Fairmount Santrol detailed its latest Propel SSP proppant transport technology field trial results. The company said its technology is reducing cost per BOE by increasing the stimulated reservoir volume.
In an Escondido formation rich-gas play, an operator compared a 46 percent tail-in of Propel SSP technology coated on 30/50 Northern White sand with a slickwater design. The Propel SSP technology well boosted 60-day cumulative gas production by more than 55 percent while decreasing stage pumping time, water consumption, and fluid-additive volume.
In a Mississippian Lime liquids-rich play, a well with Propel SSP technology coated on 20/40 Northern White sand increased 18-month cumulative BOE 45 percent compared with the offset well’s conventional slickwater design.
In a Marcellus formation liquids-rich play, a 49 percent tail-in of Propel SSP technology coated on 30/50 Northern White sand increased 60-day cumulative IP 26 percent compared with the offset well’s hybrid completion.
In a Utica formation natural gas liquids play, a 71 percent tail-in of Propel SSP technology coated on 30/50 Northern White sand increased 60-day cumulative IP 12 percent compared with the offset’s hybrid completion.
“These field trials in various shale formations throughout the U.S. show, regardless of these reservoir conditions, how the Propel SSP shear-resistant polymer ensures greater drainage by traveling farther in a thin fluid for a substantially increased propped fracture area,” said Nick Johnson, vice president of marketing. “Our proppant transport technology solves the decades-old problem of uniformly distributing proppant throughout the full length of a created hydraulic fracture.”
Propel SSP technology resists settling in a low-viscosity fluid. A clean break of the Propel SSP polymer transport system prevents proppant pack and formation damage. The result is 100 percent regain conductivity compared with a guar-based fluid that reduces conductivity by as much as 70 percent because of relatively poor fracturing fluid cleanup.
Fluid sweeps are eliminated by maintaining viscous proppant transport in a thin fluid. Pumping time is reduced because of the higher capacity to carry proppant compared with slickwater. Less fluid additive is required because less fluid volume is needed. A better hydraulic fracturing treatment through enhanced efficiency is improving reservoir production.