Gazprom Neft — in conjunction with leading hydrocarbon-production equipment manufacturers and developers — has created Russia’s first ever domestically-developed fracking unit. Bench testing is scheduled for 2022, with the fracking fleet due to be tested at the company’s Yuzhno-Priobskoye field in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug in 2023.
This next-generation technology has been adapted for use on hard-to-recover reserves. The fracking unit, developed by the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology, includes mobile pumping units (to be used in pumping special fluids into wells), monitoring and control stations, field laboratories and other specialist equipment. A specialist software package — including the company’s digital “Cyber-GRP” fracking simulator, developed in conjunction with MIPT and designed for calculating metrics in subsoil operations — has been developed to allow fracking operations to be automated.
The greater capacity of these pumping units means this Russian equipment is more effective than foreign alternatives in working with hard-to-recover reserves. Higher fluid-injection volumes mean extensive fissure networks can be created even in ultra-dense rocks, increasing oil inflows into wells. Added to which, this domestic equipment is more compact than foreign units, cutting costs in the specialist site preparation necessary prior to installing equipment.
Alexei Vashkevich Director for Technological Development, Gazprom Neft, said, “Viable development of hard-to-recover oil reserves — which now account for up to 70% of Russian reserves — demands technologies and equipment that don’t depend on imports. Fracking is one of the most widely used techniques for increasing effectiveness in field development. About 85% of the extra oil production delivered through enhanced oil recovery comes from using fracking. Together with our partners we have developed Russia’s first domestic fracking technology — a historical event for the entire oil and gas industry. This project covers all the metrics and features we need to work with hard-to-recover reserves as effectively as possible”.
(Source and image: Gazprom Neft)