Coalbed methane is a critical global unconventional natural gas resource, but traditional water-based fracturing faces challenges such as water scarcity and reservoir damage. This paper reviews 10 waterless/low-water fracturing technologies, including foam fracturing and supercritical CO2 fracturing, analyzing their mechanisms, advantages, limitations, and field applications. Results indicate that technology selection adheres to the “performance-technology matching” principle, adapting to coal rank, reservoir properties, and in situ stress. Waterless technologies conserve water and generate no wastewater, while low-water technologies reduce water consumption. Future development should focus on material innovation, numerical simulation optimization, and large-scale field trials to promote sustainable applications.
Yan et al. (Mon,) studied this question.
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