Nitrogen has many applications in the oil and gas industry. High-pressure nitrogen is used in enhanced oil recovery because it helps to recover oil from deep reservoirs. It can also be used to maintain reservoir pressure in place of natural gas.
Oil and gas operations also rely on nitrogen for well fracturing in water-sensitive and brittle shale formations. Water-based treatments can cause swelling in these areas, creating a barrier to fracking. Nitrogen gas is low density, so it’s often used for fracking in unconventional formations like tight sands and coal bed methane. When using nitrogen for fracking, operations can benefit from the fast cleanup of flowback fluid and reduce chemical additives and water requirements.
Another application of nitrogen is pigging and purging pipelines. Nitrogen can be the driving force for pigs and pushes them through the pipe. After pigging is complete, the gas can purge the pipe and dry up any remaining water.
Nitrogen’s inert properties are also valuable to oil and gas operations. Many operations will use this gas for inerting instrument panels and flare gases. Additionally, nitrogen can displace well fluids to initiate flow and clean wells.
