As U.S. shale wells fall short of production projections by 15-40%, exploration and production companies are drilling more wells on their acreage to compensate. These new “child” wells, drilled in close proximity to an existing “parent” well, can damage the parent and themselves be less productive than prior wells. The parent-child interference happens because the parent wells create a pressure sink in their production zone, Source: TenEx Technologies LLCencouraging child fractures to propagate to depleted rock instead of virgin rock.

In fact, it is estimated that only 20% of Q3 2019 Permian wells were parent wells completed in the absence of another nearby well.

In some of the most productive basins, most drilling in 2020 will be child wells. This will bring a higher cost per barrel for the child well and a weaker new decline curve for the parent well. Lease depreciation will likely result, affecting the borrowing capacity of oil producers and their ability to drill new wells.

In response, TenEx Technologies has developed NoHIT™, a patent-pending frac hit mitigation chemical technology which is the first of its kind in the industry. NoHIT™ is pumped as an additive to a parent well’s preload and/or active loading program, to temporarily pressurize the depleted rock and increase its associated rock stress.

“NoHIT™ represents an important tool for operators as US shale drilling enters a new phase in which a lot of the prime acreage is becoming saturated with wells. NoHit™ should extend the life of existing acreage by allowing infill wells to produce more oil and cause less damage to surrounding wells,” says Eric Foster, CEO of TenEx Technologies.

By pressurizing the depleted rock around the parent, NoHIT™ discourages child fractures from communicating with the parent fractures, thereby protecting the parent, and it encourages those fractures to target new reservoirs. This helps the child well achieve its modeled production.

Using NoHIT™, companies can gain additional production from their acreage and reduce their cost per barrel.