What is hydraulic well fracturing?
Hydraulic well fracturing, or fracing (pronounced “fracking”), is the process of pumping fracture (frac) fluid into a wellbore using powerful hydraulic pumps to create enough downhole pressure to crack or fracture the formation. Once fractured, oil and gas from the formation can flow into the wellbore and be produced to surface. Frac fluid can be a liquid, such as water (often containing small volumes of additives to reduce friction, prevent scaling, and control growth of bacteria), light oil, or a gas such as carbon dioxide or nitrogen. The fluid generally carries a proppant—carefully sized sand or like materials—into the formation. Most of the proppant remains in place once the hydraulic pressure is removed, thereby propping the fracture open and enhancing flow from the formation to the wellbore.
