Benefits Of The Packers Plus StackFRAC System For The Marcellus Shale

With an estimated 262 Tcf of recoverable natural gas, the Middle Devonian Marcellus Shale has become one of the main unconventional shale gas targets in the United States. The Marcellus is part of the Appalachian Basin and underlies 95,000 square miles of Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, and West Virginia.

The Marcellus is a challenging target due to its depth (4,000 to 8,500 ft), making it cost-intensive to develop. In addition, operators working in the Marcellus have had to contend with public challenges to hydraulic fracturing, prompting them to look for technologies to make this process more efficient and environmentally sensitive.

There are two main methods of multi-stage hydraulic fracturing: cemented liner/“plug and perf” and open-hole fracturing systems. Although both methods have the same goal of increasing access to the reservoir through the induction of fractures along the entire length of the horizontal wellbore, they have significant differences from an operational perspective.