HOUSTON, Texas, March 18, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via PRWEB - GroundMetrics Inc., a world-leading electromagnetic survey company and oil and gas technology pioneer, partnered with Carbo Ceramics, ConocoPhillips, Sandia National Laboratories, and Weatherford to run a successful test in a West Texas oil well that was able to directly observe where proppant propagated through the subsurface during a hydraulic frac.
The standard technology for imaging unconventional fields is microseismic monitoring. But microseismic technology only maps where rocks are breaking and producing characteristic "popping" noises. Microseismic images do not show where proppant is going or where it is propping open fracture systems. The dramatic fall in oil prices since mid-2014 has sent operators scrambling for techniques to improve efficiency, especially because unconventional development is relatively expensive and 80% of production comes from 20% of fractures.
Carbo Ceramics' and GroundMetrics' recent joint test proved that their technology can do exactly that. GroundMetrics used its proprietary electromagnetic source and sensor system to stimulate and detect 230,000 lbs. of Carbo Ceramics' electrically conductive proppant after it was pumped into an 8,000 ft. deep well. The resulting data was processed and collated into an earth model that imaged exactly where the proppant had gone underground. More tests are planned for later this year.
"There are several E&P companies that are very interested in that because finally we will be able to tell, 'Are we effectively stimulating these rocks and should we have our well spacing at X, Y, or Z, or in between?'" said Gary Kolstad, president and CEO of Carbo Ceramics to JPT Magazine. "Now you can take a look and say, 'Am I really spending my capital how I should?'"
Operators are interested because of the vast potential for savings. In the current price environment, technologies that allow oil to be produced more cheaply could make the difference between profitability and bankruptcy for E&Ps with significant unconventional assets.
"We're very excited about the results from this survey," said George Eiskamp, CEO at GroundMetrics. "Given the current crisis in the industry, we must leverage innovative technologies to find new ways to optimize production. Electromagnetic imaging of conductive proppant is a perfect example. It gives operators actionable insights that can dramatically shift the economics of a given field."
GroundMetrics Inc. is a full-services survey and monitoring company and the world leader in surface-based resistivity sensing onshore. Its customers include oil and gas companies as well as government energy agencies. GroundMetrics uses its unique technology to eliminate blind spots underground, which increases production, improves efficiency and reduces wasted spending and capital expenditures.
Contact: Jessie Kaffai; jkaffai(at)groundmetrics(dot)com; 858-381-4155.
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