Appalachian operator EQT Corp. and the oilfield services company Green Field Energy Services have completed multiple hydraulic fracturing (fracking) stages using pumps powered 100% by Marcellus Shale gas at a well site.

Pittsburgh-based EQT and Louisiana-based Green Field said they used former military helicopter turbines to obtain sufficient horsepower required by fracking. Use of the helicopter turbines permits 100% use of gas in the process. The gas-powered fracking used Marcellus Shale field gas at one of EQT’s wells.

“It allows us to power our equipment from one of our producing natural wells,” said EQT’s Steve Schlotterbeck, senior vice president of exploration and development. He said EQT was committed to making its operations generally cleaner, greener and more efficient.

“By eliminating diesel and using 100% field gas, we’re able to reduce emissions of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and sulfur oxides, along with decreasing the amount of truck traffic on local roads,” Schlotterbeck said.

Green Field deploys its Turbine Frac Pump technology as a way to achieve the 100% gas use in place of diesel, according to President Rick Fontova. The pumps, he said, meet current Environmental Protection Agency Tier IV-level emissions standards.