Praxair Brings Waterless Fracturing To The Bakken: Offering An Increase In Initial Oil Production Rates For Oil And Gas Producers

In a Praxair news release on September 18, 2014, Praxair, Inc. announced it is offering oil and gas producers a new DryFracTM waterless fracturing technology that can replace water use in fracturing wells through the use of liquid carbon dioxide (CO2). The company's patent-pending technology enables oil and gas producers to increase yield while reducing environmental impacts associated with hydraulic fracturing, such as water sourcing and water disposal.

Tony Wallace, vice president, Energy Services at Praxair, said in the release "Our DryFrac system is a game-changer for the industry."

Because DryFrac technology eliminates the need for water in the fracturing process, operators can complete their wells sustainably in drought-affected areas.

How the process works:

Praxair delivers liquid CO2 to vessels on the well pad. Praxair then pumps CO2 through the DryFrac equipment, which blends pure CO2 with sand at the prescribed concentrations. This mixture flows to the service company's high-pressure frac pumps, which delivers the mixture down the well and into the formation.

Benefits of using CO2 vs. water:

1)Solubility and Viscosity

2) Less Damaging (low pH)

3) Easier Cleanup

4) No Special Equipment Required.

When asked what the benefits of using CO2 vs. water are, Mark Weise, Business Development Director, Oil & Gas Services for Praxair replied "preliminary results have shown a significant increase in initial oil production rate.  The main environmental benefit is the replacement of water in the fracturing process with CO2, which poses no danger to ground water."

Although water is currently the most commonly used fluid for hydraulic fracturing, Greg Pannucio, Associate Director of Energy Applications R&D at Praxair, states "There are certain formations, for example clays, where water and chemicals can damage the formation and block the flow of the hydrocarbons from the pores into the well bore. For these formations, Praxair offers waterless fracturing with carbon dioxide. CO2 can also dissolve in to the oil, reducing the density, reducing the viscosity, reducing the interfacial tension, which better allows that oil to flow."

Weise expects the adoption of this new and unique technology to gain momentum in the Bakken and in other formations around the country as producers will use DryFrac to improve production and recovery rates particularly in formations that are "water sensitive and pressure depleted."