Optimization of carboxylmethyl cellulose frac fluid in low TDS water sources based on pH and crosslinker concentrations

Abstract

Hydraulic fracturing uses a large volume a water to extract the oil and gas deposited in shale gas and oil formations. Many oil and gas developments are located in semiarid to arid areas in the United States (US), where freshwater resources are scarce. Using lower quality waters, such as brackish water during hydraulic fracturing, could be a good alternative to freshwater resources, reducing the competition on these sources and easing the public concerns with water shortages. This article examines using brackish water with total dissolved solids (TDS) of 2500mg/L, optimization of carboxylmethyl cellulose (CMC) based fracturing fluid at different pH ranges and polymer concentrations. Five three dimensional (3D) contour maps were generated for peak viscosity at a polymer loading of 25–45 pounds per thousand gallons (ppt) of water. These viscosity maps are the first of their kind and help demonstrate that using poor quality water can be managed by optimizing the chemical composition of the fracturing fluid.