Hydraulic Fracturing
Hydraulic fracturing is a means of extracting oil and natural gas from rock formations across the country — including in New Mexico.
It’s a proven technology that has been used for more than 60 years, in more than one million wells across the country. Hydraulic fracturing is an advanced, effective technique whereby “fracturing fluids” are injected under high pressure into a shale formation, creating fissures that free the natural gas to flow from rock pores where it is trapped.
In New Mexico, liquid nitrogen is used as a fracturing fluid and has been successfully applied in coal seams and sandstone reservoirs for the stimulation of gas production in the San Juan Basin of New Mexico. The fluid’s extremely cold temperature (-300°F to -320°F) causes the fracture face to fragment, making it a “self-propping fracture.” These fractures, created by the thermal shock of an extremely cold liquid contacting a warm formation, results in an approximate eightfold flow-rate increase.
In addition, incorporating inert gases like nitrogen with foaming agents and water reduces the amount of fracturing liquid required. Foamed gels use fracturing fluids with higher proppant concentrations to achieve highly effective fracturing. The gas bubbles in the foam fill voids that would otherwise be filled by fracturing fluid. The high concentrations of proppant allow for an approximately 75-percent reduction in the overall amount of fluid that would be necessary using a conventional linear or cross-linked gel.
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