Analysis of US Fracturing-Fluids Trends

Offers Insight Into Changes Over Time

A n analysis of thousands of
fracturing treatments in major
plays in the United States provides
data sheet contains detailed information
about every additive injected downhole
during the hydraulic fracturing, includ-
to the third quarter of 2012. In the same
time period, hybrid fracs increased from
33 to 40% of all hydraulic-fracturing
insights into how fracture designs have ing trade name, purpose, supplier, ingre- treatments (Fig. 2).
changed over time. All available data dients, chemical abstract service num- Water consumption during hydrau-
from FracFocus.org were collected, and ber, maximum ingredient concentration lic-fracturing treatments has also ex-
each fracture treatment was classified in additive, and maximum ingredient hibited clear trends since early 2011.
into a set of standard hydraulic- concentration in hydraulic-fracturing The average volume of water consumed
fracturing-treatment types. This analysis fluid (Fig. 1). See Table 1 for the sys- as part of a hydraulic-fracturing treat-
of changes identifies changes over time tem developed to characterize hydraulic-­ ment decreased by 11% from the first
in fracture type on the basis of seven fracturing treatments. quarter of 2011 to the third quarter of
broad categories—conventional, water 2012, from 63,382 to 56,537 bbl. The
frac, hybrid, energized, acid frac, gas Analysis of Aggregate US decrease in average water consump-
frac, and matrix acidizing. Fracturing-Fluid-System Trends tion is primarily because of a shift away
Aggregate fracture trends in the US had from ­water-frac technology toward con-
shifted dramatically in the 18 months ventional- and ­hybrid-frac technology.
Introduction before this paper was written. Drilling During the same time period, average
FracFocus.org was launched in early 2011 and completion activity shifted quick- water volume consumed during hybrid-
to serve as the US national hydraulic-­ ly from a heavy focus on gas plays to oil frac treatments decreased by 22%, from
fracturing chemical registry. The registry and liquids-rich plays. In the first week 81,324 to 63,802  bbl. In contrast, av-
is managed by the Groundwater Protec- of 2011, 54% of all active land rigs oper- erage water volume consumed during
tion Council and the Interstate Oil and ating in the US were targeting gas, com- water fracs increased by 26% from the
Gas Compact Commission to provide the pared with only 24% in the last week of first quarter of 2011 to the third quarter
public with access to reported chemicals the third quarter of 2012, a decline of of 2012, from 68,710 to 86,858 bbl. Al-
used for hydraulic fracturing within their more than 50%. though the shift in average water con-
area. When this paper was written, near- At the US aggregate level, fracture- sumption is driven mostly by the shift
ly 26,000 wells had been reported on type trends very closely reflect the shift away from water fracs, there are also
the website. from gas- to oil-focused drilling and com- distinct shifts in consumption occurring
Although the FracFocus website was pletion activity. In the first quarter of within each fracture type.
developed with the intention of disclos- 2011, water fracs represented 46% of all These shifts in fracturing-fluid-­
ing to the public the chemicals inject- hydraulic-fracturing treatments under- system trends are likely the result of op-
ed downhole within a given area, the taken in the US. By the third quarter of erators gaining a better understanding
chemical-disclosure data sheets con- 2012, water fracs represented only 24% of the drivers behind production and
tain a wealth of technical data about of hydraulic-fracturing treatments, a de- of the cost to complete wells in the un-
­hydraulic-fracturing-fluid systems. crease of nearly 50%. This decrease was conventional plays being targeted. There
Every FracFocus chemical-­disclosure roughly proportional to the fall in the gas are major differences in the type and
data sheet contains basic information rig count over the same time period. In volume of chemicals used in different
about the well that was fractured, includ- contrast, conventional fracs increased ­fracturing-fluid technologies and the vol-
ing date, latitude/longitude, true vertical from 19 to 34% of all hydraulic-­fracturing ume of water required. These differenc-
depth, and water volume. In addition, the treatments from the first quarter of 2011 es, along with the use of a sleeve tech-
nology instead of a perforate-and-plug
approach, have a major effect on the use
This article, written by Special Publications Editor Adam Wilson, contains highlights
of additives across all plays.
of paper SPE 163875, “Analysis of US Hydraulic-Fracturing-Fluid-System Trends,” by
Christopher Robart, SPE, PacWest Consulting Partners, Michael Ruegamer, SPE, Analysis of Regional
Kingsfield Consulting, and Alex Yang, PacWest Consulting Partners, prepared for the Fracturing-Fluid-System Trends
2013 SPE Hydraulic Fracturing Technology Conference, The Woodlands, Texas, USA, Denver-Julesburg (DJ) Basin. There has
4–6 February. The paper has not been peer reviewed. been a dramatic shift in fracture design

For a limited time, the complete paper is free to SPE members at www.spe.org/jpt.

108 JPT • MARCH 2014

HF163875.indd 108 2/13/14 2:04 PM

 Hydraulic Fracturing Fluid Product Component Information Disclosure
Fracture Date 9/21/2011
State: Wyoming * Total Water Volume sources may include fresh water, produced water, or recycled water.
County: Sweetwater ** Information is based on the maximum potential for concentration and thus the total may be
API Number: 49-037-28573 more than 100%.
All component information listed was obtained from the supplier’s material safety data sheets
Operator Name: BP America
(MSDS). As such, the operator is not responsible for inaccurate or incomplete information. The
Well Name and Number: Frewen 31-120 Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) regulations govern the criteria for the
Longitude: –108.042901 disclosure of this information. Please note that federal law protects proprietary, trade secret, and
Latitude: 41.666038 confidential business information, and the criteria for how this information is reported on an
Long/Lat Projection: NAD27 MSDS is subject to 29 CFR 1910.1200(i) and Appendix D.
Production Type: Gas
True Vertical Depth (TVD): 9,936
Total Water Volume (gal)*: 235,923
Hydraulic Fracturing Fluid Composition:
Maximum Maximum
Ingredient Ingredient
Chemical Abstract Concentration Concentration
Service Number in Additive in HF Fluid
Trade Name Supplier Purpose Ingredients (CAS #) (% by mass)** (% by mass)** Comments
Water BP America Carrier / Base Fluid No MSDS ingredients 7732-18-5 100% 83.09506%
Sand (Proppant) Schlumberger Proppant Crystalline silica 14808-60-7 100% 16.12166%
B145 Schlumberger Friction Reducer Distillates (petroleum), hydrotreated light 64742-47-8 40% 0.00666%
Alcohol ethoxylate C-10/16 with 6.5 EO 68002-97-1 5% 0.00083%
W054 Schlumberger Non-Emulsifying Agent Methanol 67-56-1 70% 0.05065%
Oxyalkylated alkyl alcohol (1) Proprietary 10% 0.00724%
Oxyalkylated alcohol (2) Proprietary 10% 0.00724%
Quatemary ammonium compound Proprietary 5% 0.00362%
Heavy aromatic naphtha 64742-94-5 5% 0.00362%
Oxyalkylated alcohol (1) Proprietary 5% 0.00362%
B354 Schlumberger Temporary Clay Cholinium Chloride 67-48-1 70% 0.12840%
Stabilizer
J218 Schlumberger Breaker Diammonium Peroxidisulphate 7727-54-0 100% 0.00211%
EZEFLO F110 Schlumberger Surfactant Methanol 67-56-1 40% 0.02165%
Ethoxylated alcohols Proprietary 30% 0.01624%
Ethoxylated alcohols #2 Proprietary 30% 0.01624%
EB-CLEAN B368 / Schlumberger Breaker Diammonium peroxidisulphate 7727-54-0 100% 0.00622%
J475
L010 Schlumberger X-Linker Boric Acid / Sodium Hydroxide 10043-35-3 / 1310-73-2 100% 0.03547%
M007 Schlumberger Activator Sodium hydroxide 1310-73-2 60% 0.04842%
M298L Baker Biocide Tetrakis (hydroxymethyl) Phosphonium 55566-30-8 100% 0.00820%
Hughes Sulfate
J511 Schlumberger Stabilizer/Delay Agent Aliphatic Polyol Proprietary 100% 0.14328%
J580 Schlumberger Water Jelling Agent Carbohydrate Polymer Proprietary 100% 0.18072%

Fig. 1—Example of a FracFocus.org chemical-disclosure data sheet. HF=hydraulic fracturing.

TABLE 1—CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM FOR FRACTURING TREATMENT TYPES

Primary Fracturing Type Definition

Treatment type that uses a gelling agent and one or more crosslinkers to transport proppant into a
Conventional
hydraulic fracture
Treatment type that uses a friction reducer, a gelling agent, or a viscoelastic surfactant to transport
Water Frac
proppant into a hydraulic fracture
Treatment type that uses a combination of a friction reducer, a gelling agent, an acid-gelling agent or
Hybrid
one or more crosslinkers to transport proppant into a hydraulic fracture
Treatment type that incorporates an energizer, normally nitrogen or carbon dioxide, into the base fluid to
Energized
generate foam that transports proppant into a hydraulic fracture
Treatment type that uses a gelled-acid base fluid to etch away formation rock and transport proppant into
Acid Frac
a hydraulic fracture
Treatment type that uses a gas, normally propane, as a base fluid to transport proppant into a hydraulic
Gas Frac
fracture
Matrix Acidizing Treatment type that uses acid to etch away formation rock to increase the productivity of an oil or gas well

in the DJ basin. An analysis of all comple-
tion activity reveals that the percentage
of water fracs has dropped from 68%
in the first quarter of 2011 to 12% in the
third quarter of 2012, while the percent-
age of hybrid fracs has increased from
27 to 79% in the same time period. The
majority of fracturing treatments in the
DJ basin are small, (defined as less than
16,500 bbl of water for the purposes
of this paper), though the percentage
of small fracturing treatments has de-
creased from 95% in January 2012 to
70% in August 2012. Reproducing the
analysis across small fracturing jobs, the
percentage of water fracs has decreased
from 72% in the first quarter of 2011 to
17% in the third quarter of 2012, while

110 JPT • MARCH 2014

HF163875.indd 110 2/17/14 7:46 AM

 100%
2% 3%
90%
80%
39%
46%
70%
60%
50%
22%
40% 19%
30%
20%
35%
33%
10%
0%
11Q1 11Q2
Acid Frac Matrix Acidizing
Fig. 2—US aggregate fracture types (% of total wells) vs. oil rig count (% of total rigs). The analysis includes hydraulic-
fracturing-treatment data from 25,209 wells executed between 1 January 2011 and 30 September 2012. Because their
fracture type was classified as unknown, 1,671 wells were excluded from the analysis.
hybrid fracs have increased from 25 to
76% in the same time period.
There has been a dramatic decline in
the use of clay-control additives in the DJ
basin, declining from 88% of wells in the
first quarter of 2011 to less than 48% of
wells in the second quarter of 2012. The
use of surfactant has also declined, but
less severely, from 96 to 85% over the
same time period, with most of the de-
crease appearing during the first and sec-
ond quarter of 2012.
Bakken. The most significant trend in
fracture design in the Bakken has been
an increase in the proportion of hybrid
fracs, at the expense of conventional
fracs. The proportion of conventional
fracs decreased from 90% of wells in
the first quarter of 2011 to 55% of wells
in the third quarter of 2012 (among large
fracturing treatments, defined as great-
er than or equal to 16,500 bbl of water
for the purpose of this paper), with most
of the decrease taking place in the third
quarter of 2011 and the first quarter of
2012. A second trend worth noting is the
appearance of water fracs beginning in
March 2012, increasing to 9% of total
wells in the Bakken in the second quar-
ter of 2012.
Except for a few hybrid jobs in the
first quarter of 2011, hybrid and con-
ventional treatments in the Bakken have
112
HF163875.indd 112
2%
3% 3%
27%
33% 30%
29%
28%
27%
38% 41%
37%
11Q3 11Q4 12Q1
Energized Water Frac Convenonal
generally consumed similar volumes of
water, typically between 40,000 and
50,000 bbl. However, with the appear-
ance of water fracs in early 2012, average
fracturing-treatment size in the Bakken
has increased from 45,540 bbl in the first
quarter of 2011 to 57,817 bbl in the third
quarter of 2012.
The use of clay-control agents in the
Bakken increased from 25% in the first
quarter of 2011 to 37% in the second
quarter of 2012. Surfactant usage decreas-
ed from 71 to 45% in the same period.
Eagle Ford. Hybrid fracs are the pre-
dominant fracture technology in the
Eagle Ford, averaging roughly 65% for
the second half of 2011 and for the part
of 2012 for which data are available.
However, it is important to note that,
from January 2011 to June 2011, the pro-
portion of hybrid fracs pumped in the
Eagle Ford decreased from 83% of all
wells to 63% of all wells, a dramatic shift
in fracture design. The remaining frac-
ture activity is split between water fracs
and conventional fracs, with a nearly
equal proportion of each pumped in the
second and third quarters of 2012.
Eagle Ford hydraulic-fracturing
treatments are generally larger than
those undertaken in most other plays,
with the average treatment averaging
more than 100,000 bbl of water in the
2%
2%
26% 24%
32% 34%
40% 40%
12Q2 12Q3
Hybrid Oil Rigs (% of Total)
third quarter of 2012, compared with
slightly more than 50,000 bbl in the ag-
gregate US in the same time period.
Eagle Ford fracturing fluids have
also seen a decline in specialty chemi-
cals. The use of clay-control agents de-
creased from 62% of wells in the first
quarter of 2011 to 35% of wells in the
second quarter of 2012. Surfactant usage
has seen a similar, though less dramatic,
decline—from 60 to 42% of wells in the
same period. The use of both decreased
consistently until 2012, at which point
usage plateaued.
Conclusions
The analysis of thousands of fracturing
treatments in the major unconventional
plays in the United States provides mean-
ingful insights into how fracturing-fluid-
system trends have changed across time.
Aggregate fracturing trends in the Unit-
ed States have shifted dramatically in the
last 18 months.
Drilling and completion activity has
shifted quickly from a heavy focus on
gas plays to oil and liquids-rich plays.
This paper shows that this trend can
also be seen in the use of different frac-
turing-fluid technologies: The use of
­hybrid- and conventional-frac technol-
ogy has increased significantly over the
last 18 months at the expense of water-
frac technology. JPT
JPT • MARCH 2014
2/13/14 2:04 PM