Calgary company a leader in waterless fracking

A Canadian company is a leader in the relatively unknown area of non-hydraulic fracking. GasFrac of Calgary fracked its first well in 2008 using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) or propane gel instead of water and says that its technology is safe and clean and more reliable than the hydraulic form of fracking. More importantly, it is more productive, the company says.

Conventional hydraulic fracturing for natural gas uses enormousGasFrac-energy-waterless-fracking-EDIWeekly quantities of water, and there are concerns about the contaminated water getting into the ground water. But LPG, according to GasFrac, is safe and 100 per cent recoverable. The LPG, which is a gel, turns to vapour when released underground and returns to the surface with the natural gas. It does not bring the chemicals used for drilling back to the surface.

The company has been working in Texas since 2010, and boasts that no water is used in its fracking operations. It has done about 100 fracks there so far, some as deep as 10,000 feet, and says that the waterless process is especially suitable for water-challenged Texas. Water that is recovered from fracking wells, and millions of gallons can be used to open a single well, is typically not reused but deposited in disposal wells.

One of the perceived drawbacks to waterless fracking is the necessity of trucking in such huge quantities of LNG. However a spokesman for GasFrac told the Texas Tribune that virtually all of the propane they use is reused, and supplies are readily available. Propane is a byproduct of natural gas processing and oil refining, so in Texas there is no shortage, he says.

Did you miss this?

Other Popular Stories

  • Acquisition of SABMiller makes Molson Coors third-largest brewer in the world
  • Ozone-Destroying Emissions Rising Unexpectedly, Scientists Baffled
  • Canadian Solar to supply solar mega-projects in Ontario and Turkey
  • Modest improvement in manufacturing sector continued in July: RBC
  • Canada's oil and gas industry gathering in Toronto for two-day forum
  • Ford launches new Edge for global market from Oakville
  • Aerospace companies announce satellite, service contracts
  • Ontario economy set to grow based on exports, weaker dollar
  • Construction industry will boom in Northern Ontario, GTA: report
  • Youth trainee program seeks to address skilled labour shortage
  • The ongoing shortage of microchips still impacting automotive and other industries
  • New national aerospace consortium to foster leadership in technology
  • Government wants to know what chemicals are used in fracking
  • A supersonic jet with no front window? NASA's X-59 uses a 4K monitor instead.
  • Manufacturing sales up in December but down for the year on weak energy sector
  • Relief as Ontario company rescues closing Heinz plant
  • Real-time oil leak tracking with PAH sensor from Norwegian Geotechnical Institute can precisely measure hydrocarbons in water around oil wells
  • GM restructuring goes forward with agressive job cuts in Ontario designed to save billions of dollars — at the same time they recruit new hires?
  • Irving Shipbuilding looking to lure workers back east from Alberta
  • Airline debacle highlights need for businesses to be tech smart
Scroll to Top