Hydraulic Fracturing Best Management Practices Environmentally Friendly Drilling Program John Michael Fernandez Matthew Gunter
Dec 17, 2015
Hydraulic Fracturing Best Management Practices
Environmentally Friendly Drilling Program
John Michael FernandezMatthew Gunter
Objectives of Presentation
• Introduce and describe hydraulic fracturing
• Present environmental concerns• Discuss best management practices
Major Shale Plays with Hydraulic Fracturing
• Bakkeno North Dakota,
Montana, Canadao Oil
• Barnetto Texas (DFW Area)o Natural Gas
• Eagle Fordo South Texaso Oil and Natural Gas
• Haynesvilleo Texas, Louisianao Natural Gas
• Marcelluso Pennsylvania, Ohio,
New York, West Virginia
o Natural Gas• Woodford
o Oklahomao Oil and Natural Gas
What is Hydraulic Fracturing?
• Hydraulic fracturing is a process used to stimulate wells in tight, shale reservoirs.
• Uses water, sand and chemicals to extend, prop open fractures to allow for the flow of oil and natural gas.
Hydraulic Fracturing Process
• Drill the wello Some only verticalo Some have horizontal lateral
• Case and Cement possible hazard areaso Pressure zoneso Ground Water Areas
• Perforate casing and cementing with Perforating Guno Begins fracture process in rock formation
• Pump fracturing fluid down holeo High pressured fluid extend fractures
• Production
Casing and Cementing
• Casing and cementing a wellbore is used to:o Protect groundwater from contaminationo Keep integrity of well-bore
• Casing is steel pipe that is designed to handle:o over- or under-pressured zones and o high tensile stresses down hole
• Casing is cemented in place to safely deliver hydrocarbons to the surface
Perforating the Formation
• Perforated using a “perf gun”o Perforating guns use explosive charges to
fracture:o Casingo Cementingo Formation
Fracturing Fluid
• 98-99.5% Water and Sand• The other 0.5-2%:
o Additives that enhance fracturingo Many additives are used to protect casing,
cementing, and well integrity• 3-7 million gallons of fluid used in typical
horizontal well
Proppant
• Sand pumped down hole is known as proppanto Keeps fractures “propped” open
• Comes in three major formso Untreated sando Resin-coated Sand
Coated for strength in harsh conditionso Ceramic
Artificial Proppant, very strong at high pressures Said to be in shortage, more using resin-coated sand
• Selected based on strength needed and size
Chemical Additives
• Common Additives include:o Acids, Biocides, Gelling Agents, pH Adjusting
Agents, Corrosion Inhibitors, Iron Control, Clay Stabilizer, Acid Inhibitor
o Other additives could be used depending on well characteristics
o Additives considered harmful are often found in household items
Environmental Concerns
• Chemical concernso Pumping chemicals near water tableo Failure in pits and liners could leak chemicals
• High water usage• Air Emissions from truck use• Surface Area used
EPA Study
• Looking into groundwater protection• Major areas of study include:
o Water acquisitiono Chemical Mixingo Well Injectiono Flowback and Produced Watero Wastewater treatment/disposal
Water Table Safety – Fracture Facts
• Fractures are necessary for hydrocarbons to flow from the tight shale formations
• Fractures are typically thousands of feet below water table
• They extend only hundreds of feet at most in any given direction
Hydraulic Fracturing BMPs
• “Green Frac” Program Ideao Chesapeake Energy
• Refracturing wellso Restimulation via fracturing again
• Closed-loop Fracturing Systemo Chief Oil and Gas one of many users
• Pad Drillingo Drills multiple wells from same pad site
• Centralized Fracturingo Fracturing multiple wells from central pad
Green Frac Program
• Program instituted by Chesapeake Energyo October 2009
• Researching additives to:o Find which are unnecessaryo Find which are necessary, but harmfulo Find more environmentally friendly
replacements for harmful additives• Specific findings are proprietary
information
Refracturing Wells
• Used to restimulate wells with production slowed
• Reduces surface area taken by taking away need for new well for oil and gas
• 85% of success found in 15% of total wells drilledo Not universally successful
• When successful, greatly increases production
Closed Loop Fracturing System
• Rather than using water only once and putting in large pits, the frac fluid is circulated and stored in large steel tanks
• Solids are removed from water using mechanical and chemical methods
• Compared to older methods, CLF is o Environmentally friendlyo Economically efficient
Environmentally Friendly CLF
• Takes away use of pits and linerso Pits and liners have been known to burst,
releasing chemicals onto surfaceo Stores in large, sturdy steel tanks
• Uses much less watero Water is reused throughout fracturing processo Reduces water usage by as much as 80%
• Reduces truck traffico Truck loads have been observed to reduce by up
to 75%o Reduces air emissions and traffic congestion
Economically Efficient
• Water usage is reduced• Truck mileage is also reduced• Companies who have drilled similar wells
using CLF have saved about $10,000 in overall expenses compared to conventional drilling
Pad Drilling
• Drills multiple wells from single pad site• Allows for centralized fracturing
o Fracturing from single location for multiple wells
• Reduces acreage necessary for wells• Reduces truck traffic for making pad site• Enhances closed loop systems
Centralized Fracturing
• Fracing multiple wells on a site from a single, central pado Fraced up to 140 wells from single siteo Fraced up to 3 miles away
• Significantly reduces truck traffic and time expendedo Truck traffic was reduced by up to 30% for a single
well, up to 90% for the site as a wholeo Time was reduced by up to 80% to drill, complete
the well• When used with closed loop and pad drilling,
saves even more truck traffic and water used