The Duvernay Shale
Near Kaybob, Alberta
In 2011 Canyon was proud to be chosen to participate in one of Western Canada’s most exciting plays:
the Duvernay Shale. In December 2011 Canyon fractured a milestone Duvernay horizontal well with a total measured depth of
nearly 5,200 metres, including a horizontal leg over 1,700 metres long. Canyon successfully fractured multiple intervals
spaced over 25 stages and placed almost 2,500 tonnes of proppant using nearly 150,000 barrels of fluid. This was a highly
consequential well for the customer and the producing sector, as it helped confirm the liquids-rich Duvernay Shale’s
technical and economic viability. The highly productive well included 90 barrels of valuable condensate per million cubic
feet of gas. Dozens of Duvernay horizontal wells have been licensed for 2012, and Canyon is actively participating with
numerous clients, making us one of this play’s most experienced fracturing companies.
Multi-well pad drilling of Montney liquids-rich gas
Near Septimus, northeast B.C.
In 2012 Canyon is entering its third year of a multi-pad, multi-well Montney liquids-rich gas project for a major producer.
The project exemplifies the trend of gaining per-well efficiencies by doing uninterrupted operations on multi-well projects.
In 2011 Canyon deployed 30,000 HHP to site and placed 132 fracturing stages in 11 wells back-to-back on three pads, using
60 percent recycled slick water, finishing ahead of schedule and with no equipment breakdowns. Crews operated by day and
maintained equipment at night. Canyon and the customer are working to gain even greater efficiencies. Instead of well-by-well
drilling and completion, wells will be drilled and then completed in batches.
High-rate slickwater fracturing at Pink Mountain
North of Ft. St. John, B.C.
Another liquids-rich Montney project, this was the highest-rate job Canyon had pumped to date. A total of 18 pumpers delivering
50,000 HHP injected 18 cubic metres per minute of slick water. High-rate jobs are not only faster, they are needed in certain
reservoirs to create the long fractures that optimize conductivity. This approach is also being applied to the Cardium oil
play in Alberta. Maximizing results per well is key to achieving profitable economics in this era of low gas prices. Canyon’s
strong performance in 2011 led to repeat business in 2012 at Pink Mountain.
MZST process maximizes efficiencies in the Bakken shale
Near Estevan, southeast Saskatchewan
Canyon is the exclusive Canadian service provider licensed to place unlimited fracturing intervals using the patented Exxon-Mobil
MZST process. Conveyed by coiled tubing and placed with various tool assemblies, the MZST process enables continuous interval-by-interval
perforating and fracturing with a single trip into the wellbore. This dramatically reduces the time, complexity and cost
of fracturing suitable reservoir types, being much faster than traditional “plug-and-perf” jobs. Canyon has
used MZST on up to 20-stage fracturing jobs. It has been particularly successful in the Bakken oil play of southeast Saskatchewan,
where Canyon has fractured hundreds of zones using the MZST process.
Innovative completions approach in the Slave Point carbonates
Near Red Earth, Alberta
The Slave Point is yielding some highly productive light oil wells, but it is a challenging reservoir. Producers are experimenting
with a variety of wellbore completion configurations, materials and processes. One of these is the sliding sleeve, which
is conveyed with coiled tubing and avoids the need to perforate the wellbore. In 2011 Canyon completed dozens of Slave Point
wells, placing 600 to 800 tonnes of proppant along 20 to 26 intervals accessed through a sliding sleeve system. The wells
were some of the area’s most highly productive, allowing the producer to book some of the play’s best reserves.
Using recycled water for slickwater fracturing in the Cardium
Near Drayton Valley, Alberta
Applying slick water to fracture the Cardium tight sands in west-central Alberta has dramatically lifted well productivity
and economics thanks to the long fractures that result from high-rate pumping. With large volumes of water needed, producers
are working hard to cut their freshwater consumption. Canyon is contributing to this trend by formulating robust, flexible
chemistries that can work effectively with lower-quality water, backed by on-location testing enabling adjustments in the
field. Canyon has delivered successive Cardium light oil well fracturing jobs using very low-quality water, including 100
percent non-potable underground water and 60 percent recycled sewage.