Fine tuning the fracking

Fuel Fix:

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Houston-based MicroSeismic uses instruments called geophones on the surface or buried underground to capture and analyze sounds from a well while it’s being fractured. The technology, called surface microseismic, allows operators to customize the fracturing while it’s in progress, improving the efficiency of the resulting hydrocarbon extraction.
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It can tell an operator where the reservoir is draining and what part of the reservoir he doesn’t need to worry about. Knowing both of these things can tell him where to put the next well. If he drills too many wells, he stands to lose his profit. If he doesn’t drill enough wells, he leaves hydrocarbons behind, so this information is extremely valuable. 

In the old days, operators would do tests on a couple of wells and develop a formula from those tests for all the wells in a field. But we are finding in the shales that the rocks are not as uniform over huge areas. With this technology, you can watch the fractures grow in real time, which allows operators to plan the next increment of fracturing. If you can save one stage, you might save $300,000 on a single well.
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This is another example of how technology is making it easier to find the right combination for maximum results.  Those who ignore fracking and its fine tuning are leaving money in the ground.