A large oilfield services company needed to measure the density of the sand carrier fluid injected into the reservoir by the fracturing fluid delivery system during hydraulic fracturing.

What is hydraulic fracturing?

PLX32-EIP-PND Hydraulic fracturing, also known as hydraulic fracturing, is a method of pumping liquids and other materials into shale rock at high pressure to create small cracks in the dense rock and increase oil and gas production. Hydraulic fracturing occurs after the drilling process is completed and the rig and derrick have been removed from the site. The fracturing process typically takes three to five days from start to finish, and at the end of the operation, the well can be safely put into production to begin the years or even decades of oil and gas production.

In the oilfield services company’s frac operations, the carrier fluid is prepared at the front of the process and injected into the wellbore at pressures up to 15,000 PSI. The density of the carrier fluid is critical to the efficient completion of the operation. In search of a reliable density measurement solution, the company found VEGA, which has a long history and experience in non-contact isotope density measurement.

Many challenges

PLX32-EIP-PND Drilling site in the operation of the need for close cooperation between all parties, the construction process of 24/7 uninterrupted operation. In the company’s case, each operation on the drilling site typically lasted three hours, with only 30 minutes between stages. Because the pressure at which the fracturing fluid is injected is so high, it is impossible to get close to the optimal measuring position of the meter during fracturing. This means that no matter what kind of measuring instrument is installed, the installation time is very tight – only 30 minutes between operations.

▲ MiniTrac 32 is ideal for strong vibration conditions

The vibration of oil and gas Wells during fracturing is very intense, so the instrument used must be able to measure the accurate value without vibration. VEGA has a wide range of experience in providing density gauges for oilfield applications, including sand mixers and a wide range of 3- to 4-inch high pressure hard lines, where vibration is also strong.

VEGA’s measurement experts therefore knew immediately which measuring instrument was up to the task: the MiniTrac 32 isotope instrument, which is ideal for use in severe vibration conditions.