One big problem around hydraulic fracturing is that there are no textbooks on the subject other than some books put out by specific companies selling various things, said John Ely, president, Ely and Associates. The lack of understanding of the process means the industry is left with a great deal of confusion.

“How do you disseminate the technology when we are in disagreement about what the technology is or maybe about what causes problems?” he told participants at Hart Energy’s 2013 DUG Permian conference in Fort Worth, Texas, April 4. “We need to decide with extreme prejudice what is working. This can only be done by objective personnel that do not have conflicts relating to processes and chemicals.”

The industry has to be able to communicate about hydraulic fracturing, what is being done, and how it is being done so that the industry can export this “wonderful technology that is turning our country around in the production of oil and gas,” he continued.

“I will tell you without a doubt that this is a very strange time in our industry. I’ve never seen an industry more divided. It is more like politics. There is no gray. You believe one way or the other in the technology. We’ve got to figure out what the technology is,” he added.

“Why is there so much confusion?” he asked. “A lot of people have a picture in their minds, maybe from 30 years ago or just a few years ago, about what fractures look like and what the reality is. With microseismic technology, we thought we could get an answer, but we did not believe it because it told us our single-plane factures were not right.

“Another little fact that we forget is that sometimes production is due to the quality of the reservoir, not necessarily due to our process. We need to remember that,” Ely said.

“Most people have no real understanding about the number of frac jobs and frac stages,” he emphasized. “Last year, our little company did about 27,000 frac stages. The vast majority of fracs are simply water with very small, non-API proppant.”

However, in one part of the country, cross-linked gels are being used for fracturing with only very low concentrations of proppant. “Not even it the wildest of imaginations is it a good proppant,” he added.

Ely explained that his company has been involved in some recent studies about well completions. Outside the Bakken, about 90% of the completions are cemented, plug-and-perforate jobs, which he described as interesting.

Another big argument in the industry is a long, drawn-out discussion about the number of stages and how many clusters should be used. “In my opinion, we have no really good technology to tell you where to perforate. The separation of clusters many times is the length of the lubricator divided by the number of select fired guns,” he said.

Microseismic technology can be used to achieve perforating in the fracture system. However, in today’s market, that technology requires drilling with water-based mud, which is not the option for laterals, Ely continued.

There is also some new technology that is coming up that goes beyond the current microseismic technology. “You can actually see microseismic and the creation of fractures,” he added.

Another question that is a very hot item is: Why are you using high-strength proppant in low-permeability rock? The majority of sand being pumped in the deeper Eagle Ford is not API white sand.

“People are telling you that we need to go back to ultra-clean fluids because otherwise we are going to damage reservoirs. I contend it is hard to penetrate the matrix of nano-darcy rock and create damage. Much of the damage is from swelling clays in these reservoirs,” he explained.

As Ely said, there are an increasing number of fracture treatments today that use only water, small proppants, and drag-reducing chemicals. Thirty years ago, George Mitchell showed that slick-water fracturing was the way to go.

There are some new technologies and equipment being introduced into the industry. A new attempt is being made to bring turbine-type power to the fracturing process, which is potentially a good idea. Another new idea is using pure methane or a mixture of natural gas and diesel as fuel to reduce costs. Some logistical problems must be dealt with, but Ely is glad the industry is doing something different.

The industry has done a really great job with control systems. “We don’t need human beings standing on the trucks, and we have reduced the number of people on location. Thank god, because we are running out of people wanting to work 12 to 14 hours a day,” he continued.

Being able to end the confusion regarding hydraulic fracturing will benefit international operators. “I am working with operators in South America and Europe. They have asked what is the best thing to do. What they have been told is 30- to 40-year-old technology, and it doesn’t work.

Contact the author, Scott Weeden, at sweeden@hartenergy.com.