Opinions Differ On Whether Friction Reducers Do More Harm Than Good

摘要

During the Society of Petroleum Engineers' Hydraulic Fracturing Technology Conference (HFTC) in early February, I found myself in a conversation about the impact of friction reducers (FRs) on the modern hydraulically fractured reservoir. To my surprise, there seems to be some debate about how much impact FRs really have on the reservoir and what companies should do to mitigate any damage that may occur. Many folks assert that the large amounts of largely polymer-based friction reducers employed must be causing some formation damage. Others counter that, based on production over time, it really isn't much of a concern. After some digging, I realized this issue has been around for some time, multiple studies have been done, and at least one company has developed and patented technology to address it.