Energy Department investing in research to develop natural gas-based hydraulic fracturing fluid

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently said that it would invest approximately $1.36 million to extend a research project with Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and Schlumberger into using the natural gas produced from a well to create a foam to serve as the base hydraulic fracturing fluid.

DOE’s investment will bring the total value of the project to more than $3.3 million. The researchers believe the project could help to reduce water use at unconventional wells and the environmental impacts associated with this water use.

Currently, hydraulic fracturing fluids are made up mostly of water, and stimulating one well can require as much as 11 million gallons of water. Some of that hydraulic fracturing fluid is permanently lost underground, and the recovered water must be treated or disposed of and often must be transported from the well site.

The research project focuses on creating natural gas foam by pressuring the gas and combining it with a reduced amount of water. Experiments have shown that natural gas-based foams are a suitable and affordable alternative to hydraulic fracturing fluid, according to the DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL).

SwRI has studied six methods for creating a foam on site using natural gas available at the wellhead. The researchers found that using a compressions cycle process, which involves multiple stages of compression equipment that incrementally raise natural gas pressure from 500 pounds per square inch (psi) to 10,000 psi, was most effective regarding efficiency, safety, and footprint.

Future efforts will focus on developing modular processing equipment to produce injection-ready natural gas foam at well sites, perfecting the foam fluid for optimal performance and determining when and where foam can be used most effectively.

Researchers are also exploring whether natural gas foams could boost recovery from unconventional wells. Using water-based fracturing fluids is expected to reduce the formation of emulsion and lessen clay swelling, aiding production by reducing blockages and improving gas flow.