Operators now had the knowledge to produce oil and gas reserves they knew were there, but previously couldn’t extract at economically attractive flow rates. ![]() News of Mitchell's success in the Barnett spread rapidly given that the industry already knew of many similar shale formations. The mix of water and chemicals used today is commonly called "Slickwater". Mitchell was able to use water as the primary ingredient and lowered completion costs by more than 75%. Before that time, frack jobs were performed with more expensive fluids at lower volumes. The fracturing technique predominantly being used today was developed in the 1990's, made famous by Mitchell Energy, who first proved the process would work in the Barnett Shale formation in North Texas. Over the past 60 years, more than 1,000,000 specialized fracture treatments have been performed on oil and gas wells across America. If you like muscle cars, you will LOVE a hydraulic fracturing job. To experience the orchestration of 50,000 hydraulic horsepower working in concert to pump sand laden gelled fluid at 80 barrels per minute (BPM) at 10,000 psi of force is truly a sight to behold. The process includes the acquisition of source water, well construction, well stimulation, and waste disposal.” From the perspective of a land owner, mineral rights owner, or both, what you actually observe is an array of specialized trucks, water storage, and a massive collection of hydraulic horsepower mounted on a small army of 18 wheelers. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – not that they are an authority on the subject - defines hydraulic fracturing as “A well stimulation process used to maximize the extraction of underground resources - oil, natural gas and geothermal energy. Typical large scale frac jobs in shale formations cost between 3 and 5 million dollars, and are usually performed just after the initial drilling of a well. ![]() ![]() Combine this with 50 to 150 workers, several million dollars worth of specialized pumping equipment, 5 to 30 days of time, and you’ve got the makings of what’s known in the industry as a “frac job”. In general, this oil and gas well completion process requires 5-10 acres of space at the well location, multiple water tanks and/or storage ponds, millions of gallons of water, millions of pounds of sand and perhaps most controversially, additives (chemicals) that make the entire process more efficient and effective. We’ll focus on fracturing in shale formations, where the process is used most prevalently. Fracking has become the preferred method to unlock valuable hydrocarbons from tight underground rock formations. This article will inform and provide context surrounding this process, heretofore, almost unknown outside the oil industry. If you haven’t heard of hydraulic fracturing (or “fracking, fracing, hydro-fracking - we'll use them all here”), you’re likely far removed from the topic of energy production. This article takes a look at hydraulic fracturing, primarily through the eyes of a mineral or landowner. Citizens, states, and entire countries are getting worked up and taking sides. ![]() Had you told me in 2010 that an obscure industrial process would become cocktail chatter, I’d have thought you a little off center. Fracking, aka hydraulic fracturing as it is referred to by the oil industry, has become fashionable so it seems.
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