The only patented enzyme breaker purpose-built for xanthan gum. Restores formation permeability and proppant pack conductivity to near-original levels — with no competitive equivalent on the market.
Xanthan-based drill-out and aphron fluids are widely used to drill-out composite plugs in horizontal completions. These fluids leave behind xanthan polymer residue that invades the formation and proppant pack — reducing permeability, restricting conductivity, and limiting flowback.
Traditional oxidizer breakers such as ammonium persulfate often fail to fully clean up this damage. Independent lab testing has shown that oxidizer breakers can actually reduce regain permeability compared to untreated wells.
Hallux Xanthanase HT 20K is specifically engineered to fully degrade xanthan polymers under downhole conditions, restoring formation permeability and proppant pack conductivity to near-original levels. It is the only enzyme breaker purpose-built for xanthan gum — and it has no competitive equivalent on the market.
Bandera sandstone at 150× magnification. Sand grains are heavily coated with xanthan polymer residue, blocking pore throats and reducing permeability.
Same core after enzyme treatment. Sand grains are clean with sharp edges restored, pore throats open, and permeability returned to near-original levels.
Scanning Electron Microscopy — Stim Lab (Core Laboratories)
Option 1 — Flush or Pumpdown
Pump Xanthanase HT at the tail end of each frac stage during the flush or pumpdown. The enzyme is placed directly behind the perforations with the frac fluid, so when drill-out begins and xanthan-based fluid contacts the perfs, the enzyme is already in position to break it down on contact.
The most effective method — prevents formation damage before it occurs.
Option 2 — Blend Into Drill-Out Fluid
Add Xanthanase HT directly into the drill-out fluid. The enzyme is fully compatible with xanthan-based fluid systems and begins degrading the polymer immediately. Because it travels with the fluid, it remains effective even when drill-out fluid is lost into the formation.
Effective and cost-efficient — enzyme cleans up damage as the fluid circulates.
Option 3 — Remedial Coiled Tubing
For wells already drilled out without enzyme treatment, Xanthanase HT can be applied as a remedial cleanup. Using coiled tubing, pump the treatment to the toe and pull out while displacing. Load into a clean carrier fluid with a treatment volume of 1.5–2x the open-hole volume. Allow a minimum soak time of 16–24 hours before flowback.
Best for wells that need post-drill-out remediation.
Independent laboratory testing at Stim Lab and PropTester has validated the performance of Xanthanase HT 20K across multiple downhole-simulated conditions.
100% Regain Permeability
Stim Lab testing on Bandera sandstone cores at 160°F showed complete permeability restoration when Xanthanase HT was blended into the aphron fluid. By comparison, ammonium persulfate achieved only 65% regain.
Up to 99.4% Conductivity Regain
PropTester evaluations using 40/70 Northern White sand demonstrated near-full conductivity recovery in proppant packs treated with Xanthanase HT — whether blended into the fluid or applied as a preflush.
Lowest Filtercake Lift-Off Pressure
Xanthanase-treated cores required only 132 psi to lift the filtercake, compared to 168 psi with no breaker and 249 psi with ammonium persulfate.
Works at Both Proppant Concentrations
Tested and proven at both 1.0 and 2.0 lb/ft² proppant loading with consistent results.
Stim Lab (Core Laboratories) tested Xanthanase HT 20K on Bandera Sandstone cores at 160°F with 200 psi overbalance pressure.
The enzyme-treated cores achieved 100.1% regain permeability — complete restoration. The filtercake lift-off pressure was only 132 psi, compared to 249 psi for ammonium persulfate.
Ammonium persulfate actually performed worse than no breaker at all (65.4% vs 75.6%), demonstrating that oxidizer breakers can cause additional damage.
PropTester evaluations used 40/70 Northern White sand and Ohio sandstone cores at 2,000 psi closure stress and 160°F.
At 2.0 lb/ft² loading, Xanthanase HT achieved 99.4% conductivity regain when blended in-fluid. The preflush method achieved 98%.
Both methods dramatically outperformed the no-breaker control (74.2%), demonstrating the enzyme's ability to restore proppant pack conductivity regardless of application method.
Xanthanase HT 20K is manufactured in the USA, non-hazardous, not DOT regulated, and environmentally friendly — requiring no special handling, storage, or disposal. Not all enzymes are created equally. It is non-corrosive to metals and compatible with all formation types, base waters, tubular goods, and proppants.
There is no equivalent xanthan-specific enzyme breaker on the market. Xanthanase HT 20K is the only purpose-engineered enzyme for degrading xanthan gum under downhole conditions.