In oil and gas operations, flowback potential refers to the amount of fluid, including fracturing fluids, water, and hydrocarbons, that returns to the surface after hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is completed. It's a critical aspect of the well's production process, as it dictates how efficiently the well can be cleaned and brought into normal production.
Flowback aids—typically surfactants or cosolvents—are widely used in hydraulic oil fracturing applications to reduce the surface tension and interfacial tension in the oil recovery phase. They can help to minimize the loss of proppants from the fractures—which can reduce fracture conductivity and improve the overall flowback process and well performance.
Proppants are materials, such as sand or ceramic, that are suspended in the fracturing fluid during hydraulic fracturing. They are designed to wedge open the fractures created in the rock, allowing oil and gas to flow more freely.
During the development and testing of various flowback additives, Ethox Chemicals discovered a proppant surface treatment with the added benefit of coating the inside of the well formation. Ethox 2425 shows a natural affinity to shale rock walls — a strong attraction or tendency to bind to the rock walls. This affinity helps reduce friction. When coated onto the proppant and used in oil recovery, Ethox 2425 has proven to enhance the flowback process by enabling more of the oil/water mix to flow out of the well faster than more traditional commercial flowback aids that were tested. This technology is covered by US Patent 10,815,421 B2, issued by the USPTO in 2020. This patent also covers several other ionic liquid flowback aids including didecyl dimethylammonium dodecylbenzene sulfonate.
Efficient production from operating wells is important to increasing profitability in a difficult chemical market. Ethox 2425 can help optimize the production process by accelerating flowback, which allows the well to produce more oil and gas.
Ethox 2425 is one of several innovative technologies in Ethox Chemicals’ line of oil field applications. Our oil and gas portfolio also includes products used in well acidizing, drilling muds, and gellants. Contact us to request a sample of Ethox 2425 and to learn more about our oil and gas technology.