Hydraulic fracturing in the United States with hydraulic fracturing activity versus those without, with each well addition increasing rates of accidents by 2% and risk of fatality by .6%. Rig-Up and Rig-Down are terms used to refer to the delivery, construction, dismantling and breakdown of equipment required throughout the hydraulic fracturing process. Incidents and fatalities during rig-up/rig-down operations may result if struck or crushed by the heavy equipment involved. Hazards during Mixing and Injection Workers may be exposed to dangerous chemicals while mixing and injecting fluids used in hydraulic fracturing. Potential chemicals include, hydrochloric and hydrofluoric acid, biocides, methanol, ethylene glycol, guar gum, polysaccharides and polyacrylamides,
Guar gum of cross-linked gels was a major advance in fracturing fluid technology. Viscosity is enhanced by tying together the low molecular weight strands, effectively yielding higher molecular weight strands and a rigid structure. Cross-linking agents are added to linear polysaccharide slurries to provide higher proppant transport performance, relative to linear gels . Lower concentrations of guar gelling agents are needed when linear guar chains are cross-linked. It has been determined that reduced guar concentrations provide better and more complete breaks in a fracture. The breakdown of cross-linked guar gel after the fracturing process restores formation permeability and allows increased production flow