Technique tailors pressure pulse to zone

A new well stimulation technique that could prove to be a significant step forward in the technology of enhanced oil and gas recovery has been introduced. The technique called Tailored Pulse Fracturing (TPF), uses the tailored pulse loading of propellant charges to create multiple fractures extending in a radial pattern from the well bore into the reservoir being stimulated. The main advantage of TPF over other enhanced recovery techniques is its use in naturally fractured reservoirs, where the creation of multiple fractures should increase the probability of tying the natural fractures back into the reservoir. The technique currently is being tested in the San Andres area of SE. New Mexico, the Austin Chalk of Se. Texas, the Devonian Shale of West Virginia, the Bradford Sands of N. Pennsylvania, and the Trenton Limestone of W. Ohio.