The Hydraulic Fracturing Test Site (HFTS) is a proposed field-based hydraulic fracturing research program for horizontal shale wells with overall objectives of:

• Minimizing potential environmental impacts
• Improving performance and cost efficiency
• Demonstrating safe and reliable operations

Factors such as the evolution of hydraulic fracturing technology, its importance to the global energy market, and the remaining questions regarding environmental impact, performance, efficiency, and safety necessitate the need for advanced technology to adequately characterize, evaluate, and improve the effectiveness of the individual fracture stages. A large, comprehensive hydraulic fracturing research program like the Multi-Site Hydraulic Fracture Diagnostics Project (M-Site Project) in Colorado that was conducted in vertical wells by the Gas Research Institute and Department of Energy in the 1990s has not been performed in long, multi-stage horizontal shale wells.

Prolific volumes of shale gas are being produced. And yet it is well known that not all fracture stages contribute equally to gas production. In many cases, the majority of production in a horizontal well comes from a subset of the total stages treated. There is substantial room for more understanding of the cause and effect relationships between fracture design and more efficient hydrocarbon production in horizontal shale wells. Furthermore, minimization and ultimate elimination of the perceived environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing needs to be addressed and field verified.

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