Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Shaleeee on March 14, 2010 at 11:16

This is great - thank you

Shaleee

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Permalink Reply by sesport on March 14, 2010 at 12:27

Most welcome. Please keep in mind that the film is "industry friendly," as in they got all spiffied up, put on their Sunday best, combed their hair, for this production. As we know, this isn't necessarily reflective of operations 100% of the time. Seems to me that some of the practices mentioned, like the sound barriers, are a result of well thought out negotiations & strong lease clauses probably handled by seasoned professionals.

One byte that caught my ear was the tidbit on treating & recycling frac water. I'm wondering if it is cost efficient enough yet to become the rule rather than the exception.

I just thought this video to be a good introduction for those that need more in the way of visual aides to learn & understand what's going on.

80)

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Permalink Reply by Robert Griffin R on March 14, 2010 at 15:18

"Video on Modern Drilling: Hydraulic Fracturing"

Sound barriers? Chain link, black wrought iron and painted pipe fences? Some guys in hard hats standing in gravel parking lots talking and talking and the same lady watering her flowers and saying repeatedly that everything is nice, nice. I think the video may have had a large budget to create the ideal well site. Was there even a well there or just a staged outdoor movie set with contented cows, golf balls and golf courses, corn fields, clean recycled frac water pond, lots of equipment?

The video title is completely misleading. Any novices who view this video won't know any more about what horizontal well drilling and fracturing is, why it is necessary and how it is done than before they viewed it.

Purely an O&G industry sales and promotion tool.

Too harsh? Maybe so but to me it was just way too slick to be really representative of the process. No offense intended to anyone here but just my thoughts.

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Permalink Reply by sesport on March 14, 2010 at 15:50

lol, Mr. Griffin, isn't that what I stated ... that they got all spiffied up for this. As far as it possibly being a stage set, I suppose it could be. And so COULD "Haynesville, the Movie," for that matter.

As for it being "way too slick," I'd welcome any authentic/authenticated video that you could share here to help those of us with less experience in the field to understand.

thanks for the input 80)

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Permalink Reply by Shaleeee on March 14, 2010 at 16:15

Sesport - I let the nicey, nicey part of the video roll over my head - the video did show what I wanted to see and hear about the fracing process - what was even more interesting was how many horizontals they could drill from one pad - just one question - he said the horizonatals could fan out like a wagon wheel spokes and I was under the impression that they could only run north/south - if that is right how could they do that many hzs?

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Permalink Reply by sesport on March 14, 2010 at 17:50

Shaleeee - Yeah, I heard that too and wondered the same. Maybe one of the local experts can chime in? My thought is that maybe that type of lateral pattern is possible in another drilling operation other than the HS. Or, else the guy didn't know exactly what he was talking about, lol?

Another inaccuracy that I caught was regarding the frac water ... it was stated that it's nothing more than water and sand. Those of us who have been around this site for awhile know that chemicals are also involved, at a low percentage of the volume, to create the frac solution.

80)

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Permalink Reply by sesport on March 15, 2010 at 18:02

Thank you, Electro. I'm getting better at this, my first (semi-educated by GHS folks) guess was correct, then. Different formations allow for different techniques.

I also understood from reading that the recycling process was more costly and thus not widely used ... yet. Perhaps as that technology improves, costs will also come down and it can become more common practice. It sure would have eased some folks' minds last Thurs. at that State Committee meeting in Bossier if they could have been told that recycling would soon be here, too.

Another poster also passed along this video from API showing more detail of the actual frac process.

http://www.api.org/policy/exploration/hydraulicfracturing/hydraulic...

best & thanks again 80)

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Permalink Reply by Robert Griffin R on March 16, 2010 at 7:26

Several references:

Horizontal Drilling and Hydraulic Fracturing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0kmskvJFt0&feature=related

What is horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOZKTbjJb5w

DOE REPORT: Drilling Sideways -- A Review of Horizontal Well
Technology and Its Domestic Application

Attachments:

• Drilling Sideways.pdf, 137 KB

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Permalink Reply by sesport on March 16, 2010 at 18:54

Mr. Griffin - Thanks again, much appreciated. The pdf is a little dated, but it does provide the basics and some history. I imagine drilling techniques have advanced some since it was written.

There's also a lot of new technical terminology to look up! Technical reads can be a challenge but sometimes a necessity. The visuals help make it more palatable and help "fix" the information in the memory, IMO.

80)

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Permalink Reply by Love Horizontals on March 17, 2010 at 14:09

Did you notice how they lead people to believe what comes back up out of the well is mainly just sand with some salt in the water.? LOL. Almost every state except TX require the pits to be lined - TX does not have any regulations requiring the pit to be lined. And what oil companies in TX spend money distilling the salt water/drilling fluids and re-use the water. Have not seen that in the past 30 years I have been watching drilling in East Texas.

Then there is the issue of the injection wells......recall the fracture in the formation the oil co was injecting the "salt water" that allowed the frac chemicals to enter the well water in DeBerry, TX. The water wasnt just "salty", it was toxic.

Some of the video was drilling in CO. CO has much better regulation and oversight which requires this type of operation. Unfortunately TX is not as fortunate. Oil Co's in East TX have some pad sites 100' feet apart instead of utilizing existing pads. I am very pro drilling, but Oil Co's have badly abused the rural land in East Texas. What this video confirms is that the abuse in East TX was completely unnecessary.

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Permalink Reply by sesport on March 17, 2010 at 17:42

Love Horiz. - Thanks for adding your experiences. I did notice that about the flowback and wondered ( based on some info I've read) why it wasn't mentioned that there is also some level of radioactive matter in the flowback. I wasn't aware, though, that TX doesn't have regs for lining pits. I'm wondering whether this couldn't be something covered in lease clauses.

I also wonder if it's actually more economically feasible for operators to repeatedly purchase their water as opposed to recycling. Seems to me that once the recycling facilities are built & paid for, the savings over buying water would pay for the plant. Well, that's best left to the experts, I suppose.

Since you mention that you've observed drilling for 30 years, specifically in East TX, would you say that there have been improvements in the practices or have they pretty much remained static?

thanks again 80)

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Permalink Reply by Love Horizontals on March 17, 2010 at 18:05

Has remained static at a poor level. No change because no basis to change. Its ok with the RRC and the leases are too old to control anything. Damage to property runs rampant. I believe TX is the ONLY state not to require pits to be lined. Ironically other states consider the contents carcinogenic. So much for the TX RRC protecting property and the public who uses it.

Much of East Texas is held on old leases from the 1940's in the petit formation (fortunately none of mine!) Some petit wells are still producing. Then they drilled out CV at 20-40 ac spacing. Some of those older leases dont even require the oil co to pay damages. The ones that do, only requrire payment for "growing crops".

Some oil companies "break" the pits and just allow the fluids to flow across the land into streams. Others promote the pit sludge and water is harmless and pay some landowners a paultry sum to "spread it" on their land which then washes over to other properties, in streams and probably into the groundwater.

As for as the water.....the old leases give it to them for free. Also, in state case law, the oil companies are allowed to use it unless they have agreed to pay for it in the lease.

It is very disgusting to see how drilling is really done compared to what was on the video.......like comparing apples and oranges. What it shows is that the oil companies know "what to do" and "how to do it" and CAN "do it"......they just dont unless they have to because of City regs like in Fort Worth for the Barnett......or state regs in the case of CO in the video.

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