An estimated 30% to 50% of hydraulic fracture zones in shale plays do not produce, according to a 2012 paper published by the Society of Petroleum Engineers. Those statistics came as something of a shock to John Pope and his colleagues at WellDog.
“That blew us away,” says Pope, president and chief executive of the Wyoming-based oilfield services company. “Documented studies show that half of the fracks are being done in places where there are no hydrocarbons.
