Massive hydraulic fracturing experiment

Journal Article · Tue Apr 01 04:00:00 EDT 1975 · U.S. Energy Res. and Develop Adm.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6684299

Low permeability and reservoir rock heterogeneity in the Green River Basin in Wyoming, the Piceance Basin in Colorado, and the Uinta Basin in Utah indicate that tremendous fractures need to be created over vertical pay zones that are from 2,000 to 4,000 ft thick, to provide adequate productivity. Nuclear explosive fracturing and massive hydraulic fracturing are technologies having the potential capable of creating such fracture systems. Massive hydraulic fracturing could increase production by creating a surface area of millions of square feet, in pressure communication with each well bore.Gas from high-pressure rock pores would slowly migrate to this enormous low-pressure surface and into the well bore. This recovery is estimated to require one well per 80 acres. At the MHF experiment, a single well was drilled conventionally into the same formations as tapped by Project Rio Blanco. The purpose was (1) to assess deliverability and costs for MHF in the northern portion of the Piceance Basin, and (2) to compare deliverability and costs with equivalent data from the nearby Rio Blanco nuclear stimulation experiment. The first-stage fracturing treatment was performed Oct. 23, 1974. The companies that cooperated with ERDA are listed.

• OSTI ID: 6684299
• Journal Information: U.S. Energy Res. and Develop Adm.; (United States), Journal Name: U.S. Energy Res. and Develop Adm.; (United States) Vol. 2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

03 NATURAL GAS
030900* -- Natural Gas-- Artificial Stimulation
Plowshare-- (-1989)
45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE
450201 -- Military Technology
Weaponry
& National Defense-- Nuclear Explosions & Explosives-- Containment
COMMINUTION
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
ECONOMICS
EXPLOSIONS
EXPLOSIVE FRACTURING
FRACTURING
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GREEN RIVER FORMATION
HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
MINERAL RESOURCES
NATURAL GAS DEPOSITS
NATURAL GAS WELLS
NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS
PICEANCE CREEK BASIN
PLOWSHARE PROJECT
RESOURCES
RIO BLANCO EVENT
TOGGLE OPERATION
UINTA BASIN
UNDERGROUND EXPLOSIONS
WELLS