Fracturing/pressure pumping
Evolution Well Services will deploy electric pressure pumping units for Northeast Natural Energy, which operates in the Marcellus Shale.
Major increases in hydrocarbon production require both incremental and revolutionary technologies, industry leaders said during the SPE Hydraulic Fracturing Technology Conference.
Technology developers expect the tight-oil industry to give lightweight proppants another look after the Permian Basin’s biggest operator becomes an adopter.
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When a plug gets stuck in a well, consider the cause. Often stuck fracturing tools are a warning sign of casing trouble. Companies that have investigated plug problems have been surprised by the findings. -
Bringing the Heat: Aramco Field Tests High-Temperature Chemistry To Slash Tight-Gas Completion CostsSaudi Aramco and university researchers are experimenting with a thermochemical fracturing fluid that aims to eliminate more than half of the pumping horsepower typically required to complete horizontal wells.
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This article addresses a means to improve hydraulic fracturing operations by measuring the perforation effectiveness on a stage-by-stage basis before the hydraulic fracturing process begins.
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The complete paper describes and quantifies the stress-dependence of compaction and permeability for anisotropic rock matrices, natural fractures, and hydraulic fractures, based on comprehensive rock tests of a fractured tight reservoir.
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The complete paper presents a strategy for selecting a surfactant/solvent package for parent wells. Oil recovery and associated water saturation in the microfluidic-based device, with or without surfactant, are quantified and reveal that the oil recovery is enhanced with surfactant.
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Unconventional producers around the world have been hamstrung by expensive and cumbersome options when it comes to obtaining reservoir data. Among the latest ways to break past these barriers is a new method developed by Canadian researchers and field tested in Australia’s unconventional frontier.
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Schlumberger is getting rid of its struggling OneStim business unit 2 years after an acquisition that doubled its size. It will get 37% of the shares of Liberty Oilfield Services, which said it will be the second-largest player in that sector.
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ExxonMobil is reluctant to join other big oil companies writing down the value of their reserves. It could chop its reserves by 20%, but it has not made a final decision.
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The forces of low oil prices and new efficiency trends are converging to remake the US pressure-pumping business into one that can complete more wells with less horsepower than ever. However, that might also mean service provider margins remain low for much of this new decade.
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The investment group Wilks Brothers, now owners of Carbo Ceramics, has sought stakes in other OFS companies this year.
