A New Era for Energy Efficiency
In a significant move for the global energy sector, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has released five international standards for the natural gas industry led by the Chinese mainland. These standards offer a "Chinese solution" designed to enhance efficiency and safety across the global energy market through the implementation of precise quantitative benchmarks.
Optimizing Shale Gas Development
One of the core additions is the Determination and Calculation of Shale Brittleness Index series. This framework targets critical challenges in shale gas development, specifically the difficulty of identifying high-quality shale reservoirs and the substantial costs associated with hydraulic fracturing operations.
For the first time on an international scale, these standards establish a technical framework for evaluating shale compressibility and fracability. Industry projections indicate that these benchmarks could improve the accuracy of identifying high-quality reservoirs by approximately 10%.
The impact on operational success is expected to be even more pronounced. The standards are projected to raise the success rate of single-well shale gas exploration and development from a global industry average of 65% to over 85%, while simultaneously slashing operating costs per well by more than 10%.
Setting the Bar for Slickwater Quality
Additionally, the ISO has released the Performance Testing and Requirements for Slickwater. This represents the first product-related international standard in the shale gas sector led by the Chinese mainland.
Slickwater is the primary working fluid used in hydraulic fracturing—a process where high-pressure fluids are injected to release natural gas trapped in rock formations. The new standard provides a systematic definition of quality requirements and performance testing methods, pushing testing accuracy to over 90%.
Experts believe that by establishing these clear, universal benchmarks, the industry can significantly reduce trade and arbitration disputes worldwide, fostering a more stable and cooperative global shale gas market.
Reference(s):
ISO releases China-led international standards for natural gas sector
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