Ensinger's engineering plastics offer characteristics essential for successful fracking operations. During the fracking process, it is necessary to isolate sections of the well. This is accomplished by using specialized equipment known as packers and frac sleeves.
- Once equipment has been sent to the proper depth, fracturing begins by sending precisely sized frac balls down the well
- Each ball is designed to fit securely into a seal of the same size in the frac sleeve
- Frac balls, starting with the smallest and ending with the largest, travel as far as they can until they seat securely in the seal designed to receive it
- Positive pressure on the ball and the seal forces the sleeve to open exposing ports through which controlled explosives are directed, creating the desired fracture in the rock formation
- Process is repeated as many times as necessary to fracture the entire target zone
- Frac balls then either flow out or can be easily drilled out, and oil or gas production can begin