A recently drilled Eagle Ford well was completed with a propane frack. eCorp Stimulation Technologies successfully stimulated an Eagle Ford well at 5,950 ft in Frio County, TX. The completion is part of the company's efforts to minimize water usage in well completions. The test was done in December 2012 just south of Pearsall, TX. Pure liquid propane was used, with no chemicals or additives
The company is touting the well as a "success", but we'll have to watch flow rates to see if the well is successful from an economic standpoint.
Dr. John Thrash , eCORP's CEO and Chairman, stated, "We are extremely pleased with what we have confirmed with this procedure. We believe there is a certain path for sustainable shale gas development and this demonstration proves a viable "green" alternative exists for stimulating shale. We intend to extend this design philosophy and demonstrate that a total reduced impact can be achieved through other innovations in drilling and exploration technologies we are developing at eCORP."
LPGfracks will be interesting to watch across the shale plays. Using fluids native to the formation seems logical, but they're also much more expensive than water. This isn't the first well in the Eagle Ford completed in this fashion - Jadel Oil completed a well with an LPG frack in Maverick County back in 2011. Blackbrush Energy also has an exclusive agreement with Gasfrac Energy Services to complete its wells with LPGs through mid-2014.
You can read the full press release issued by the company at prnewswire.com
If you have experience completing wells with LPGs or know the API numbers for these wells, please share in the comment section below.