O There my be permit and reporting requirements for hydrofracturing. Points for a well owner to note about the hydrofracturing process Although not often used, some contractors may use proppants (small beads or sand grains) to keep open (prop) fractures & cracks in the rock. Selection of the zones to pressurize may be made from information on the well drillers log or from a down-hole camera survey. The packers are usually first set near the bottom of the well and then moved up to another section. A double system allows for a selected zone in the well to pressured by inflating both packers. The cost for single packer hydrofracturing is usually less than when a double packer system is used. If however, during the hydrofracturing process the pressure in the well increases to the maximum working pressure of the equipment, with no sudden drop in pressure, then the hydrofracturing procedure may not have been effective. If more fissures have been opened there is often a strong backflow of turbid water when pumping into the well is stopped. A sign of successful hydrofracturing is a sudden drop in the pressure indicating that the surrounding rocks are accepting water. The water pressure within the sealed-off section of the well will rise as the surrounding rocks resist the flow of water out of the well. Some states have specific regulations relating to the hydrofracturing process. Up to 50 gallons a minute is usually adequate as a pumping rate for adding water into the well. Most hydrofracturing equipment for private wells can provide between 5 psi pressure, sometimes up to 3,000 psi (pounds per square inch). Water is pumped at high pressure into the section of the well between the packers, or below the packer if only one is used. The packers are usually set a minimum of 20 feet below the end of the casing and 60 feet below ground surface. The packers are then inflated to seal off a section of the well. First, all pipes, wires and the pump need to be removed from the well. The procedure involves lowering down the well one or two inflatable hard rubber “sleeves” or “balloons” (packers as they are more correctly called). In most states, hydrofracturing work can only be undertaken by a licensed or registered water well contractor Hydrofracturing was originally developed to increase oil and gas well production and has now been adopted as a technique by the water well industry. Hydrofracturing may widen fractures in the bedrockand extend them further into the formation and so increase the network of water bearing fractures/ fissures supplying water to the well. The technique involves injecting high-pressure water via the drilled well into the rock formations surrounding it. It is only suitable for wells receiving their water from water moving through fractures and fissures in bedrock. The process can take place at the time a new well is constructed or it can be used at any time on an existing well with low or declining yield. There are many instances of hydrofracturing resulting in increased yield for homeowners. It is usually applied to low yielding wells. Hydrofracturing (or hydrofracking) is a process that may be used to increase the flow of water into a well.
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