Field considerations

After the optimum fracture treatment has been designed, it must be pumped into the well successfully. A successful field operation requires planning, coordination, and cooperation of all parties. Treatment supervision and the use of quality control measures will improve the successful application of hydraulic fracturing. Safety is always the primary concern in the field, and it begins with a thorough understanding by all parties of their duties. A safety meeting is always held to review:

The treatment procedure. Establish a chain of command. Ensure everyone knows his her !ob responsibilities for the day. Establish a plan for emergencies.

The safety meeting should also discuss:

The well completion details and the ma"imum allowable in!ection rate and pressures. The ma"imum pressures to be held as backup in the annulus.

All casing, tubing, wellheads, valves, and weak links, such as liner tops, should be tested thoroughly before starting the fracturing treatment. #echanical failures during a treatment can be costly and dangerous. All mechanical problems should be discovered during testing and repaired before pumping the fracture treatment. $efore pumping the treatment, the engineer in charge should conduct a detailed inventory of all the equipment and materials on location. The inventory should be compared with the design and the prognosis. After the treatment has concluded, another inventory of all the materials left on location should be conducted. %n most cases, the difference in the two inventories can be used to verify what was mi"ed and pumped into the wellbore and the hydrocarbon&bearing formation. %n addition to an inventory, samples of the base fracturing fluid 'usually water( should be taken and analy)ed. Typically, a water analysis is done on the base fluid to determine the minerals and type of bacteria present. The data from the water analysis can be used to select the additives needed to mi" the viscous fracture fluid required to create a wide fracture and to transport the propping agent into the fracture. %n addition, samples of the additives used during a treatment and the fracture fluid after all additives have been added should be taken and saved in case future analyses are required.