Innovations in Production of Unconventional Reservoirs

Development of unconventional reservoirs requires a large amount of energy to improve formation permeability. This energy is typically provided during the hydraulic fracturing process, and the proppant serves to keep the induced fractures open so that oil and gas may flow back to the well. There are concerns regarding the large amount of water used and the environmental costs of disposing flowback water. Innovations in fracturing include use of technologies to reduce/eliminate water consumption, novel approaches for inducing/propagating fractures, and increasing well production by using novel chemistry and nanoparticles. New technology is also being investigated for establishing the fracture networks within the reservoir.