Advances in effective utilization of fracturing flowback fluids, Part I: Direct reuse technology

Reusing fracturing flowback fluid to reduce costs has always been a key area of the petroleum industrial interests. The slick water or gel fracturing flowback fluid used in hydraulic fracturing often contains a large amount of undegraded or partially degraded polymers, various salts, oil and solids dissolved from the formation, etc., which cause great trouble for the treatment and reuse of flowback fluid. This review presents the development status of fracturing flowback reuse technology from the aspects of fluid composition characteristics, its effects on reuse, and direct reuse technology, including several new fracturing fluid thickening agents that do not need costly desalination treatment, aiming to facilitate water resources management in unconventional oil and gas development.