Fracturing/pressure pumping
The Houston-based enhanced geothermal developer scored $1.9 billion in an initial public offering, positioning it to expand projects in Utah and Nevada.
A Chinese operator in the Sichuan Basin used high‑frequency pressure monitoring to evaluate frac performance in unconventional wells.
Hydraulic fracturing holds great potential in the region, but there are several key questions worth asking as efforts move forward.
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When it comes to hydraulic fracturing, steadiness may not be a virtue. That was the conclusion of a test to see if rapid pump rate variations would lead to greater production than conventionally fractured stages when the pressure was held steady. -
A pair of inventive companies are working on a way to allow microseismic tests to visualize the otherwise silent process of propping fractures.
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Understanding how much rock is being stimulated and propped is critical for unconventional producers. New imaging methods using electromagnetic energy or acoustic microemitters could represent a milestone in understanding what is left behind after fracturing.
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The integration of microseismic data with 3D seismic attributes, and well log and completions data is used to understand geomechanical rock properties.
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A refracturing campaign in the Permian yielded a production gain that allowed payback on the investment within 6–12 months.
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A new proppant exhibits a neutrally wet surface, which does not have a preferential affinity for oil, gas, or water and therefore will not promote the preferential entrapment of any phase within the proppant pack.
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Hydraulic fracturing exerts transient geomechanical forces near the wellbore, enabling a brief time interval in which a second hydraulic fracture can be created in a different direction.
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The oil-economy downturn will not affect the areas where research, development, and application of novel technologies are absolutely necessary for the commercialization of hydrocarbon.
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While many factors may influence fracture-height evolution in multilayer formations, the consensus is that the so-called “equilibrium height belonging to a certain treating pressure” provides an upper limit, at least for nonnaturally fractured media.
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A new unconventional proppant technology—a rod-shaped proppant—delivered 25% higher oil per net pay compared with offset wells using conventional proppant.
