Organization and Operations	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2015
Notes to Financial Statements [Abstract]
Organization and Operations	NOTE A – ORGANIZATION AND OPERATIONS We are a geographically diversified oil and gas services company, focused on completion fluids and associated products and services, water management, frac flowback, production well testing, offshore rig cooling, compression services and equipment, and selected offshore services including well plugging and abandonment, decommissioning, and diving. We also have a limited domestic oil and gas production business. We were incorporated in Delaware in 1981 and are composed of five reporting segments organized into four divisions – Fluids, Production Testing, Compression, and Offshore. Unless the context requires otherwise, when we refer to “we,” “us,” and “our,” we are describing TETRA Technologies, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries on a consolidated basis. Our Fluids Division manufactures and markets clear brine fluids, additives, and associated products and services to the oil and gas industry for use in well drilling, completion, and workover operations in the United States and in certain countries in Latin America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. The Division also markets liquid and dry calcium chloride products manufactured at its production facilities or purchased from third-party suppliers to a variety of markets outside the energy industry. The Fluids Division also provides domestic onshore oil and gas operators with comprehensive water management services. Our Production Testing Division provides frac flowback, production well testing, offshore rig cooling, and other associated services in many of the major oil and gas producing regions in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, as well as in basins in certain regions in South America, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Australia. Our Compression Division is a provider of compression services and equipment for natural gas and oil production, gathering, transportation, processing, and storage. The Compression Division's equipment and parts sales business includes the fabrication and sale of standard compressor packages, custom-designed compressor packages, and oilfield pump systems designed and fabricated at the Division's facilities as well as the sale of compressor package parts and components manufactured by third-party suppliers. The Compression Division's aftermarket services business provides compressor package reconfiguration and maintenance services. The Compression Division provides its services and equipment to a broad base of natural gas and oil exploration and production, midstream, transmission, and storage companies operating throughout many of the onshore producing regions of the United States as well as in a number of foreign countries, including Mexico, Canada, and Argentina. As a result of the August 4, 2014, acquisition of Compressor Systems, Inc. ("CSI") (the "CSI Acquisition"), the scope of our Compression Division was significantly expanded. For further discussion, see Note C - Acquisitions and Dispositions. Our Offshore Division consists of two operating segments: Offshore Services and Maritech. The Offshore Services segment provides: (1) downhole and subsea services such as well plugging and abandonment and workover services; (2) decommissioning and certain construction services utilizing heavy lift barges and various cutting technologies with regard to offshore oil and gas production platforms and pipelines; and (3) conventional and saturation diving services. The Maritech segment is a limited oil and gas production operation. During 2011 and the first quarter of 2012, Maritech sold substantially all of its oil and gas producing property interests. Maritech’s operations consist primarily of the ongoing abandonment and decommissioning associated with its remaining offshore wells and production platforms. Maritech intends to acquire a portion of these services from the Offshore Division’s Offshore Services segment. Throughout 2015 and continuing into early 2016, significant decreases in oil and natural gas commodity prices lowered the capital expenditure and operating plans of many of our customers, creating uncertainty regarding the expected demand for many of our products and services and the resulting cash flows from operating activities for the foreseeable future. In addition, the availability of new borrowings in current capital markets is more limited and costly. Accordingly, we continue to implement cost reduction measures designed to lower our cost structure and have taken other steps to improve our operating cash flows. As a result of the steps taken to improve operating cash flows, we believe that despite the current industry environment and activity levels we will have adequate liquidity to fund our operations and debt obligations and maintain compliance with debt covenants through December 31, 2016. In addition, as further discussed in Note G - Long-Term Debt and Other Borrowings, on November 20, 2015, pursuant to a Note Purchase Agreement (the “2015 Senior Note Purchase Agreement”) with GSO Tetra Holdings LP, an unrelated third party, we issued and sold $125.0 million in aggregate principal amount of our 11% Senior Notes due November 5, 2022 (the “Series 2015 Senior Notes”). Immediately after the closing and funding, we applied a portion of the $119.7 million net proceeds from the sale of the Series 2015 Senior Notes (consisting of $125.0 million aggregate principal amount net of a $5.0 million discount and certain financing costs) to repay all of the indebtedness for borrowed money outstanding under our bank credit facility (the "Credit Agreement"). In December 2015, we applied the remaining portion of the proceeds, together with other funds to (i) pay the $25.0 million purchase price pursuant to a tender offer which commenced on November 5, 2015, (the “Tender Offer”) to purchase for cash up to $25.0 million aggregate principal amount of certain of our outstanding Series 2010-A Senior Notes and Series 2010-B Senior Notes (collectively, the “2010 Senior Notes”), (ii) prepay in full all amounts owed in respect of our outstanding Series 2006-A Senior Notes, due April 30, 2016, and (iii) pay fees and expenses associated with the transactions contemplated under the 2015 Senior Note Purchase Agreement. In addition, we entered into an agreement with Wells Fargo Energy Capital, Inc. that extends the maturity date of the $50.0 million of the Senior Secured Notes due April 1, 2017, (the "Senior Secured Notes") from 2017 to 2019. As a result of these transactions, we have repaid or extended the maturity dates of a significant portion of TETRA's total long-term debt without significantly increasing the amount of TETRA's net borrowings.

NOTE A – ORGANIZATION AND OPERATIONS

We are a geographically diversified oil and gas services company, focused on completion fluids and associated products and services, water management, frac flowback, production well testing, offshore rig cooling, compression services and equipment, and selected offshore services including well plugging and abandonment, decommissioning, and diving. We also have a limited domestic oil and gas production business. We were incorporated in Delaware in 1981 and are composed of five reporting segments organized into four divisions – Fluids, Production Testing, Compression, and Offshore. Unless the context requires otherwise, when we refer to “we,” “us,” and “our,” we are describing TETRA Technologies, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries on a consolidated basis.

Our Fluids Division manufactures and markets clear brine fluids, additives, and associated products and services to the oil and gas industry for use in well drilling, completion, and workover operations in the United States and in certain countries in Latin America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. The Division also markets liquid and dry calcium chloride products manufactured at its production facilities or purchased from third-party suppliers to a variety of markets outside the energy industry. The Fluids Division also provides domestic onshore oil and gas operators with comprehensive water management services.

Our Production Testing Division provides frac flowback, production well testing, offshore rig cooling, and other associated services in many of the major oil and gas producing regions in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, as well as in basins in certain regions in South America, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Australia.

Our Compression Division is a provider of compression services and equipment for natural gas and oil production, gathering, transportation, processing, and storage. The Compression Division's equipment and parts sales business includes the fabrication and sale of standard compressor packages, custom-designed compressor packages, and oilfield pump systems designed and fabricated at the Division's facilities as well as the sale of compressor package parts and components manufactured by third-party suppliers. The Compression Division's aftermarket services business provides compressor package reconfiguration and maintenance services. The Compression Division provides its services and equipment to a broad base of natural gas and oil exploration and production, midstream, transmission, and storage companies operating throughout many of the onshore producing regions of the United States as well as in a number of foreign countries, including Mexico, Canada, and Argentina. As a result of the August 4, 2014, acquisition of Compressor Systems, Inc. ("CSI") (the "CSI Acquisition"), the scope of our Compression Division was significantly expanded. For further discussion, see Note C - Acquisitions and Dispositions.

Our Offshore Division consists of two operating segments: Offshore Services and Maritech. The Offshore Services segment provides: (1) downhole and subsea services such as well plugging and abandonment and workover services; (2) decommissioning and certain construction services utilizing heavy lift barges and various cutting technologies with regard to offshore oil and gas production platforms and pipelines; and (3) conventional and saturation diving services.

The Maritech segment is a limited oil and gas production operation. During 2011 and the first quarter of 2012, Maritech sold substantially all of its oil and gas producing property interests. Maritech’s operations consist primarily of the ongoing abandonment and decommissioning associated with its remaining offshore wells and production platforms. Maritech intends to acquire a portion of these services from the Offshore Division’s Offshore Services segment.

Throughout 2015 and continuing into early 2016, significant decreases in oil and natural gas commodity prices lowered the capital expenditure and operating plans of many of our customers, creating uncertainty regarding the expected demand for many of our products and services and the resulting cash flows from operating activities for the foreseeable future. In addition, the availability of new borrowings in current capital markets is more limited and costly. Accordingly, we continue to implement cost reduction measures designed to lower our cost structure and have taken other steps to improve our operating cash flows. As a result of the steps taken to improve operating cash flows, we believe that despite the current industry environment and activity levels we will have adequate liquidity to fund our operations and debt obligations and maintain compliance with debt covenants through December 31, 2016. In addition, as further discussed in Note G - Long-Term Debt and Other Borrowings, on November 20, 2015, pursuant to a Note Purchase Agreement (the “2015 Senior Note Purchase Agreement”) with GSO Tetra Holdings LP, an unrelated third party, we issued and sold $125.0 million in aggregate principal amount of our 11% Senior Notes due November 5, 2022 (the “Series 2015 Senior Notes”). Immediately after the closing and funding, we applied a portion of the $119.7 million net proceeds from the sale of the Series 2015 Senior Notes (consisting of $125.0 million aggregate principal amount net of a $5.0 million discount and certain financing costs) to repay all of the indebtedness for borrowed money outstanding under our bank credit facility (the "Credit Agreement"). In December 2015, we applied the remaining portion of the proceeds, together with other funds to (i) pay the $25.0 million purchase price pursuant to a tender offer which commenced on November 5, 2015, (the “Tender Offer”) to purchase for cash up to $25.0 million aggregate principal amount of certain of our outstanding Series 2010-A Senior Notes and Series 2010-B Senior Notes (collectively, the “2010 Senior Notes”), (ii) prepay in full all amounts owed in respect of our outstanding Series 2006-A Senior Notes, due April 30, 2016, and (iii) pay fees and expenses associated with the transactions contemplated under the 2015 Senior Note Purchase Agreement. In addition, we entered into an agreement with Wells Fargo Energy Capital, Inc. that extends the maturity date of the $50.0 million of the Senior Secured Notes due April 1, 2017, (the "Senior Secured Notes") from 2017 to 2019. As a result of these transactions, we have repaid or extended the maturity dates of a significant portion of TETRA's total long-term debt without significantly increasing the amount of TETRA's net borrowings.