Publications

The GasGun is a stimulation treatment for oil and gas wells that utilizes a low-order, solid-propellant explosive to generate high-pressure gas which creates fractures in reservoirs. The tool, which is normally run on Wireline, contains a solid propellant that rapidly generates high pressure gas when it burns. Multiple fractures radiating 10 to 50 feet from the wellbore are created by the progressively-burning propellants. The advantages of the GasGun over hydraulic fracturing are that there is minimal vertical growth of fractures, multiple fractures are created, the entire zone is stimulated, there is no need to inject fluids, less equipment is needed, and the cost is much lower. Pressures created are between 10-20 thousand psi over 10’s of milliseconds. The GasGun can’t always replace hydraulic fracturing. Large hydraulic fracture treatments can create a fracture hundreds, if not thousands of feet in length. But many small pay zones in marginal wells cannot justify the expense of these treatments. The GasGun can be a very economical alternative and requires much less equipment. There are many applications where the GasGun can be used in place of hydraulic fracturing or in conjunction with hydraulic fracturing to achieve the desired outcome. This new technology was used in sandstone reservoirs in five wells in South Oman. In the four Injector wells, the injection rate was 100% higher than prior to the GasGun application. While for the producer well, the production rate was 50% higher via longer running hours.