Hydraulic Fracturing

Hydraulic fracturing is a well completion/stimulation technique that became the focus of attention because of its significance in the exploitation of unconventional oil and gas reserves. This article starts with a brief history of the operation, followed by a discussion of its unique role in productivity enhancement. Following the overview of materials, equipment, and procedures involved, a review of the diagnostics and other evaluation methods, as well as an outline of the current modeling efforts, will be discussed. One section provides a glimpse into the newest trends in completion hardware, highlighting multistage fracture treatment systems developed for long horizontal wells. In the last section, the commercial and environmental impacts of the technology are considered. The article concludes that hydraulic fracturing has substantially widened the spectrum of choices communities face in arbitrating among potential energy supply options, and hence, it will continue flourishing in the long term.