American Oil and Gas Reporter - August 2022 - 79

SpecialReport: Hydraulic Fracturing Tech
Pragmatic Ideas Simplify Fracturing
By Colter Cookson
As pressure pumpers test next-generation
fleets powered by natural gas, they
simultaneously are finding ways to accomplish
more with legacy equipment.
These efforts are confirming that streamlined
processes, precise automation and
tailored chemistries can enable fleets to
move more fluid at a lower cost.
In addition to supporting internal and
external bottom lines, service companies
say their increased efficiency is helping
them reach environmental performance
goals and stretch capital.
" The oil field service side of the industry
has gotten shrewd about capital deployment, "
assesses John Gibson,
chairman, chief executive officer and president
of Flotek Industries Inc. " Instead of
overbuilding when prices are up only to
have excess capacity when they fall, companies
are trying to make money for their
shareholders on a full-cycle basis. "
As evidence for that thesis, Gibson
cites ProFrac's acquisition of FTSI and its
agreement to acquire U.S. Well Services.
" Industry thought leaders are consolidating
crews into their portfolios so they can
gain market share and economies of scale
while holding the total fleet count at a
healthy level, " he says. " They should succeed
unless private equity pours into the
industry to chase half-cycle economics. "
Many pressure pumpers are looking at
retiring older, less fuel-efficient fleets,
Gibson adds. " To shrink costs and emissions,
they want to maximize their ability
to use field gas and minimize the need for
diesel, " he explains.
Strong environmental performance will
become more important over time, Gibson
argues. " With investors across the energy
value chain prioritizing environmental performance,
we are going to see premiums
paid for more sustainable production, " he
says. " As these premiums become more
common, operators will work with their
service providers to secure them. "
Green Chemistry
When evaluating whether a change
will improve environmental performance,
Gibson recommends looking at every
step in the process. " Sometimes an idea
that sounds green at first can turn out not
to be, " he cautions. " For example, we
often see friction reducers transported to
site as dry products rather than emulsions.
The dry products are more compact,
so using them lets companies send
fewer trucks to site, which intuitively reduces
emissions.
" But when we look at how much energy
it takes to dehydrate the friction reducer
and grind it into small particles that
are easy to rehydrate on site, the situation
is less clear, " Gibson says. " It is difficult
to tell whether the power consumption
associated with those steps outweighs the
extra trucks needed to move an emulsion,
but if we are serious about sustainability,
we need to grapple with these fundamental
questions. "
It is also important to look beyond
emissions, adds Flotek Chief Operating
Officer Ryan Ezell. " The total environmental
cost of ownership for a chemical
program includes not only emissions, but
also risks to water and land, " he says.
" Our goal is to help in every aspect of
sustainability. "
According to Gibson, minimizing
those other impacts starts with seeking
more benign chemistries. " Where we can,
we are replacing traditional chemistries
with ones that deliver the same performance
but are biodegradable and nontoxic, "
he says. " When that is not possible-and
even when it is-we ask ourselves how we
can get the same result with less chemical.
If we do that, we will have fewer trucks
on the road, which simplifies logistics and
generally reduces emissions. "
Minimizing volumes often involves
using more efficient chemicals, Gibson
says. " Even with friction reducers, we
are learning that we can get the same
performance at a lower cost with the
right chemistries, " he says. " Pound for
pound, these chemistries may be more
expensive than traditional ones. However,
because we need less, overall costs
go down considerably. "
Partnerships' Value
Many other chemistries have more benign
or efficient alternatives, Gibson
comments. " We are constantly looking
for replacement chemicals, " he reports.
Compelling replacements often leverage
materials from beyond the oil and gas
industry's boundaries, Ezell mentions.
" For example, there is a lot of food waste
going into landfills. Are there ways to
break down those wastes to extract the
natural fats, oils and sugars, then modify
those for use as oil and gas additives? " he
illustrates. " What about waste from making
paper? Repurposing solvents from
paper mills would offer both environmental
and economic gains. "
Realizing novel chemicals' potential
takes strong communication and collaboIncreasingly
effective completion
fluid additives can deliver
stronger performance at lower
volumes, which Flotek reports
reduces costs, simplifies logistics
and minimizes environmental
impacts. The company says
thorough testing is key to identifying
the best formulations for
a particular application.
AUGUST 2022 79
American Oil and Gas Reporter - August 2022

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