Technology Focus: Hydraulic Fracturing (March 2008)
Authors: Chipperfield Simon 
Published: February 2015

Technology Focus

The challenge to minimize our environmental impact falls on every aspect of the global community, including the hydraulic-fracturing industry. In our industry, some companies have taken steps to reduce their effect on the environment. In some cases, the action has even maximized economic value. For example, in Wyoming, "green completions" are performed with fracture-treatment flow-back through separators facilitating in-line cleanup (Mullen et al. 2004). This method maximizes gas sales, allows water recycling for future stimulations, and minimizes the amount of gas flared into the atmosphere. In Pinedale, Wyoming, and North Rulison, Colorado, where well spacing has decreased to as small as 5 acres, fracture treatments can be performed from a central area or pumping station. This manner of stimulation not only reduces costs and improves operational efficiencies but also reduces the topographical effects in environmentally sensitive areas (Colorado River District Water Seminar 2007).

Our industry's examples of innovative environmental policy are isolated. In my opinion, much more is needed to avoid our industry facing extreme criticism in a world that will soon demand much higher standards. Our industry must seek government support of environmental initiatives (e.g., research grants and tax incentives); monitor environmental effects and ensure that environmental issues have a prominent role in forming industry/organization/individual goals and objectives; and support development of environmentally friendly technologies, avoiding technologies that fail to meet these requirements.

When reading these key papers, consider the need for these hydraulic-fracturing innovations to join with world-class environmental practices to achieve a sustainable outcome for both our industry and our planet.

References

Colorado River District Water Seminar. 2007. Piceance Basin—Cornerstone Asset. http://www.crwcd.org/media/uploads/Dave_Cesark.pdf. Accessed 7 February 2008.

Mullen, M., Dickerman, R., Stabenau, J., Dobson, M., and Ohlson, C. 2004. Integrated Process Improves Production of the Almond Formation in the Wamsutter Field, Wyoming: A Low-Permeability Case Study of Five Years of Continuous Improvement in Well Performance. Paper SPE 90792-MS presented at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, 26–29 September, Houston. DOI: 10.2118/90792-MS.

Hydraulic Fracturing additional reading available at the SPE eLibrary: www.spe.org

SPE 110068 • "Optimizing the Completion of a Multilayer Cotton Valley Sand Using Hydraulic-Fracture Monitoring and Integrated Engineering" by Jason Baihly, Schlumberger, et al.

SPE 106111 • "Effects of Frictional Geological Discontinuities on Hydraulic- Fracture Propagation" by X. Zhang, SPE, CSIRO Petroleum, et al.

SPE 106269 • "Development of a Methodology for Hydraulic-Fracturing Models in Tight, Massively Stacked, Lenticular Reservoirs" by Christopher A. Green, SPE, Perenco UK, et al.

SPE 110517 • "Microseismic Monitoring Quality-Control (QC) Reports as an Interpretative Tool for Nonspecialists" by U. Zimmer, Pinnacle Technologies, et al.