Completions

From revolution
to evolution
Hydraulic fracturing innovations target
strategic fracture placement, re-fracturing
of existing wells for next bump in recovery

By KATIE MAZEROV, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

racturing - commonly referred to with the slang term

F "fracking" - has become a household word, propelled by

the unconventional boom that has swept across the North
American landscape over the past 15 years. Hydraulic fractur-
Hydraulic fracturing highlights
R&D dollars and recently developed
ing, however, has been part of the oilfield lexicon for decades.
Only when the process was combined with horizontal drilling to technologies are being directed to
tap vast and prolific shale plays did the term emerge as a politi- gain a better understanding of fracture
cal and environmental hot button. networks to allow for "intelligent fracs."
Fast-paced advances in fracturing technology have taken Hydraulic fracturing in unconventionals
unconventional oil and gas development to new heights, going has moved from the initial rig-centric
from the fracturing of a single well with a 1,000-ft lateral to
approach to a well-centric approach
multi-well pads and horizontal sections exceeding 10,000 ft,
and then to the current stage-centric
with upwards of 100 stages in some plays. What began in tight,
low-permeability gas reservoirs has moved to oil. Alongside approach . A transition to engineered,
techniques such as multistage fracturing, environmentally cluster-centric completions may be
friendly propp ant designs have emerged, as well as systems underway.
for managing water and other resources. Automated processes Companies are beginning to seriously
also have been developed for blending the right amount of prop- pursue the re-fracturing of existing
pant, adjusting pumping pressures and determining the correct
unconventional wells in order to correct
completion strategies for a given play.
past mistakes and make up for missed
"The shale revolution has become an evolution that signifies
the industry's expanding knowledge of where to drill and where opportunities.
to place wells," said George King, Distinguished Engineering
Advisor for Apache Corp. "Today, it is not so much the actual
fracturing technology that is improving. It is the placement of . natural fractures are located. It's all about reservoir engineer-
the fractures within wells and our understanding of where the ing and petrophysics."

108 DR.ILLING CONTRACTOR JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

 Many experts believe this shift in thinking holds the key
to taking unconventional production into the next decade,
developing new wells and reinvigorating old wells through re-
fracturing. It also represents the culmination of a process that
began decades ago.
"The technique of hydraulic fracturing has been around
for more than 60 years, used commonly in conventional tight
gas wells in Texas, Louisiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Colorado,
Wyoming and New Mexico, said Rachel Heinle Rabun, a
Petroleum Engineer with Heinle & Associates, a Denver con-
sulting firm that provides valuation and appraisal of oil and gas
properties. "In the early days, fracturing one vertical well was
equivalent to fracturing one stage of a horizontal well today.
Initial recovery rates of 2% have increased to 8-10% with hori-
zontal drilling, which although still low, represent a significant
increase."
The next bump in recovery will be understanding the fracture
networks, she said. "Modeling fractures in unconventional res-
ervoirs is extremely difficult because conventional models don't
work. Currently, there is a huge amount of research going into
understanding where the fracture is going, which is typically
in the path of least resistance." By better understanding the
fractures, operators can implement "intelligent fracs," using
new technologies to select the best production zones to target.
"We will see more distributed temperature sensing (DTS) ,
a technique currently being used by operators in Colorado's
Denver-Julesburg (DJ) Basin, which holds an estimated 74 mil-
lion bbl of oil equivalent (boe) original oil in place per sq mile,"
Ms Rabun said. In this case, fiber optics are used to sense tem-
peratures along the lateral, with readings interpreted through
thermal dynamics into something that is similar to a production
log that relates heating and cooling effects to fluid flow.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015
Geomechanical factors impact nearly every part of a
well or field life cycle. To increase productivity, comple-
tion designs have been evolving using new-generation
technologies that enable operators to gain evaluations
that account for specific formation properties. FracAdvi-
sor, an automated system that integrates and weighs 11
rock and reservoir attributes to evaluate the reservoir for
more effective hydraulic fracturing, is being introduced by
Weatherford early this year.
"Over a 4,000-ft lateral, an operator can see how much and
where fluid flow is occurring in order to better determine per-
foration spacing, frac design and fluid flow," she said. "This
approach also will be beneficial in re-fracturing unconventional
wells, which companies are starting to seriously pursue."
On the regulatory side, the industry is paying close attention
to Colorado, a politically balanced state where politicians, envi-
ronmentalists and oil and gas companies have worked together
to put in place some of the most stringent fracturing regulations
in the US, Ms Rabun continued. These stakeholders were suc-
cessful in keeping a number of anti-fracturing measures, includ-
ing strict setback rules for drilling, off the November 2014 ballot.
Increased education about hydraulic fracturing also is criti-
cal, she said, noting that a key factor in bringing hydraulic
fracturing to the forefront was the 2010 anti-fracturing movie
"Gaslands." "In at least 50% of the environmental science
classes I have visited in Colorado, teachers use the film as an
educational tool. We need to make sure educators are using
good, factual materials to teach students about the industry,"
said Ms Rabun, who regularly visits schools throughout the
Denver metro area.
DR.ILLIN G CONTRACTOR 109

AN ENGINEERED APPROACH
Hydraulic fracturing in the unconventionals began with a rig-
centric approach that focused on increasingly powerful, higher-
spec rigs for drilling efficiency. This was followed by a well-cen-
tric approach, using concepts like pad drilling to increase well
intensity, explained Dr Alejandro Peiia, BroadBand Integrated
Completions Services Manager for Schlumberger.
The third phase is stage-centric. It intensifies the number of
stages, incorporating methods such as zipper fracturing, where
half the wells on a pad are perforated while the other half are
fractured. Intervals are spaced evenly along the lateral, increas-
ing the stages to maximize drainage. "This is where much of the
industry is today. However, we are starting to see a transition
to more engineered, cluster-centric completions, using reservoir
data to strategically place fractures," Dr Pefia said. "Operators
are realizing that successful well development is not only about
the number of stages but also ensuring that every cluster we
stimulate actually contributes to production.
"When we look at average daily production logs in the vari-
ous basins across North America, the same picture is emerging
from all of them," he continued. "Despite the fact that we are
drilling longer laterals, increasing the stage counts, expending
more horsepower and using more propp ant material with this
repetitive, geometric approach, overall average daily produc-
tion per well is growing scarcely or not growing at all. Several
factors influence this outcome. Most notably, about 40% of clus-
ters are not being stimulated on average. Also, conventional
methods have a limited capacity to transport propp ant to keep
the fractures open so they can contribute to production."
110 DR.ILL I NG CONTRACTOR
Images courtesy of Schlumberger
Left: The Schlumberger BroadBand Sequence fracturing
service enables sequential stimulation of perforation clus-
ters, maximizing wellbore coverage and reservoir contact.
Above: Conventional fracturing fluids (left) can leave
significant fractured areas without proppant. These areas
eventually close and do not contribute to production. The
Schlumberger BroadBand Precision services' engineered
composite fluids (right) prop open each fracture in its entire
height and length.
The challenge is to strategically place the clusters and
redirect propp ant away from the path of least resistance into
a greater number of fractures, while also transporting prop-
pant farther and higher into the fractures to keep them open.
"The industry has a significant opportunity to embrace a new
generation of technology that enhances wellbore coverage and
reservoir contact to increase oil and gas production and recov-
ery," Dr Pefia said. '
The Schlumberger BroadBand technology platform includes
two services, BroadBand Sequence and BroadBand Precision,
both encompassing components for wellbore coverage, reser-
voir contact and modeling and measurements to understand the
rock for fracture placement.
BroadBand Sequence, launched in February 2014, uses a
composite pill that combines degradable particles and fibers
at the face of the fracture. A bridge provides temporary isola-
tion to redirect additional fluid and propp ant to other clusters,
initiating fractures that otherwise would have been missed. The
technique is applicable for both cemented and open-hole plug-
and-perf completions.
The method has been implemented in more than 2,500 opera-
tions in more than 200 wells in six countries. In the Eagle Ford
Shale, three wells of an eight-well, three-pad project were
completed with the service within the existing completion and
design strategy to enhance the potential for all perforated
clusters to be stimulated. After six months, average produc-
tion per well increased by 22%, according to Schlumberger.
In northern Mexico, this sequenced fracturing technology
was applied to successfully re-fracture three stages of a wen
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015
 Completions
Above: The Multistage Unlimited Frac-Isolation assembly,
developed by NCS Multistage, enters a casing sleeve during
a hydraulic fracturing operation. The sleeves are activated
by coiled tubing and run as part of the production casing
or liner in cemented or uncemented wellbores. Right: The
Multistage Unlimited Frac-Isolation System is pulled back
to surface after a well completion. The system enables
each stage or interval of a horizontal well to be fractured
independently and replaces open-hole packer systems and
the conventional plug-and-perf method commonly used in
cased holes.
and complete three multistage exploratory wells. The method
reduced stimulation time by 65% compared with previously
completed exploratory wells and reduced the number of bridge
plugs and decreased wireline interventions by 45%, according
to Schlumberger.
In two re-fracturing studies in the Haynesville Shale,
BroadBand Sequence operations increased gas production
rates by 10- to 30-fold, Dr Pena said. "By incorporating this
method to redistribute propp ant along the wellbore, operators
are seeing average production increase by more than 20%,
using the same volumes of propp ant and water without increas-
ing completion time, often reducing costs."
BroadBand Precision incorporates an engineered fluid to
provide control of propp ant and fluid placement by stimulat-
ing one entry point at a time using cemented coiled tubing
(CT) fracturing sleeves that can be shifted open or closed at
will, he explained. "Each fracture is opened, then isolated with
a retrievable packer from toe to heel to ensure all volume is
placed properly." The service, set to formally launch in February
2015, can be deployed on coiled tubing or by a workover rig. The
technique has already been deployed in the Fayetteville and
Eagle Ford plays and in the Permian Basin.
MULTISTAGE FRACTURING
One of the most significant step-changes in the evolution of
hydraulic fracturing has been multistage fracturing. It enables
operators to fracture and stimulate a high number of stages, or
intervals, in a continuous operation, creating more opportuni-
ties to access the lateral.
The Multistage Unlimited Frac-Isolation system, developed
by NCS Multistage, enables each stage or interval of a hori-
~ DR.ILLING CONTRACTOR
zontal well to be fractured independently, effectively replacing
conventional open-hole packer systems and the plug-and-per-
foration method used commonly in cased holes. Last year, NCS
set completion records of 94 and 104 stages in the Bakken, said
Tim Willems, President, US and International Operations for
NCS Multistage.
Sleeves are activated by CT and run as part of the production
casingfliner in cemented or uncemented wellbores. Fractures
typically are placed every 95 or 135 ft but have been placed as
close as 62 ft in horizontai wellbores. "By treating each stage
independently, we know where the fractures are initiated and
how much sand is placed in each fracture," Mr Willems said.
"By exposing more reservoir to stimulation, we can drain the
wellbore more effectively. At the same time, we can move on
from nonproductive intervals.
"When multiple intervals are fractured simultaneously, we
can't determine how much sand and water are going into indi-
vidual clusters," he continued. "In plug-and-perf operations, it
is common to have three or more clusters fractured at one time.
One interval may take 50-100% of the fluid, while others may
take little or none, leaving the operator with an inconsistent
fracture network that will leave production behind." _
Having CT in the well during fracturing is advantageous
because pressure and temperature gauges can be positioned
above and below each isolated frac stage to gain a good data-
base understanding of the fracture operation. "We can read
real-time bottomhole pressures at the surface during the frac,"
Mr Willems said. "The information is used to preempt screen-
outs and aid in optimizing future fracture effectiveness."
The advantage of having CT in the hole also enables opera-
tors to efficiently circulate out screen-outs and move to the
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

I"i'
next stage. "With standard open-hole ball-drop completions, the
operator may have to rig up a CT unit and drill out ball seats to
remove the sand in the wellbore," he said. The ability to circu-
late also reduces fluid requirements and eliminates bull-heading
of acid or displacing of plugs or balls. "This helps the operator
avoid displacing the frac and reduces the fluid required, which
has environmental benefits," he added. Because the sleeves are
activated by CT, rather than balls, operators gain full borehole
internal diameter, leaving nothing to drill out when the opera-
tion is complete.
UNDERSTANDING THE RESERVOIR
While hydraulic fracture technology has come a long way in
enabling the industry to push forward in the unconventional
sector, there remains a lot of room for improvement when it
comes to recovery rates and improving field economics, espe-
cially in light of falling oil prices . .
Today, it is not so much the
"
actual fracturing technology
that is improving. It is the placement
of the fractures within wells and our
understanding of where the natural
fractures are located. It's all about
reservoir engineering and petrophysics."
~ ________________________ ~GeorgeEJng
________________________________ ~pache
114 DR.ILLING CONTRACTOR
Halliburton's Froclnsight service
makes use of all existing data
to understand the reservoir.
This graph from the Eagle Ford
shows how the system processes
measurements enabled by pulsed
neutron technology through
casing. The measurements are
calibrated back to open-hole
logs, which are then used to
distinguish lithology, porosity and
stress in the Froclnsight processing.
"It is well-known that when it comes to completion efficiency
associated with horizontals, a good portion of the production
is coming from only 30% of actual treated intervals, based on
the post-operation diagnostics we do," said David Adams,
Vice President, Operations Technology, North America for
Halliburton.
Underlying that performance is the fact that most laterals
are still cempleted with evenly spaced intervals that are staged
and fracture-stimulated, he said. "In essence, the industry is
doing completions blindly." To counter that, operators often run
LWD/MWD tools or some type of open-hole logging device to
understand and characterize the reservoir to know more accu-
rately where to place the fractures. That can be an expensive
proposition.
"When we were drilling vertical wells, we ran standard triple-
combo logs that provided all the information we needed to locate
the best-quality rock, where to place the perforations and where
to complete the well," Mr Adams noted. "The cost to acquire
that same information in a long horizontal is almost prohibitive
with the margins we're seeing in the unconventionals."
To address that limitation, Halliburton last year introduced
the FracInsight service. It takes all existing data to gain the
reservoir characterization information that is available for ver-
tical wells so as to understand the reservoir quality throughout
the entire lateral, he explained. An offset pilot well is drilled to
obtain the reservoir characteristics. That information is com-
bined with the directional drilling information and gamma ray,
which is done in every horizontal well.
"We've created a rigless operation that allows us to better
characterize the reservoir so we can optimize where we place
the fracture treatments throughout the entire lateral," Mr
Adams said. "By placing the treatments precisely where they
need to go and right-sizing them according to the quality of the
rock, we can increase actual production. Although the same
volume of water and proppant is being pumped, operators are
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

Decline Curve Analysis
~
i Case
,;
.
a:
~
"0"- 10'
10 ..H------~I+_------------------- 1
4 ' 10' .b:============:===~~=:===::==:====:=::==,==:===c~=:==,==.:;==~=:===::==:'!
~o M U ~ V M ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Normalized Time (month)
seeing incremental production because they are doing a better
job of effectively stimulating the lateral."
At the same time, the data is helping operators to reduce
costs because it tells them where not to fracture. "We've recog-
nized there is often a good portion of the lateral that should not
be fracture-stimulated at all," h!J continued. "By avoiding bad
areas of the lateral and, thus, reducing the number of stages,
we're seeing completion costs reduced by as much as 40%."
Eliminating nonproductive sections is also helping operators
to reduce water and proppant use. "If we drain a larger area of
the reservoir, we can reduce the number of wells and our overall
footprint.
"Using the information to effectively geosteer the sweet
spot, we've increased productivity from 30% of the lateral to
nearly 100% of the lateral, boosting actual recovery rates by as
much as 15-25%," Mr Adams said. "In addition, the information
obtained on one well can be used on subsequent wells to further
optimize recovery. We're getting smarter and smarter on each
well."
Designed to work with Halliburton's CYPHER Seismic-to-
Stimulation service collaborative workflow that integrates geo-
science and reservoir, drilling and completion engineering, the
FracInsight service also can function as a standalone service.
"Not only does the technology look at reservoir quality; it looks
at the geomechanical properties of the rock and how the rock
116 I DR.ILLING CONTRACTOR
Left, top: The Baker Hughes well rejuve-
nation workflow ensures that every well's
background and production history is
fully understood and contextualized
before any recommendations are
provided. Reservoir and production
data, determination of the time .when
Case
rejuvenation is required throughout
the life of the well, and evaluation of
Low Case
the economic benefits are the primary
factors in the well candidate selection
process. Left, bottom: Baker Hughes'
REAL Divert Complete, a component of
the REAL Connect system introduced in
2014, uses ultra-lightweight proppant to
maintain conductivity and optimal pro-
duction rates. Diverter systems redirect
fracturing fluid to the perforation clusters
and reservoir sections where it is needed
~ " N ~ ~ ~
for maximum stimulation.
stresses are impacted when the rock is fracture-stimulated,"
he added. The service is initially targeting the US unconven-
tional market but is applicable in any unconventional horizontal
completion .
APPLYING SCIENCE
Early this year, Weatherford will introduce FracAdvisor, a
system that integrates and weighs 11 rock and reservoir attri-
butes to evaluate the reservoir and plan for or mitigate issues
at various phases of the well life cycle, explained Nicole Braley,
Global Strategic Marketing Manager, Weatherford. ''As opera-
tors continue to be challenged with technical complexities, they
are seeing the benefit of using applied science to evaluate the
subsurface rather than the traditional approach where wells
are completed geometrically. The crux rests on geomechanics,
which combines mathematical components and geophysics to
quantify the way rock fractures will respond to various factors,
such as changes in pressure, stresses and redistribution of flu-
ids within the rock."
The system will look at reservoir and completion quality to
understand how a particular well will behave when hydrauli-
cally fractured and how the rock will contribute to hydrocarbon
production. "By understanding the subsurface, operators can
more strategically position stages, determine what kind or how
much proppant to use, or where to place packers," Ms Braley
explained.
The automated technique was designed to address two of
the biggest challenges operators face in the unconventionals:
nonproductive time (NPT) and high initial production (IP) rates
that decline quickly; she noted. "We believe applied science can
mitigate these issues and reduce well production variance, even
in adjacent fields." The system initially will be introduced in the
US, Canada, Colombia and Argentina.
The 11 attributes are divided between a reservoir index,
including volumetrics, porosity; permeability; total organic con-
tent, kerogen and water saturation; and a completion index -
brittleness; closure stress; anisotropy; unconfined compressive
strength of the rock and density of natural fractures and faults,
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015
 II
Hydraulic fractuting by the numbers
2% from the early days of unconventional
Initial recovery rates of around
development have increased to 8-1 0% with horizontal drilling.

Schlumberger estimates that on average, 40% of perforation clusters

are not being stimulated.

Schlumberger's BroadBand Sequence technology has been implemented

in more than 2,500 operations in more than 200 6
wells in
countr.ies. In an Eagle Ford application, average production on the 3
wells increased by 22%.
In 2014, using its Multistage Unlimited Frac-Isolation system, NCS
Multistage set completion records of 94 and 104 stages in the
Bakken. Using this system, fractures are typically placed every 95 or
135 ft but can be placed as close as 62 ft in horizontal wellbores.
Using data gathered by Halliburton's Fraclnsight service to geosteer the
well to the sweet spot can increase productivity from 30% of the
lateral to almost 100% of the lateral. Actual recovery rates have
been boosted by as much as 15 -25%.
Halliburton reports that up to a 40% reduction in completion costs can
be achieved by avoiding bad areas of the lateral and thus reducing the
number of stages.

Weatherford estimates that 1,500 wells were re-fractured in the

United States in 2013.
In2014, to increase transparency and public trust, Baker Hughes began
disclosing 100% of the hydraulic fracturing chemical ingredients it
pumps.
."

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 D RI L LIN G CONTRACTOR 117


. the rates they had seen initially."
Scan to watch a video inteNiew
~.
with Baker Hughes' Hans-
Christian Freitag to find out how
re-fracturing and rejuvenation
can provide relief in the current
economic climate. R the early wells captured a lot of fluid via the regional fracture
explained Islam Mitwally, US Region Business Development
Manager, Petroleum Consulting, for Weatherford. "As the indus-
try has moved from vertical to horizontal wells, we've learned
that rock and reservoir properties change as we move farther
away from the pilot hole," he explained.
The system weights the attributes of each unique play. "For
example, if brittleness is the biggest contributor in a specific
play, we give it a higher weight," he said. "If the rock is easy to
break but holds no hydrocarbons, it won't be economic to frac-
ture. If the rock is hard to break and requires a lot of force but
has a lot of oil, the value proposition may be there."
The attributes are plugged into the system to give the custom-
er the optimum strategy for fracturing the well. The objective is
to combine like rock with lilce rock in the same stage for maxi-
mum impact. "We look at the geology and make some stages
shorter, others longer, to take into account similar rock and
reservoir properties," Mr MitWally continued. "We want to avoid
a scenario where different closure stresses, which require two
different propp ants, are in the same stage. Without understand-
ing where natural fractures are located and which part of the
reservoir isn't naturally fractured, we can't design the stages."
The technique also can be used to identify candidates for re-
fracturing, which is gaining traction in the US unconventional
market. "Now that the unconventional plays have been estab-
lished, operators are talting a second look at exi~ting wells,
looking to maintain value in light of rapidly declining IP rates,"
Ms Braley said. She estimates that approximately 1,500 wells
were re-fractured in the US in 2013. "Rather than blindly re-
fracturing, operators need to identify the best well candidates
for re-fracturing. Not all wells should be re-fractured."
CORRECTING PAST MISTAKES
Re-fracturing is not a young technology. It dates back to the
1950s when vertical wells in tight sands and chalk formations
were being re-fractured with success, said Apache's George
King. The practice died out in the 1960s as technological
improvements reduced the need for such operations. However,
118 DR.ILLING CONTRACTOR
the industry's push into shales in the late 1990s launched a
whole new learning curve for innovation.
Although only 1-2% of unconventional wells today are being
re-fractured, Mr King believes the re-fracturing market has a
future as the industry gains greater understanding the sub-
surface. ''As we get more data around the natural fracture
networks, we will see companies going back into early wells to
re-fracture, which is an opportunity to correct past mistakes,"
he said. "The first shale wells in the Barnett were fractured
with the wrong fluids and the wrong rates. With improvements
in technology, operators have gone back and re-fractured some
of those older wells with a success rate of 85%. In some cases,
sharp increases in initial recovery rates were even better than
Like initial hydraulic fracturing endeavors, re-fracturing
hinges on understanding the rock and the reservoir. In addi-
tion to the presence of o,il and gas,fractures need to intersect
with an existing fracture network. "We've learned that many of
systems that go through shales, so we lilcely won't see much
improvement in those wells," he said.
It is also important to look at how the wells around a poten-
tial candidate well are performing. If the surrounding wells
are not performing, the well in question may not be a good
candidate. Conversely, "if we have some high-performing wells
around a poor one, those good wells may have siphoned off a lot
of oil and gas through the regional fracture system," Mr King
said. "That is why you must have good reservoir engineering
and petrophysics before you set up a re-fracturing campaign."
Some experts predict re-fracturing will ramp up quickly as
operators increasingly focus on how to get more hydrocarbons
out of the ground. "Boosting a reservoir's production without
the cost of drilling a new well and then fracturing it will be the
next wave in the unconventionals, especially if oil prices remain
low," said Hans-Christian Freitag, Vice President, Integrated
Technology for Baker Hughes.
"More science is being applied, along with better understand-
ing of the subsurface and the use of better diagnostic tools to
determine where to place fractures, " he said. Improved reser-
voir understanding has already been shown to be effective in
some re-stimulation campaigns. "Being able to rejuvenate wells
to achieve production rates that are higher than when wells
were initially completed is something we've never experienced
in conventional sandstone or carbonate reservoirs. This opens
the door to significantly increasing recovery from unconven-
tional reservoirs without drilling a large number of additional
wells."
Mr Freitag acknowledged that wells must undergo a "robust
screening process" to determine which ones to target for re-
fracturing from both a commercial and a technological point
of view. "There are three characteristics that drive production
- the rock itself must contain hydrocarbons; the well must have
maximum reservoir contact, and the reservoir rock must be
connected to the wellbore, which is achieved through fracturing
or re-fracturing."
REJUVENATION AND SUSTAINABILITY
Re-fracturing also must be considered as just one method of
rejuvenating production in a well. "In some cases, a well may
have sanded up or experienced scale buildup, and if cleaned
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015
 out using CT or other intervention methods, can be effectively
brought back to higher production levels through the installa-
tion of artificial lift," he said, noting that well intervention in
unconventionals has ramped up over the past year as operators
push to make older wells more productive,
Well rejuvenation, which reduces the need to drill new wells
and to expand roads and infrastructure in communities, is also
a key aspect of sustainability, Mr Freitag said, This extends to
the industry' social license to operate, an issue companies are
addressing with greater automation, water management initia-
tives, chemical disclosure, fuel savings and more efficient use
of fracturing fluids,
Baker Hughes uses an advanced treatment monitoring and
analysis system to maintain real-time control of the hydraulic
fracturing treatment, Pumping and blending equipment man-
agement and control software facilitates an automated opera-
tions process, minimizing the number of personnel on location
while improving safety and reliability of oilfield operations,
In late 2014, the company introduced the REAL Connect
portfolio of diversion technologies in various unconventional
plays in North America, The service leverages diverter systems
to redirect the fracturing fluid to the perforation clusters and
reservoir sections where it is needed for maximum stimulation
performance, The solid particulate diverters have been applied
successfully in new wells and in the re-stimulation of mature
wells, delivering improved production rates,
In a series of proactive steps to support the industry's social
Operators are realizing that
" successful well development
is not only about the number of stages
but also ensuring that every cluster we
stimulate actually contributes
to production."
_ - - - - - - - - - - -Dr Alejandro Petta
.......- _ _ _ _ _.:...-_ _ _ _ _ _S
, chlumberge
license to operate, Baker Hughes is using natural gas for frac
vehicles in the field and working with customers to conserve
freshwater by using brines and other non-potable water for frac
fluid design, Last year, the company began disclosing 100% of
the hydraulic fracturing chemical ingredients it pumps, a mov~
aimed at increasing transparency and public trust. The move '. ' .~ ::
~~'
has been well received by operators, regulators and the general
public, Mr Freitag noted, ~
B1'OadBand Sequence and B1'OadBand Precision m'e mm'ks of
Schlumbergel: Ji'mcAdvisol' is a tmdemm'ked term of Weathel'fol'd,
Ji'mc/nsight and CYPHER al'e sel'vice marks of Halli bul'ton, REAL
Connect and REAL Divert are tmdemm'ks of Baker Hughes,

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3" API linepipe box 5,000 PSI
Oil Bath Lubrication
Quick Disconnect Hydraulics
Maximum Speed: 160 RPM
Maximum Torque: 10,790 ftllbs
5,000 PSI Continuous Pressure
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KING
OIL TOOLS

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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 DRILLING CONTRACTOR 119