FracSource says it operates a compact fleet of oilfield pumping equipment that drastically reduces both manpower and time needed to complete its projects.

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After spending more than 15 months developing a unique, compact fleet of oilfield pumping equipment, Calgary, Alberta-based FracSource entered the industry as a small but dominant player. The oilfield service stimulation firm owns equipment that drastically reduces both manpower and time needed to complete projects, according to President and CEO Larry Armstrong.

“We were formed in 2005 to complete a capital build project of $40 million, and eventually grew into the high-rate nitrogen pumping business that we are today,” he states. “We entered this niche market because we had the equipment needed to meet the requirements of these customers.”

Smaller Footprint
The equipment allows the company to operate on a smaller footprint – and stores more components in one vehicle – to reduce the number of trucks on the road, Armstrong says.

“This equipment allows us to minimize any damage to county roads, and allows us to have less negative impact on the community,” he adds.

Pumping on a smaller footprint also allows the company to quickly restore the property back to productive farmland after the project is finished. “This is important to the community, because there is a great deal of farmland in the area that needs to eventually be restored into the prior state,” Armstrong says. “We try to be good stewards of the community.”

Horseshoe Canyon Coal Wells
The company’s Canadian operation performs the majority of its work in Central Alberta, treating Horseshoe Canyon coal zones.

FracSource built first-generation nitrogen pumping equipment specifically for the area’s coalbed methane market. “We’re not completely limited to this region, but it was our intent to serve this niche market when we put the company together,” Armstrong notes.

“The industry standard of treating these coals is to hydraulically fracture them with dry nitrogen gas at high pressures,” Armstrong explains. “This is a big operation in Canada, and there are many companies involved in this segment.”

Even in a highly competitive market, FracSource sets itself apart by operating equipment that enhances the efficiency of a project. Its compact equipment requires less labor than systems commonly used by competitors.

“Our equipment only requires five crew members, rather than the average 12 that our competitors need,” says District Engineer Don Allen. “We can do our job extremely efficiently.

“The customization of our design allows the equipment to be set up much more quickly, allowing us to perform more jobs each day. We average two wells, but can – on occasion – perform three wells in a day if they are shallow and close together.”

The Barnett Shale
In 2006, the FracSource board of directors chose to enter the thriving Texas market. The company now operates throughout the Barnett Shale region in Texas, providing conventional fracturing services.

It employs three slickwater fracturing fleets with crews in the region, according to the firm. “We listen to our customers and address their needs,” FracSource says. “We provide services to local oil and gas operators with a streamlined fracturing fleet, which utilizes equipment that is tailored to the Barnett Shale fracturing industry.

“Every effort is made to address each aspect of the job from equipment design, manifolding, operational considerations, sand conveyance and work schedules,” the company continues.

“By taking each part of the overall job into consideration from the initial concept of the fleet to the end result, a more efficient operation could be realized, reducing both internal and customer costs,” FracSource adds. “The Barnett Shale is a growing area – probably the largest onshore gas field in North America – that requires a lot of hydraulic horsepower for fracturing.”

In fact, 12 to 15 percent of the drilling rigs in North America operate in the Barnett Shale. Many companies working in the region are completing or stimulating the wells, but FracSource performs completions by pumping sand at a high pressure, Armstrong says.