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2828388 
Meetings & Symposia 
Paper 
Tracking out-of-zone hydraulic fracturing in the Bakken with
naturally occuring tracers 
Arkadakskiy, S; Rostron, B 
2013 
English 
Summary
Precise horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing resulted in a spectacular increase in the volume of petroleum produced from the late Devonian/early Mississippian Bakken Formation in the Williston Basin of USA and Canada. Propagation of hydraulic fracturing outside the thin production zone and into the adjacent carbonate aquifers may result in increasing water co-production and reduction in well profitability.This study focuses on the applicability of naturally occurring tracers, such as the stable
isotopes of water (i.e.,delta 18O and delta 2H) and the concentrations and/or stable isotope compositions of selected dissolved elements, for identifying the sources of waters/brines co-produced from horizontal Bakken wells subjected to hydraulic fracturing. This study demonstrates that the naturally occurring tracers can be used successfully to identify the presence and/or quantify the fraction of non-Bakken
fluid(s) in co-produced water samples. 
GeoConvention 2013: Integration Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists 
Calgary, AB, Canada 
May 6-10, 2013