Formulated products used in hydraulic fracturing are designed to address specific subsurface challenges during oil and gas well completion and are intended for the treatment of a myriad of issues in a wellbore; however, there are public concerns regarding the use of certain chemical ingredients in hydraulic fracturing. Public perception of hydraulic fracturing and concerns regarding water and chemical usage provide the industry with a unique opportunity to review current chemistries and water management practices with the aim being to identify more environmentally acceptable alternatives or replacements. Herein, we describe what the industry considers to be the greatest challenges, what is currently being done, and potential opportunities to provide alternatives that lead to a more sustainable industry.
A general equation for determining squeeze life has been developed which can be derived theoretically and correlates extremely well with experimental and field data. This equation can be applied to scale inhibitor residual data to more accurately predict the average scale inhibitor concentration in the residual water with respect to the time after the squeeze. The mathematical model and methods presented in the paper apply to both field and lab studies of squeeze life determination, independently of the type of scale inhibitor or monitoring methods used if they are reasonably accurate at normal limits (i.e., 10+ ppm scale inhibitor). This general equation and the ensuing theoretical and statistical data should help field engineers in planning and predicting scale inhibitor squeeze jobs and squeeze life in the oil field.
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