Journal of Petroleum Technology, Vol.54, No.7, 45-45, 2002
Coiled-tubing fracturing in the Appalachian basin
The Devonian shale is a naturally fractured reservoir with a fracture gradient ranging from 0.4 to 0.6 psi/ft. Because it is a water-sensitive formation, most operators have used nitrogen gas as a fracturing fluid since the mid-1980s. Coiled-Tubing (CT) fracturing provides a means to increase production by fracturing high-pressure zones that would be bypassed during a conventional treatment.