Paper: INTERACTIONS BETWEEN FRACTURING FLUID ADDITIVES AND CURRENTLY USED ENZYME BREAKERS

Advances in enzyme technology and its application to hydraulic fracturing have brought enzyme breakers from low-temperature, low-pH applications to being used over a wide range of temperatures, pH's and fluid systems. Their potential as fracturing fluid breakers seems almost limitless as one obstacle after another has been swept away by advances in biotechnology. High-temperature enzymes, high-pH enzymes and controlled release enzymes have contributed to their widespread use as fracturing fluid breakers. Advantages of enzyme breakers over conventional oxidative breakers has been well documented. For example, oxidative breakers have many limitations including interferences and incompatibilities with other fracturing fluid additives. Enzyme breakers, too, have limitations including interferences and incompatibilities with other additives. Ignorance of these interactions can have dramatic effects on the success of a hydraulic fracturing job. With the new advances in enzyme applications, it is not always easy to keep abreast of the limitations of the new enzyme breakers. Interactions known for other enzymes are often just assumed to apply to new enzyme breakers. This is not always the case. Use of enzyme breakers under more extreme pH and temperature conditions can also cause or magnify interactions. This paper covers interactions between currently used enzyme breakers and fracturing fluid additives including biocides, clay stabilizers, and certain types of resin-coated proppants.