Schlumberger Unveils Hydraulic Fracturing Technology

Schlumberger has launched HiWAY, a flow-channel hydraulic fracturing technique to maximise production and hydrocarbon recovery.

Schlumberger Well Services president Patrick Schorn said that HiWAY redefines hydraulic fracturing by removing the link between flow within the fracture and proppant pack conductivity.

“This fracturing technique delivers what other fracture techniques cannot: effective infinite fracture conductivity,” Schorn said.

In Argentina, YPF used HiWAY to restimulate and increase gas production from a late-Jurassic Eolian reservoir.

YPF stimulation advisor Emmanuel d’Huteau said the average initial production rate for the wells treated with HiWAY was 53% higher than that of the offset wells treated using conventional techniques.

“Also, the hydrocarbon recovery per well is expected to increase by 15% over the next ten years,” Huteau said.

HiWAY has reduced flowback times and improved effective fracture half-lengths and polymer recovery, resulting in significant increases in hydrocarbon production.

Schlumberger has also used the technique in Argentina, Russia, Mexico and the US.