Recent Advances in Waterless Fracturing Fluids: A Review

Abstract Hydraulic fracturing technology has grown popular with the rapidly increasing development of tight conventional and unconventional reservoirs. A major concern with this technique is the use of large amounts of water in these treatments. The use of water causes many potential damaging issues in the formation and limits the amount that can be saved for future generations. One solution is waterless fracturing treatments, which were developed to reduce or eliminate the need for water in hydraulic fracturing. Hydraulic fracturing treatments consume at least 200,000 gallons of water in conventional wells and up to 16,000,000 gallons of water in unconventional wells. The pumped water must include clay stabilizers to deal with the sensitive clays in the formation. Additionally, using water poses a risk of inorganic scale precipitation near the wellbore. Water can also cause severe emulsions that can lead to emulsion blockage cases. Moreover, there are significant reports of water blockage cases in tight gas wells. Only a mere 10-30% of pumped water flows back after the treatment, with the rest attached to clays, or stuck in the pores due to high capillary pressures. Water-based fluids can also cause alterations to relative permeability, and liquid holdup cases in many gas wells. These issues can certainly increase near wellbore skin and reduce production rates. At the end of the treatment, water still causes issues related to disposal and separation prior to diverting it to the plant. The main challenges in developing waterless fluids include feasibility, environmental friendliness, and effectiveness to stimulate the reservoir. This review will cover the various waterless fracturing methods such as hydrocarbon-based, liquid CO2, energized, and foamed fluids (CO2 and N2 foams) as well as their advantages and disadvantages. Studies into the properties of these fluids, such as rheology, solubility, compatibility, will also be discussed. Field trials will be examined where applicable. This literature review examines various waterless alternatives to traditional fluids for hydraulic fracturing. From this paper, readers can better understand the nature of waterless technologies and be able to better evaluate these technologies for fracturing purposes.