Barnett Shale Earthquakes: New technology creates earthquakes to stimulate production

Nope, I'm not kidding. Industry is so desperate to make a buck that they are celebrating this new technology from Plano, Texas-based Applied Seismic Research (ASR) that causes earthquakes aimed to shake loose "residual oil trapped in the reservoir around existing wells."

The article in American Association of Petroleum Geologists starts off with a perky opening:

Feeling a tad glum ’cause you’re saddled with an old field that’s on its last legs production-wise?

You just know there’s lots of grease still there, but you can’t afford the big bucks required for conventional EOR methods?

Maybe all you need to do is shake it up, baby – the reservoir, that is.

Do we really need to stimulate more earthquakes? Apparently the industry thinks so. This is a good example for why you need to join Texas OGAP and attend the showing of GASLAND sponsored by OGAP and Representative Lon Burnam.

According to the article, producing more oil from these earthquakes is:

• Proven
• Low cost
• Texas Railroad Commission certified
• Eligible for a 50 percent reduction in severance tax on total production for a 10-year period

Here's how it works:

• The seismic stimulation tool is installed similar to a tubing pump at the depth of the producing horizon in the wellbore.
• The pumping unit provides power for the tool’s plungers to compress fluid drawn into a barrel.
• The compressed fluid is released upon the upstroke, creating a high-energy seismic shock wave.

Here's why it works:

It’s long been recognized that earthquakes can stimulate field production that ordinarily trails off the day following the event. In comparison, the ASR tool pounds the reservoir continuously with earthquake-like events.

“It creates seismic waves every 10 seconds,” Wooden said. “These subsurface shockwaves mimic primary waves generated by earthquakes, and that’s why they shake the oil loose. The operating lifespan of the tool is eight to 12 months, after which it is pulled and replaced.

You need to go read the article for yourself to believe it.

You might remember the industry report I posted a while back where industry admitted heat and movement from the earth can damage wellbore cementing.