Source: Halliburton.
E-Frac—Electric-Powered Fleets
Herald a New Future, But It Won’t
Happen Overnight
Judy Feder, Technology Editor
T his year has been rife with
announcements of new electric-
powered fracturing fleet (e-fleet) opera-
tions in North American shale plays.
◗ 4 August—Halliburton announced
the successful deployment of
an advanced, e-fleet spread
on a pad of horizontal wells
for Chesapeake comprising
more than 140 stages in the
Marcellus shale. This followed
JPT • OCTOBER 2021
an announcement in January
that Halliburton had successfully
completed 340 stages for Cimarex
in the Permian across multiple
horizontal wells, using electric
grid power.
◗ 29 July—US Well Services (USWS)
announced it would deploy
an e-fleet to support Pioneer
Natural Resources’ Midland
Basin completion operations for
the fourth quarter of this year
using locally supplied natural
gas, including field gas sourced
directly from the wellhead.
◗ 27 July—Seneca Resources
and USWS announced their
collaboration on an upcoming
six-well field trial in the
Appalachian Basin for Seneca’s
first completions using all-electric
fracturing technology.
23
 ◗ March—NexTier Oilfield Solutions
and NOV announced completion
of the first phase of field testing
of NOV’s electric fracturing pump,
comprising 172 stages at pumping
rates of up to 22 bpm and an
average pumping time of more
than 18 hours per day.
Were these the latest barrage in a
swift takeover of the North American
hydraulic fracturing market by e-fleets?
No, but they are evidence of the growing
interest among operators, fracturing
companies, and service and tech-
nology companies in developing and
implementing solutions to sustain-
able shale development that satisfy the
“three e’s”—economics, environment,
and efficiency.
ESG-Driven Change
The rise of e-fleets is being driven by
the US shale sector’s growing concerns
over greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions,
noise levels, fuel and maintenance costs,
and carbon footprints, all of which
impact environmental, social, and cor-
porate governance (ESG) compliance
scores and thus, funding for the major
operators who now dominate North
American shale development. E-fleets
are increasingly seen as an environ-
mentally and socially responsible frac-
turing option that minimizes sound,
fire risk, fueling costs, and GHG emis-
sions, offers clean and simple rigup, and
significantly increases power density
An electric-powered hydraulic fracturing fleet in 2014 in West Virginia. Source: US Well Services.
24
vs. conventional diesel-powered fleets
while maintaining the redundancy that
efficient frac operations require.
Traditional hydraulic fracturing oper-
ations use pumps powered by Tier 2 or
lower-emitting Tier 4 diesel engines.
The diesel is trucked to the wellsite,
then distributed to each pump. While
fuel use depends on the specific pres-
sure and flow requirements of each job,
it has not been uncommon for high-
pressure, high-flow-rate jobs in Texas to
consume 4,000 gallons of fuel per stage,
requiring 12 or more truckloads per day.
Pump units purchased between 2007
and 2015 generally use higher-emitting
Tier 2 diesel engine technology. Cleaner
Tier 4 engines became available in 2011
but only became the norm after the
US  Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) regulations made lower-emission
Tier 4 standards mandatory for frac
pumps in 2018.
In July 2014, the first fully elec-
tric, fully mobile hydraulic fracturing
fleet completely fueled by natural gas
was deployed in West Virginia for the
Marcellus Shale. “Electric-powered
hydraulic fracturing is an important
step  towards conducting well stimula-
tion in a more environmentally respon-
sible manner,” wrote J.M. Oehring of
USWS in paper SPE 177308 in 2015.
Environmental benefits could be
achieved by removing all diesel engines
from a hydraulic fracturing site and
replacing them with mobile turbine
engine generator units. Then a fleet could
be run completely on electric power.
The concept of electric fracturing
is somewhat of a misnomer, because
although the equipment being used in
the hydraulic fracturing process is elec-
tric, the power is coming from natural
gas. So, there are no traditional engines
on site. Which means that the capacity
and ability to do the work is the same as
with a standard diesel-powered fleet, but
the footprint can be 40% less.
Proponents of the technology say
e-fleets reduce costs and fuel use and
lower GHG emissions without sac-
rificing safety or performance; mini-
mize trucking requirements; and make
it possible to generate electricity using
compressed natural gas (CNG), LNG, or
site-produced field gas that may other-
wise be flared. Replacing a rotating part
such as a diesel engine with an elec-
tric motor also simplifies drive trains,
reduces maintenance issues, and lowers
engine- and transmission-related costs.
Maintenance costs are further min-
imized by the 20-year lifespan of a
typical gas-powered turbine vs. 4 or
5 years for a diesel engine, even with
continuous maintenance and over-
hauling. And fewer maintenance staff
are needed on site.
Additionally, because power is distrib-
uted to individual pump units by electric
cables, electricity from the power gen-
eration equipment may be located up to
several miles away, potentially powering
JPT • OCTOBER 2021
multiple pads at the same time. And,
eliminating the diesel engine and trans-
mission leaves sufficient space to house
two pumps on a trailer, meaning fewer
trailers are required. Finally, reduced
fleet size means less equipment to
transport, resulting in up to 42% less
roadway traffic and further reduced
carbon emissions.
Who Owns the Space?
The question of who “owns” the e-fleet
space is not easy to answer. In May 2020,
it was reported that three companies—
Evolution Well Services (EWS), USWS,
and ProPetro—owned the entire space.
This was based on the estimated total
number of active e-fleet spreads and
the number each of these companies
operated. It was estimated that EWS
and USWS each had six active spreads
and ProPetro had one. Today, with the
US shale market in recovery and the
number of frac fleets—both total and
electric-powered—larger and more fluid
than in May 2020, the question of who
dominates the space is more difficult
to answer.
Halliburton entered the space in 2019
and now operates multiple frac spreads
across numerous basins, including
for ongoing work with Chesapeake,
Cimarex, and ConocoPhillips. NexTier
announced its first use of an all-
electric pump, and USWS announced
two new fleet deployments. In the case
of NexTier, it is not known whether
the field trial is for the pump only or
for a full spread, and it is unknown if
USWS’ two new projects are using newly
deployed fleets or fleets that had com-
pleted other projects.
Additionally, Liberty Oilfield Services’
end-of-2020 purchase of Schlumberger’s
North American onshore (OneStim)
fracturing business has made it one of
the largest American hydraulic frac-
turing businesses. Liberty will launch
its first commercial, complete e-fleet
in Q2 2022.
Another factor that makes it diffi-
cult to define the e-frac fleet market
is the definition of “fleet.” Michael
Segura, vice president of Halliburton
Production Enhancement, said, “In a
frac fleet, the dominant energy driver
JPT • OCTOBER 2021
and the dominant emissions perspective
is from the horsepower, the pumping
unit itself. Electric flips this paradigm
on its head. We used to think of a fleet
as 20 to 24 conventional pumps. Now
the definition of a fleet is no longer dic-
tated by the number of pumps on loca-
tion. With electric, we can deliver the
required power with a much smaller
footprint.” He explained, “You may only
need four to eight pumps, so the defi-
nitions begin to change. And a pump is
no longer just a pump. As we go elec-
tric, not only is the horsepower elec-
tric; we can also have electric blending,
electric wireline units, and electrically
powered supporting equipment. Once
you start to drive electric power for
your spread or your operation, you
can power the supporting equipment
on location.
“Horsepower dominates the head-
lines. But all of the frac spread can now
be under electric power,” he said.
The Powergen Menu
“Electric has been in the hands of early
adopters until the last 8 to 12 months,
but we’ve moved out of that stage,” said
Segura. The state of play now is dif-
ferent from what it was in January or
February of this year. Within the e-fleet
space, there is much discussion around
power generation and which method is
best. “The market is starting to see ‘dif-
ferent flavors of power,’ and depending
on the application, one may be better
than another,” he said.
Steve Goldstein, unconventional plat-
form leader for turbomachinery and pro-
cess solutions for Baker Hughes, made a
similar observation. “The electric frac-
turing evolution will not be a one-size-
fits-all situation,” he said. “For example,
consider a simulfrac on a 112°F-day in
the Permian; turbine is the only tech-
nology with the power density to achieve
that. On the other hand, for a spread in
the Marcellus on a spring day, there are
many options.”
Baker Hughes said its customers cur-
rently are using 10 of its turbines in
e-frac units to power their electric frac-
turing operations across multiple US
shale basins. Most are LM2500 trailer-
mounted gas turbines, each of which
delivers 34 MW of power from a single
turbine. The company is also promoting
its NOVA-LT16 gas turbines because of
the benefits of allowing for modularity
of one or more turbines.
Halliburton’s all-electric frac fleet is
centered around its 5,000-HHP Zeus
electric pump to deliver performance
fracturing for horizontal shale wells.
The fleet also includes electric-powered
wireline, electric power blending, and
electrically powered ancillary equip-
ment. This spread can be powered mul-
tiple ways, including off the grid, with
reciprocating engines, and with tur-
bines. The grid-powered electric frac-
turing offers additional operational reli-
ability and requires lower capital outlay
compared to turbines, according to
the company.
In January of this year, the successful
deployment of the industry’s first
electric-grid-powered fracturing opera-
tion for Cimarex Energy in the Permian
Basin cured the skepticism of many elec-
tric fracturing experts, who believed it
was technically impossible given the
level of difficulty of moving a massive
load around the grid from week to week
and the ability to handle the load to
prevent potentially destabilizing surges
at startup.
The field test combining Cimarex’s
electric grid and Halliburton’s on-site
electric supply and pump systems had
successfully delivered almost 340 stages
across multiple wells with 30 to 40%
more horsepower than a diesel pump
with comparable capacity and lower
emissions profiles than either turbines
or Tier 4 dual-fuel engines.
The two companies described the grid
solution as a perfect fit for Cimarex,
who is one of the few companies in the
shale business with its own power grid.
Cimarex drew on the expertise of one of
its electrical engineers to build a system
that can handle the load, as explained in
a February JPT article. Cimarex invested
in an electric infrastructure years ago
when it was ramping up development
of shale-oil acreage in Culberson and
Reeves counties. Other operators have
reportedly shown an interest in grid
power. However, using it would require
building a system that can deliver the
25
 required power or working with a utility
to do so.
Liberty Oilfield Services is planning to
power its digiFrac fleet, which will debut
in 2022, using Tier 4 dual-fuel dynamic
gas-blending (DGB) engines that use
both diesel and natural gas and there-
fore consume less diesel than traditional
diesel-powered fleets.
“Beginning in 2013, every fleet built
by Liberty was dual-fueled, using some
amount of natural gas in place of diesel
fuel,” said Ron Gusek, president of
Liberty. “When Tier 4 came into use in
2018, there was no such thing as a dual-
fueled engine for a while. Tier 4 DGB
became commercially available mid-
2020 and now it displaces up to 85% of
diesel with EPA-approved natural gas,”
he said. Several players now offer Tier 4
DGB technology.
“There are numerous benefits to DGB
engines,” said Gusek. “If you don’t have
access to natural gas, DGB will still run
on diesel fuel. Once we make a com-
mitment to all-electric power sup-
plied by natural gas, we need a steady
supply of natural gas. In many cases,
that isn’t an issue. But it’s not true every
place we work.
“There is also a capital cost differ-
ence,” he continued. “For us it can rep-
resent the difference between having
to build a new fleet from scratch and
being able to upgrade an existing fleet
and price it to the customer to earn a
return. As Tier 4 diesel engines reach
their EPA operational threshold of
8,000 operating hours, we can add DGB
kits to them. It presents an opportunity
to step up to a very good technology,
but with less capital cost involved,”
Gusek explained.
USWS claims the extended lifetime of
electric-powered equipment enables it to
offer its e-fleets at rates competitive with
diesel and dual-fuel fleets and that using
on-site field gas that would otherwise be
flared has the potential to reduce fuel
costs by more than 85% vs. Tier 4 diesel.
The investment to build a new e-fleet
with all its associated equipment is esti-
mated at around $40 to $45 million.
Reportedly, the cost to retrofit a pump
with Tier 4 DGB can be as low as $3 mil-
lion. Liberty said it will offer both Tier 4
26
dual-fuel and prototype electric pumps
in the field.
DGB providers say third-party studies
confirm that diesel substitution rates
(where 0%=100% diesel) fall off
considerably at low and high loads,
making it nearly impossible for Tier 4
DGB fleets to maintain peak substitu-
tion rates in a typical hydraulic frac-
turing operation. And, during idling
between stages, dual-fuel engines use
100% diesel. Additionally, if the field
gas being used has high moisture and
sulfur content, it can clog the engine
and cause reliability issues. So, in many
instances, a narrow range of acceptable
field-gas quality pushes dual-fuel fleets
to use CNG or LNG instead of field gas.
The consensus is that there is room for
both technologies.
Liberty will use gas reciprocating
engines to power its inaugural fleet. “Gas
reciprocating engines are meaningfully
more efficient than alternative off-grid
power sources in managing large tran-
sient loads and variations in ambient
temperature and pressure,” Gusek said.
“Hundreds of these engines exist in the
world today for stationary power gener-
ation for backup power. We’re learning
to make them mobile. Liberty’s next leap
will be to this technology,” he said.
New Technology at a New Pace
Electrically powered fracturing fleets
are real, and interest and numbers will
continue to grow, but not at the revo-
lutionary pace that often characterized
pre-pandemic new technology uptake.
“ESG drivers are predominant. And,
e-frac fleets are a high-performing solu-
tion that is economical. Operators don’t
have to take an E&P penalty to solve ESG
requirements,” Gusek said. “The lower
emissions profile of running electric
equipment, coupled with equipment
that is very high-performing, provides
a new tier of performance operation-
ally. And, depending on what is hap-
pening in the market, there are fuel
cost savings. It’s a great opportunity
space for improving economics, perfor-
mance, and advancing ESG and emis-
sions reduction,” he said.
“But there is a caveat,” Segura said.
“For all of the interest, we still exist
in a marketplace where, in aggregate,
there are more frac spreads than the
world needs. To build new equipment
into a market that is already supplied
requires good commercial arrange-
ments between suppliers and clients,”
he explained.
“North American unconventional
operations in general are healthier and
more stable than they have been for
several years. Operators are exercising
capital discipline. The commodity envi-
ronment is more favorable now with oil
and gas prices where they are,” Segura
continued, “but the whole industry is
well-attuned to not overrunning that.
We see a steady to slightly growing
market for new fracturing technology,
but it won’t necessarily be as acceler-
ated as it has been in the past. Instead,
the pace will be subject to market
demand and solid financial agreements
with clients.”
“We are not building equipment on
spec and hoping someone will use it.
When and where we are growing capacity
is through contract with a client. We
want to make sure we’re shoring up con-
tracts that make sense for both the oper-
ator and the service company. Seeing
real, live equipment in the field per-
forming day after day after day and
seeing the reality of that performance is
opening a lot of eyes. We think the tran-
sition will take 5-plus years,” he said.
And, what of diesel-powered frac
fleets?
Liberty’s Gusek believes that as
demand for Tier 2 diesel becomes
increasingly smaller, demand for
e-fleets will outstrip supply for a period
of time, helping to return the situation
to one where the available fleet is the
right size for the demand—which is
probably around 220 to 225 fleets.
“Tier 2 engines will probably provide
backup for Tier 4 DGB for a while, as
long as companies are willing to main-
tain them. But eventually, they will no
longer be used,” he said. JPT
For Further Reading
SPE 177308 Environmental Benefits of
Electric Powered Hydraulic Fracturing
by J.M. Oehring, US Well Services.
https://doi.org/10.2118/177308-MS
JPT • OCTOBER 2021