An operator in the Duvernay Shale play sought to streamline fracturing operations. A typical eight-well pad was taking 90 to 120 days to fracture and the operator wanted to reduce costs by 30%. The conventional setup was not only time-consuming and expensive, it incorporated a maze of flowlines, which presented a wellsite hazard. This frac iron linking the frac manifold to the frac tree comprised several pipe segments and numerous threaded hammer-type connections. Because of the high fracturing pressures, if any one of these connections failed during a pumping operation, the potential for equipment damage and personnel injury was high. The operator approached SLB for a solution.
SLB eliminated the traditional buffalo head to make the F-T90 horizontal frac tree; the version used had a single 5 1/8-in, 15,000-psi API flanged connection to the manifold. A modular frac manifold replaced the conventional four-valve, 60,000-lbm manifold skid. The new lightweight design consists of a valve, skid, and studded tee and provides maximum flexibility to efficiently accommodate various pad layouts. Weighing less than 6,000 lbm, this manifold design reduced both shipping and setup costs.
The team also deployed the Monoline flanged-connection fracturing fluid delivery technology, which replaces four separate flowlines to the frac tree with a single line. The Monoline technology uses a series of high-pressure pipe segments joined together with 90° elbows and swivel flanges that provide the full three degrees of freedom needed to accommodate alignment between the frac tree and manifold. By eliminating hammer unions, this new technology removes the potential for mismatched equipment, simplifies hookup, and reduces installation time significantly compared with conventional frac iron.
The comprehensive, integrated service and support from a single provider helped optimize overall performance. The operator fractured more than 925 stages in 27 wells during the course of 286 days with an estimated 99% uptime. The Monoline technology required 75% fewer connections and was 60% faster to install compared with conventional frac iron. All these efficiencies, together with the lower equipment rental resulting from less time on site and the reduced scaffolding and cold-weather insulation required by the compact design, helped the operator reduce fracturing costs more than 30%.
While the time and cost savings were significant, the greatest benefit was the elimination of threaded hammer unions—more than 150 unions and 300 tie-downs on a nine-well pad—which dramatically reduced HSE risks. Having experienced the improvement in safety and reliability, this Canadian operator intends to use the innovative fracturing fluid delivery service in other fields in the future.
