3) Slickwater. The term slickwater refers to the addition of chemicals to reduce the
friction of the fluid relative to the well bore and the internal friction of the fluid
itself, increasing the speed at which it can travel and decreasing the amount of pressure required to pump the
water down into the well to fracture the shale. Slickwater fracturing works well in
shales under high pressure and with low permeability, like the Marcellus Shale.