SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND A KIT FOR DETERMINING THE PRESENCE OF FLUIDS ASSOCIATED WITH A HYDROCARBON RESERVOIR IN HYDRAULIC FRACTURING

• US 20140004523A1
• Filed: 11/26/2012
• Published: 01/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Base Trace, LLC
• Original Assignee: Jr., Jake Garber Rudolph
• Inventors: Chow, Justine S., Rudolph, Jake Garber Jr.
• Application Number:
  US13/684,679
• Publication Number:
  US 20140004523A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/6.12
• CPC Class Codes: C07H 21/04 with deoxyribosyl as saccharide radical
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/68 involving nucleic acids
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/6853 using modified primers or templates
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/6876 Nucleic acid products used in the analysis of nucleic acids, e.g. primers or probes
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 2525/301 Hairpin oligonucleotides
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 2563/185 Nucleic acid dedicated to use as a hidden marker/bar code, e.g. inclusion of nucleic acids to mark art objects or animals
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 2600/166 Oligonucleotides used as internal standards, controls or normalisation probes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/44743 Introducing samples
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/1826 Organic contamination in water

Abstract

Systems and methods and a kit are provided for using a DNA tracer for the detection of hydraulic fracturing fluid, and further including a method of creating well-specific tracers.

Claims

1. A method for determining contamination of fluids comprising the steps of:

providing samples of a fluid;

cleaning the samples;

conducting a first set of testing to detect the presence or absence of a DNA tracer,

wherein the DNA tracer includes a hairpin configuration and a set of dangling ends, thereby providing testing steps for determining contamination of fluids by detecting the presence of the DNA tracer in the fluid tested.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of detecting the presence of the DNA tracer further includes using a mix of multiple primers in polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of detecting the presence of the DNA tracer further includes using an universal tracer that interacts with the DNA tracer.

4. The method of claim 1, further including the step of conducting a second set of testing that is performed in the case of a positive result from the first set of testing.

5. The method of claim 1, further including the step of conducting a second set of testing that is performed in the case of an uncertain result from the first set of testing.

6. The method of claim 4, further including a step of identifying a set of dangling ends that further includes isolating testing of individual pairs of primers in PCR.

7. The method of claim 6, further including the step of reducing the results of the second set of testing to match a specific fluid source.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the samples are cleaned with an ethanol rinse or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) inhibitor removal for sequence amplification.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the detection method includes gel electrophoresis.

10. A tracer for determining contamination of fluids, the tracer comprising a DNA structure including a hairpin and dangling ends, wherein the structure is durable, and wherein the structure is provided for detection of source.

11. The tracer of claim 10, wherein the hairpin includes a single strand of DNA folded approximately in half, such that part of the single strand is double stranded with another part of the single strand, with a loop at its fold, the loop forming the hairpin.

12. The tracer of claim 10, wherein the dangling ends do not pair with other ends of a single strand of the DNA structure.

13. The tracer of claim 10, wherein the dangling ends have a free-floating single-stranded DNA structure.

14. A system for determining contamination of fluids comprising at least one tracer, the at least one tracer comprising a DNA structure including a hairpin and dangling ends, wherein the structure is durable, and wherein the structure is provided for detection of source.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the hairpin includes a single strand of DNA folded approximately in half, such that part of the single strand is double stranded with another part of the single strand, with a loop at its fold, the loop forming the hairpin.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the dangling ends do not pair with other ends of a single strand of the DNA structure.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the dangling ends have a free-floating single-stranded DNA structure.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one tracer further includes one fluid-source specific tracer.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the at least one fluid-source specific tracer is associated with a groundwater source.