A study has shown that the effects of hydraulic fracturing are very different to the assumptions made by many current models. The research, led by oil and gas major ConocoPhillips, spent the tens of millions of dollars investigating horizontal wells in Texas' Eagle Ford, and found that existing techniques using microseismic techniques were not giving a reliable picture of the fracture density or permeability. “The number, location, dimensions, and characteristics of the created fractures, and altered natural fractures, is very complex", said Kent Perry, executive director of the Gas Technology Institute.
A study has shown that the effects of hydraulic fracturing are very different to the assumptions made by many current models. The research, led by oil and gas major ConocoPhillips, spent millions of dollars investigating horizontal wells in Texas' Eagle Ford, and found that existing techniques using microseismic techniques were not giving a reliable picture of the fracture density or permeability. “The number, location, dimensions, and characteristics of the created fractures, and altered natural fractures, is very complex", said Kent Perry, executive director of the Gas Technology Institute.