American Oil and Gas Reporter - December 2024 - 61

ability to use fewer frac pumps than in
a traditional fleet, Carroll says. In some
cases, ProFrac only needs 10 higher efficiency
electric pumps, as opposed to
20 conventional pumps.
The Willow Park, Tx.-based company
recently announced a project with Prairie
Operating Co. for a fleet of 25 advanced
3,000-horsepower single E-pumps, allowing
both hydraulic fracturing and
pump down operations to be fully electrified.
Initial frac operations under the
new endeavor began in the Denver-Julesburg
Basin on a recently drilled, eightwell
Shelduck pad in Weld County, Co.
ProFrac's upgrades ensure ample capacity
and operating flexibility, which is
required for shifting conditions during
treatment, including adapting to variations
in water quality during a frac job. " We
are constantly adjusting and readjusting,
changing packages, and changing chemical
types due to water quality, " Carroll says.
" That is an ongoing challenge. "
Chemical packages depend on the mix
of produced and freshwater. About onethird
of ProFrac's fleets today are pumping
some portion of produced water, he says,
with Appalachia fleets often pumping
100%. Using charts and graphs that are
monitored closely, solutions can be altered
for on-the-fly applications to create slickwater
with sufficient friction reduction
to open or elongate fractures.
" We have used technology where you
can access data in real time to monitor the
water before it hits the blender, and again
post-blending after friction reducer and
other chemicals are added to test efficacy.
but there are limitations, " Carroll says.
In addition to leveraging technological
improvements, the company also provides
the human expertise necessary to identify
solutions for shifting water qualities,
according to Christian Parra, a ProFrac
engineering operations manager. Parra
points to a solution one of the company's
teams derived for a job in South Texas
as an example. As in many jobs, the
completion fluid contained both fresh
and produced water. However, the total
dissolved solid levels in the produced
water ended up being much higher than
anticipated, which compromised the
high-viscosity friction reducer's performance.
As a result, pressures rose
and the well stopped taking sand.
In response, engineers quickly collected
and analyzed samples, then proposed several
remedies. The selected solution included
DECEMBER 2024 61
ProFrac is applying near infrared technology to protect engines and drive fracturing
efficiencies as it strengthens its dual-fuel frac fleet capabilities.
increasing the portion of produced water
and the FR concentrations during pad and
flush operations, while using more fresh
water during the sand-laden stages, Para
recounts. This approach worked well, he
reports. After a transition, the team began
pumping sand successfully.
The company has implemented additional
innovations to achieve better results
and provide high-quality service, including
a customer portal interface available to
ProFrac employees, operators, and others
involved in a stimulation job. Authorized
users can log into the system to access job
design specifics, monitor conditions and
check on job status, Carroll describes. ❒
http://www.resfrac.com
American Oil and Gas Reporter - December 2024

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