Post: #1

So, I want to start this thread by qualifying myself in who I am(why you should even listen to me). I am a graduate level educated engineer and I work in Frac(To be more accurate, hydraulic fracturing).

Frac is something that has been around for over 50 years. Despite media reporting it as a new concept, it is not.

Now, what makes frac, a recent game changer and very high profile in the grand scheme of things is the modern technics that we now employ. There is a mantra of mis-information and manipulation of the public, that has no scientific bases. Most if this is only for policial gain. Who ever writes the biggest check will have the information skewed to there agenda.

Frack is a form of Well stimulation. IT IS NOT DRILLING. The minute you hear horizontal drilling(in reference to frack)... that source should be taken with a grain of salt. What they are trying to articulate is that, because of the advances in drilling we are able to drill more accurately, and at different angles. Directional drillers can drill in amazing angles and curves as opposed to straight down, as the average joe would think.

In North Dakota,(The Bakken) the majority of the wells exploit what's called the middle bakken. This is nothing but a geological layer, below that has been deemed as generally the most profitable/productive. So instead of drilling straight down, the oils wells(hole in the ground) are drilled down(thousands of feet then turn horizontally(thousands of feet). Once they drill and the well goes into its production cycle, they hire a frac team. This team comes along and first perforates(done by a coil tubing or wireline crew) to create fracture in the side of the bored hole(well), they they use either acid or fluid, to further open the fractures. This allows oil that was not able to flow into the well, to now be accessible. Allong with opening these fractures, we use sand or some other proppant to hold the fractures open. Its like propping a door open.

This entire process is done hydraulically. I have skipped ALOT of the process but I want you to have an idea of what Job I am introducing to you guys.

Now Hydraulic fracturing, is done by Frac operators and engineers. Atleast in North Dakota, if you are fracking and not making 6 figs.... your retarded or not working for part of the year.

The (hourly) operators starting, will range for just under 100k to about 140k. Engineers make a salary and receive bonuses for team performance. Salary ranges from 70k-130k, But they receive daily bonuses that average 200-600 dollars. So they break 200k yearly regularly.

These jobs are not the end all be all. THe normal progression is to eventually become a Company man or consultant. This person is basically a project manager that worked in frack and has specialized knowledge. They control the total operations of that well. They make $1200-1750 a day, in ND. The only company I have been able to really investigate, allows them to make there own monthly schedule. THey must do 17 day every 31. But others do 1 on 1 off. 2 on 2 off or 28 and 28.


How to get in: I hate this cliché. But its who you know. SMDH.

But to such a crazy level, that you wouldn't even have the basic info I just provided, if you didn't know someone doing it. So even the actual info is on a "who u know" basis. However, %90 percent of the people who have jobs at my company had a friend/family here or walked right in the door at the right time.

Outlook: This is the future and is heavily growing domestically. Also, they are starting to fire up internationally. However there are three things needed for that to happened. We need the right Political environment, infrastructure and finance. THis is like the moon and starts aligning. But it is picking up rapidly.

When the drilling is done, the wells will still need to be stimulated periodically. So this is a great sector with awesome outlook.


I will write more, where as I am experiencing downtime right now at work and took 10 mins to throw this together. Forgive my errors, but I am rushing.

Again, thank you all for everything, you have given me though this forum. It all started here. I hope this post helps

Post: #2

SHIT!!1 I forgot, if you have a CDL it dramatically increases your chance for being hired. Because, we have to haul a shit ton of equipment to the location. Even the engineers have CDL's on my crew.

Post: #3

I've been meaning to hit you up about this type of work.

I understand that most of the top dollar money is made by engineers and such.

for a person with no math/engineering background..where can you go?

considering these are also insider network jobs..how far does education/experience I'm management/international business go?

how valuable is something like a graduate degree/certificate in technical project management?
if you have no background in a hard math engineering field?

Post: #4

If you come and learn the industry, you will be in line for a consultant position. The degree is kinda the way to break through the glass ceiling. They really want to legitimize(for lack of a better word) the industry up here. So you can work as a frac operator first and once you have some experience, you will be in a good position to consult. Maybe even internationally.

Post: #5

Is it usually rotation work?

Also, is there any work there for Automation Technicians?

Post: #6

I'm studying MechE in college, I still have 3 years to go but I definitely want to get in the energy industry. Is this a valuable education for fracking?

You mentioned fracking is only getting bigger from here. I don't want to be tied down to only a few areas in the US that frack. Any info on other countries that are starting to utilize it? Thanks in advance.

Post: #7

So what about guys who have no experience/education or connections whatsoever in that industry. What's the chance of someone just walking in off the street with their sleeves rolled up and being able to find gainful employment?

Post: #8

(04-29-2014 03:10 AM)spalex Wrote:  Is it usually rotation work?

Also, is there any work there for Automation Technicians?

Its generally 2 on 1 off. Some places have 2 on 2 off.

I don know much about Automation Technicians. But thee are two crew positions, one is an actually mechanic for our equipment, and the other is an electronics technicians. Maybe u could go after one of those positios. Those guy don't do much at all. ALOT of sitting around.

Post: #9

(04-29-2014 03:18 AM)Don Ramon Wrote:  I'm studying MechE in college, I still have 3 years to go but I definitely want to get in the energy industry. Is this a valuable education for fracking?

You mentioned fracking is only getting bigger from here. I don't want to be tied down to only a few areas in the US that frack. Any info on other countries that are starting to utilize it? Thanks in advance.

Everyday frack starts in a new part of the US/the world, and is heavily used off shore as well as in the middle east. PLaces that are trying to employ it now are Russia and Africa and several others that pushingtward this. Hell they even frac in Pennsylvania nd Colorado.

Post: #10

(04-29-2014 03:18 AM)speakeasy Wrote:  So what about guys who have no experience/education or connections whatsoever in that industry. What's the chance of someone just walking in off the street with their sleeves rolled up and being able to find gainful employment?

Get a CDL and catch a company that is its expansion phase...
Companies go through phases wwhere they have more work than crews they can find guys for. That's when you get in. Otherwise, its who u know. But there is a high turnover, so you can always get in somewhere. I will write a list of frack companies soon. How to Apply ect.

Post: #11

(04-29-2014 03:18 AM)speakeasy Wrote:  So what about guys who have no experience/education or connections whatsoever in that industry. What's the chance of someone just walking in off the street with their sleeves rolled up and being able to find gainful employment?

Houston got hired. He will probably chime in. They have job fair almost every week in the area. There was one out here yesterday and another in San Antonio on the 8th. Pretty easy but I would get my cdl first to become an equipment operator. They start from 18-22 an hour working 60-100 hours a week.

I am making almost a grand a week working 60-68 hours a week out here and i am technically not in the oil field.

Post: #12

(04-29-2014 06:43 AM)Belize King Wrote:  

(04-29-2014 03:18 AM)speakeasy Wrote:  So what about guys who have no experience/education or connections whatsoever in that industry. What's the chance of someone just walking in off the street with their sleeves rolled up and being able to find gainful employment?

Houston got hired. He will probably chime in. They have job fair almost every week in the area. There was one out here yesterday and another in San Antonio on the 8th. Pretty easy but I would get my cdl first to become an equipment operator. They start from 18-22 an hour working 60-100 hours a week.

I am making almost a grand a week working 60-68 hours a week out here and i am technically not in the oil field.

Hey,
Are they paying EOs 18-22 starting, for Texas based teams?
All my friends here who worked in Texas said the made considerably less. That would be a good option for guys to avoid the ND ass pain weather. But here they are getting 20-23 start with, per diem of $50-100 a day. 90-110 average weeks.

Post: #13

Dude.

I'm walking on campus and these girls that I know wanted me to sign their petition. Their petition was to end fracking in Colorodo! I pretended to sign my name and went on my way.

But seeing this thread now, I'm glad I didn't sign that shit.
This seems too good to miss!

Post: #14

Another question I have is how intense is the physical labor? I have a bad back and being on my feet for hours or constantly lifting heavy items can put me in incapacitating pain.

Post: #15

(04-29-2014 09:50 AM)Rosca Wrote:  Dude.

I'm walking on campus and these girls that I know wanted me to sign their petition. Their petition was to end fracking in Colorodo! I pretended to sign my name and went on my way.

But seeing this thread now, I'm glad I didn't sign that shit.
This seems too good to miss!

I really don't want to get into the politics on this thread. In gonna start another for that. But it's amazingly silly. The things the news reports are so inaccurate it wild. There is cause for concern(don't get me wrong). But the real only concern is water table contamination. But the chance of that is exteremly low. As a matter of fact, we should stop drilling and ban the use of hydrocarbon fuels, if we followed that logic they apply to frac. The news is so lost when it comes to this concept. You all now know more about frac then them even from this thread.


But more importantly, we just achieved energy independance in America. Due to frac. If u think the recession has been hard, u wouldn't wanna imagine the dollar with out frac.

Post: #16

(04-29-2014 11:46 AM)speakeasy Wrote:  Another question I have is how intense is the physical labor? I have a bad back and being on my feet for hours or constantly lifting heavy items can put me in incapacitating pain.

It's about 5% heavy lifting. Only during arrival and departure, from the site. You have to set up the pipping to pump through. Not bad at all, compared to the rigs.

Post: #17

I'm pro earth.

I also prefer to make money doing something I enjoy.

Post: #18

Redbeard! your PM is disabled. i wrote u a long responds and couldn't send it.

Post: #19

Great thread idea elabayarde, +1 from moi.

(04-29-2014 03:18 AM)Don Ramon Wrote:  I'm studying MechE in college, I still have 3 years to go but I definitely want to get in the energy industry. Is this a valuable education for fracking?

You mentioned fracking is only getting bigger from here. I don't want to be tied down to only a few areas in the US that frack. Any info on other countries that are starting to utilize it? Thanks in advance.

MechE is a great major to get into the energy industry. If you are interested in fracking, pay attention in your strengths of materials and fluid mechanics classes, these are two of the fundamental concepts the industry revolves around.

Also, consider taking an intro geology class as a science elective. You'll get some exposure to rock types and classification which you can then apply to some of the stuff you'll learn in pure engineering classes.

The USA has so much fucking unconventional oil and gas trapped in tight rock formations- fracking is here to stay. The Bakken is just the tip of the iceberg- oil production is skyrocketing thanks to horizontal drilling & fracking approaches in the Permian Basin (West TX & New Mexico), the Eagle Ford (East TX), the Granite Wash (OK & TX) and the Niobrara Formation in Colorado. As well, the Monterey formation in California will eventually take off once extraction methods are figured out, and there is enough oil in there to put these other formations to shame (estimated to be like 15 billion barrels). Plus, there is a ton of gas in most of the aforementioned rock formations, as well as plays like the Marcellus Shale near all the Great Lakes.

The unconventional plays found in North America are going to expand throughout the rest of the world as well. Australia, Africa, Europe and Asia all have massive tight oil and gas resources that are now unlockable by the new technology.

Post: #20

What are health hazards from fracking ?

I read that's one of the most devastating methods of gas extraction ever seen. I mean, to environment

Post: #21

Risks and Concerns of Fracking:

Contamination of groundwater
Methane pollution and its impact on climate change
Air pollution impacts
Exposure to toxic chemicals
Blowouts due to gas explosion
Waste disposal
Large volume water use in water-deficient regions
Fracking-induced earthquakes

It's not natural. Just like marriage.

Post: #22

(04-29-2014 07:14 PM)MidniteSpecial Wrote:  Risks and Concerns of Fracking:

Contamination of groundwater
Methane pollution and its impact on climate change
Air pollution impacts
Exposure to toxic chemicals
Blowouts due to gas explosion
Waste disposal
Large volume water use in water-deficient regions
Fracking-induced earthquakes

It's not natural. Just like marriage.

http://reason.com/archives/2013/07/05/th...t-fracking
http://www.forbes.com/sites/energysource...r-quality/
http://www.spiked-online.com/newsite/art...2BOa2dOXVI

Post: #23

Who cares...let our kids deal with that shit.
Get this paper while it last

Post: #24

I kind of thought the ship had sailed in N.D. The recent reports I had read coming from entry-level guys are not good. $15 an hour and no housing. The problem in America is we have a massive unemployed labour pool which demolishes wages. Canadians are lucky bastards, they simply don't have have enough workers.

Anyone here with boots on the ground in N.D?

Post: #25

Boo MidniteSpecial - you have been listening to the likes of Matt Damon too much!