Fracturing Technologies to Enhance Remediation – Part 3
This installment of the series discusses pneumatic fracturing.
The source of compressed gas typically is high-pressure storage cylinders. Formations are fractured sequentially by moving the injection nozzle vertically within the borehole or well, and then moving the injection nozzle to adjacent locations until the entire treatment zone is fractured. The vertical interval between fractures varies from 6 inches to 3 feet, although 2 feet is typical. Fracture propagation is relatively rapid – approximately 6 feet per second – and a single injection event lasts about 15 seconds to 20 seconds. Pneumatic fracturing equipment normally is trailer-mounted and relatively portable. Accessory equipment is available to inject a wide variety of liquid or granular supplements into the formation along with a pressurized gas to complement various remediation technologies.