Hydraulic Fracturing

Unconventional oil and gas activities have become more prevalent over the last decade due to technological advances. Hydraulic fracturing is one process that has benefitted from these technological advances and thus has revolutionized the oil and gas industry, making oil and gas reserves that were previously unavailable more accessible. A key component of hydraulic fracturing is the use of specialized fluids, called additives, to aid in resource extraction.

Our experienced toxicologists and risk assessors have been instrumental in the development of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) screening level assessment system.

The CAPP Screening Tool offers an effective, robust and yet simple, science-based tool for screening and categorizing hydraulic fracturing fluids. This tool is intended to increase awareness and understanding of potential product hazards. It is aligned with CAPP’s Hydraulic Fracturing Fluid Operating Practice: Fracturing Fluid Additive Risk Assessment and Management.

The approach relies on full compositional details for fracturing fluids.  Since intellectual property is paramount in this competitive business environment, Intrinsik fully respects and adheres to intellectual property rights through use of non-disclosure agreements and limited intra-company access to data, as well as providing only summary results to suppliers’ customers. The screening-tool:

• Evaluates public health and environmental endpoints relevant to ingestion and surface water exposures (e.g., oral toxicity and toxicity to aquatic life)
• Was developed considering many of the universal Globally Harmonized System (GHS) criteria for hazard classifications
• Considers toxicity, bioaccumulation and persistence data from reputable sources, including authoritative government and scientific databases
• Aids in the development of suitable operational practices and controls
• Is evidence-based, technically robust, simple, transparent and practical
• Can be adapted to each client’s specific requirements

Our Services:

Since Intrinsik was instrumental in developing the CAPP screening tool, Intrinsik can assist well operators and chemical suppliers by providing:

• Screening-level assessments to allow companies to identify “responsible” hydraulic fracturing fluids
• GHS assessments on individual ingredients
• Aid in the implementation of a process to monitor/evaluate all hydraulic fracturing fluids used
• Toxicological reviews for products with complex ingredients or issues
• Liaison and support for clients and regulators
• Understanding of the potential risks that can be presented to people and/or the environment from the use of hydraulic fracturing fluids
• Help with decision-making with respect to operating practices and controls that may be needed to reduce risks
• Science-based communications regarding fracturing operations and fluids

This screening process can be applied to other chemical groups, including but not limited to drilling fluids and flowback (given that all the ingredient components are known).

Intrinsik Experience:

• Our team has screened over 500 hydraulic fracturing fluid additives and over 1,000 individual ingredients for clients to date – we can screen any new additives effectively and efficiently
• This screening approach has been used in association with hydraulic fracturing systems in both Canada and the United States
• Our toxicologists and risk assessors have a wealth of experience in the evaluation of potential health and environmental risks associated with oil and gas activities through the use of the CAPP screening tool as well as through more detailed traditional risk assessment techniques