑solid layer underneath begins the same cycle.

The result is a layer-by-layer peeling mechanism. Over time (days or hours depending on temperature ), the ball loses its structure integrity and degrades into low molecular weight oligomers that ultimately dissolve completely into water and carbon dioxide.