PETROLEUM DIRECTORY: Schlumberger adds system for reservoir stimulation

Schlumberger has added a new system to extend polymer-free fluid technology to carbon dioxide fracturing applications.

The new CO2-based viscoelastic surfactant system is intended for use in deeper, lower quality and under-pressured reservoirs, which are present in many aging fields.

Schlumberger says it improves stimulation in such reservoirs. For example, a Tulsa-based independent used the system to sand fracture with CO2 down 2-3/8-inch tubing. There was no need to kill the well, and the company was able to reduce tubing installation costs by eliminating snubbing operations and packer lubrication.

The new formulation is an extension of the Schlumberger ClearFRAC family of fracturing fluids with a special surfactant package that addresses the complexities of stabilizing the supercritical CO2.