Hydraulic fracturing expert BJ Services said Thursday it is ready to deploy a next-generation pump in the Permian Basin and Eagle Ford Shale after completing a 1,000-hour field trial in the Haynesville Shale fueled by natural gas.

Hydraulic Fracturing

The Tomball, TX-based oilfield services provider completed the field trial at the end of April for the 5,000 hydraulic hp direct-drive turbine pump with Haynesville explorer Aethon Energy Management LLC.

“The successful field trial confirms our decision to deploy our first contracted Titan fleet by the end of 2020 and initiates our long-term disciplined fleet enhancement strategy,” BJ CEO Warren Zemlak said.

Under a four-year contract with the private equity-sponsored Aethon, BJ installed the first Titan system this year within the gassy Haynesville, which straddles Texas and Louisiana.

Aethon’s Mike Warren, vice president of Completions, said BJ delivered on each of its commitments “and we are excited to advance these developments to full-scale operations.”

The field trial and subsequent tear-down inspection validated the pump’s reliability, field operating economics and turbine output performance using “multiple fuel sources” that included field gas, liquefied natural gas and compressed natural gas.

The trial also confirmed that the pump can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by eliminating idling during nonoperating periods, considered an advantage over conventional diesel fleets and other next-generation technologies, BJ noted.

“The combination of using in-field natural gas, and the elimination of engine idle time, reduced total fuel costs by over 80%, compared to conventional diesel-fueled fracture pumps,” it said.

Field demonstration in the Permian and Eagle Ford are scheduled to begin this month.