Shale gas composition what its made up of photo by wcn 247 shale gas is a valuable natural resource that is being eagerly sought out and drilled for using fracturing techniques. Hydraulic fracturing enhanced by water pressure blasting. The process involves injecting a mixture of water, sand and chemicals known as fracturing fluid at high pressure into horizontally drilled boreholes to fracture the rock and release gas or oil. Hydraulic fracturing is a technique used in unconventional gas production. The process was transformed in the 1990s to extract unconventional reserves of gas and oil, such as shale gas, tight oil or coal bed methane. Development of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing is crucial for economic production of shale gas reservoirs, but it must be performed with caution and as a multidisciplinary approach. Indiana oil and gas operators continue to utilize hydraulic fracturing to complete wells when they believe the method will increase the productivity of a well. Hydraulic fracturing in the united states wikipedia. Toward the end of the frac fluid removal process, gas will start to travel up the well along with the fluid. Fracking is a process that oil companies use to drill down into the layers of shale and open up the rock formations. This might be 20 or 30 timesbut a process that typically takes only a few days to finish. Fracking pros and cons fracking process and impact. Fracking for shale gas in england national audit office. The result of this action is many small cracks in the rocks, which allow the trapped gas or oil to escape.
If a processing plant is designed to process shale gas with fixed compositions, a large amount of offspec gas will be produced when the real composition deviates from the designed composition. Shale gas formations are unconventional reservoirs i. A roadmap for lifecycle sustainability evaluation of shale gas fracking process article pdf available in international journal of global energy issues 4043. Development of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing is crucial for economic production of shale gas reservoirs, but it must be performed with. But, not surprisingly, there are fracking pros and cons. For shale gas, hydraulic fracturingof a reservoir is the preferred stimulation method see graphic below. Take a look to find out about its origins, the process, how the u. The marcellus is just one shale layer from which drillers are attempting to extract oil and natural gas. Shale gas is a natural gas mostly composed of methane, which can be found trapped in shale with very low permeability. The name hydraulic fracturing suggests the involvement of water in the drilling process, but fracking fluid actually contains more equally important ingredients. Developing energy from shale is an advanced process that uses the latest drilling technologies and equipment. Hydraulic fracturing is indeed relevant to indiana and has been since it began to be used in the early 1950s. A roadmap for lifecycle sustainability evaluation of shale.
The graphic above created by propublica visually explains the process of hydraulic fracturing. Production of the states shale gas deposits will help lower ohios natural gas costs to consumers and grow our economy. The process of unconventional natural gas production. Fracking is short for hydraulic fracturing, the process of fracturing rock. Fracturing fluids are 90% water, 9% sand, 1% chemicals. After a company determines that a locality has enough resources to explore, leases are purchased from mineral rights owners where applicable. The frac jobs generally increased production, especially from loweryielding wells. As for what fracking means to the united states the answers are security, economic growth and jobs, jobs, jobs. Each chapter focuses on a particular controversy, such contamination of well water with gas from fracking, and follows a similar format. It does not readily flow into a well without additional intervention such as fracking. Shale gas primer master whole body department of energy. Deep holes are drilled down into the shale rock, followed by horizontal drilling to access more of the gas reserves, as shale reserves are typically distributed horizontally rather than vertically. Energy firm cuadrilla has begun fracking in the uk for the first time since the process was.
Unconventional reservoirs can costeffectively produce gas only by using a special stimulation technique, like hydraulic fracturing, or other special recovery process and technology. Shalegas development which uses huge diesel pumps to inject the water. Because shale gas development in the united states is occurring in areas that have not previously. Hydraulic fracturing is extensively used to develop unconventional reservoirs, such as tight gas, shale gas and shale oil reservoirs. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, uses water, sand and small amounts of chemical additives to free up oil and natural gas from dense rock formations. As individual fissures connect, the gas pools together from several sections within the rock. Even though fracking has the potential to provide more oil and gas resources to consumers, the process of extraction has longlasting negative impacts on the surrounding environment.
Hydraulic fracturing of shales goes back at least to 1965, when some operators in the big sandy gas field of eastern kentucky and southern west virginia started hydraulically fracturing the ohio shale and cleveland shale, using relatively small fracs. Eprinc the impact of a fracking ban on shale production and the economy about eprinc the energy policy research foundation, inc. In the us, 65 per cent of water used for the fracking of the largest known natural gas reservoir, marcellus shale comes from rivers, creeks and lakes in pennsylvania. It does not readily flow into a well without additional intervention such as. Federal, state and local conflicts over the regulation of natural gas activities by sorell e.
Better for the environment and the economy 5,280 ft 1 mile 7,920 ft 1. The facts about fracking hydraulic fracturing has been used safely in more than 1 million u. What is shale gas, how is it extracted through fracking. Shale gas and fracking pdf, 532 kb hydraulic fracturing known as fracking is a technique used to extract gas or oil from subterranean rock. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a technique designed to recover gas and oil from shale rock. This is largely because shale gas operations in many ways have developed much further in the us than in other parts of the world, and so it is also where many impacts can be seen and analysed. Fracking these harder to reach reserves is called high volume fracking because it uses far more water and chemicals. The hydraulic fracking process explained step by step. This typically involves injecting pressurized fluids to stimulate or fracture shale formations and release the natural gas. Permeability refers to the capacity of a porous, sediment, soil or rock in this case to transmit a fluid. And, as shale gas is a cleaner option than some alternatives, the case can be made that, as transition to a low carbon economy is a gradual process, shale gas has an important place in such a policy. And both coal seam gas and shale gas produce about half the co. On the one side the gas drilling companies, on the other citizen opposed to this drilling method.
Hydraulic fracturing fracking is a technique used to recover gas from shale rock. Since the human world runs on all sorts of oil and gas, it is necessary that we extract these resources if we want to continue using them. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark. An overview of hydraulic fracturing and other formation stimulation. Although this process has been used for decades, more recently it has been used to specifically refer to the fracturing processes involved in the extraction of gas and oil trapped in sedimentary rock such shale. The most highprofile controversy surrounding shale gas is the potential for fracking to contaminate drinking water with methane or drilling chemicals. Hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling are safely unlocking vast u. The process can contaminate drinking water supplies with cancercausing chemicals and significantly deplete freshwater aquifers. Stephenson first explains the geological principles that. Unconventional natural gas production, shale gas extraction and hydraulic fracturing. Sand pumped in with the fluids often water helps to keep the fractures open. In england, this rock lies deep underground primarily in. Shale gas has become an increasingly important source of natural gas in the united states since the start of this century, and interest has spread to potential gas shales in the rest of the world.
Fracking is a recent method of extracting natural gas and oil from the earth. On the one hand, shale gas is promoted as a safe, clean energy source. Representafion of common equipment at a natural gas hydraulic fracturing drill pad. Natural gas extraction poses a grave threat to families, communities and ecosystems. Shale gas resources are becoming an important energy source for meeting rising energy demand over the next few decades. Hydraulic fracturing commonly known as fracking is the process used to extract shale gas. Shale gas and the technology used to extract it hydraulic fracturing. The cycles of steps 4 and 5 are repeated, gradually working up the hole until all the lateral length of the wellbore has been fracked. In north america today, about 2025% of the total gas consumed comes from shale gas deposits. Environmental safeguards on shale gas production needed as china begins development. Eprinc was incorporated in 1944 as a not forprofit organization that studies energy economics with special emphasis on the production, distribution, and. The environmental and social impacts of natural gas fracking.
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