Hydraulic fracturing is one of the key areas of Сatobneft LLC operations. Our company is a TNK-BP contractor since it came to work at the Samotlor field. Over this time we have performed over 700 frac jobs at Samotlor and East BU fields and their number is growing every year.
Our company has its own physicalchemical analysis lab. This enables us to control the quality of chemicals, proppants, analyze liquids for preparing gels, properly select chemicals for each specific frac job.
Improving the quality of our services is a priority task for our company. In 2005, in order to control vertical fracture our frac team implemented the line buffer and early phase proppant feed technology. We are constantly in search for new light gel recipes with lower gelling polymer content. The use of high quality capsular breakers allows us to increase the amount of reducer as proppant concentration grows. All this improves the residual conducting properties of fractures.
After TNKBP has implemented the hydraulic fracturing standard Сatobneft acquired new control devices recommended by the Company. Our lab has acquired Nach 2400 spectrophotometer which promptly analyzes iron, chloride, ion, sulphate content in drilling fluids under field conditions; PVS Brookfield rheometer allowing better viscosity measurements under pressure as well as hydraulic press PGI-500 for crash tests showing proppant strength in formation environment. For a more precise measurement of frac liquid flow at intake and feed of the blender, electromagnetic meters Almag CA 215 sg were installed and to measure liquid chemicals Promas 83F15 meters were installed. The difference between liquid and blend meter reading shows the amount of injected proppant.
To improve our efficiency we have redesigned our frac shop and rearranged engineering personnel duties. To facilitate the internal control our company established New Technology and Frac Job Quality Control Department. We have hired and trained lab personnel to control liquid quality in the field conditions.
We pay special attention to work safety. We supplemented Frac Shop employees training schedules with procedures relating to facility leaving the company and entering the well pad and conducting the actual frac job and postjob operations. Today when the state of wells we work on requires very precise handling, Catobneft frac team not only have to do the good frac job within limited time but also prove that it has been done seamlessly.
Our team members value the new hydraulic fracturing control methods and are aware of the fact that TNK-BP auditors present on sites are the people who will attest the quality of our work in case of any geology-caused complications.
