Hydraulic fracturing is a completion technique for extracting oil and gas from difficult-to-access underground rock formations. It involves injecting high-pressure fluids into the ground to fracture the rock and release trapped oil and gas. Triple-frac is an evolution of this technique.
New oil and gas extraction technique saves time and money in the Permian Basin
After the oil and gas industry began using hydraulic fracturing in shale plays, it took less than 20 years for the U.S. to go from a net importer of oil to a net exporter of oil.
“Without hydraulic fracturing, we would not be energy independent right now in the U.S.,” said Jeff Newhook, a general manager of drilling and completions engineering supporting Chevron’s Permian Basin operations.
One email, all the Permian Basin News.
Get news the Permian is reading. Delivered free to your inbox.
Now, Chevron is employing an evolution of the technique to hydraulically fracture three wells at once, called triple-frac. In 2024, the company began taking this approach in the Permian Basin. That year, it completed approximately 25 percent of its wells this way.
And Chevron is planning to use triple-frac on nearly 50 percent of its Permian wells in 2025. This will cut completion times by 25 percent and reduce costs per well by 12 percent, compared with simulfrac (hydraulically fracturing two wells at once).
Find out more about how triple-frac is helping Chevron continue to grow in the Permian, in this Reuters article.
