Fracturing as a method to stimulate shallow, hard rock oil wells dates back to the 1860s. The first hydraulic fracturing technology was applied in the US states of Pennsylvania, New York, Kentucky in 1947. Hydraulic fracture was formed by pumping the fracturing fluid into the wellbore at a sufficient rate to increase downhole pressure to exceed that of the pressure gradient of the rock. In this paper, a few key techniques including hydraulic fracturing for the development of oil and gas resources were introduced. It has become a common technique to enhance the production of low-permeability formations, especially unconventional reservoirs such as tight sands, coal beds, and deep shales. Therefore hydraulic fracturing has been considered as “killer mace” for development of unconventional hydrocarbon resources in the world.
