Flowback water is a term used within the oil and gas industry to refer to water which has been used for hydraulic fracturing and which has flowed back to the surface during and after the fracturing process. Flowback water is typically comprised of the source water and any additives used for the process, plus any additional hydrocarbons or other com [..]

Water that flows back out of the well in the weeks following fracking. After the rate drops to a steady level, this is called Produced Water. Flowback water is of environmental concern, as not only does it contain the chemicals put in for fracking, but also chemicals from the rock (such as benzene and mineral salts) and NORM.

When the hydraulic fracturing of a well, or well interval, is completed, pressure is released from the well. This reduction in surface pressure results in a change in the direction of flow within the well, and fracturing fluid flows back up through the wellbore to the surface. This returned water is commonly referred to as “flowback water”.

The fracturing fluid that returns to the surface through the wellbore during and after a hydraulic treatment.

Because of the pressure of the overlying rocks, a proportion of the frack fluid