DryFrac: An Econimical and Eco-Friendly approach to Fracturing

Abstract

Hydraulic Fracturing or fracking is done in unconventional reservoirs to increase production from them. But use of water and other chemicals in fracking fluids makes it an expensive process and environmental hazard. We have worked out an economical and eco-friendly approach to fracturing, eliminating the use of water and associated chemicals, which we have explained in this paper.

Our idea is to create fractures by doing explosions inside the well perforations. After placing the explosives, air with suspended proppant particles is circulated continuously at high velocity through the well, and then the explosives are detonated. The explosion will send a high energy shock waves through the formation. These waves will impart the required surface energy needed to create fractures, and will also hold back the reservoir fluids until the proppant takes its place in the fracture. There will be a limited time window before the fractures collapse because of the compressive stress. For this time period, there will be a vacuum in the fractures, which will draw the proppant particles inside because of the pressure difference. Proppant will be locked as the fractures will close themselves on the proppant. Griffith's criterion in fracture mechanics can be used in an energy balance approach to calculate the amount of energy required for fracturing. The inputs required to plan a DryFrac job will be same as that in hydraulic fracturing.

Our idea is completely in coherence with the laws of fracture mechanics, and will provide results same as that of HF, or maybe even better. Eliminating the use of fluids and chemicals will save a major part of cost involved in their preparation and pumping. Also, there will be no room for environmental concerns since use of fluids is eliminated entirely. This idea will make the process feasible even at lower oil prices, and will also increase an interest towards the exploitation of unconventional reservoirs

AAPG Datapages/Search and Discovery Article #90226 © 2015 European Regional Conference and Exhibition, Lisbon, Portugal, May 18-19, 2015