Two thirds of the continental United States are underlain by huge sedimentary rock formations known as shale. These shale formations hold vast reserves of natural gas. Oil companies Harrisburg PA are making use of new technologies in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing to gain access to these previously unavailable resources. The Marcellus Shale, named for an outcrop in New York, is one of the largest and richest of these shale deposits.
Exploration of shale gas formations in Appalachia, Oklahoma and Texas are projected to be able to supply the country with energy for the next 90 years. This allows breathing space for development of renewable energy sources like geothermal, wind, biogas, etc. In the past ten years, natural gas from shale now occupies 35 percent of all gas production in the United States.
Now that the technological barriers of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling have been overcome, the next frontier is improving technologies in frac water management. The biggest environmental concerns associated with fracking, earthquakes and water contamination, are caused by the problems associated with the disposal of millions of gallons of frac water.
In order to get to the target reserves, massive quantities of water are transported to the drill site by truck or by pipeline. Here, it is processed into a gel and mixed with sand and a cocktail of chemicals to facilitate the fracking process. In preparation for the processed water, the shale rock deep beneath the surface of the earth is blasted at intervals along the horizontal borehole. The water and sand mixture is then pumped underground, where it keeps the fractures open long enough for the gas to flow upward to the surface.
The purpose of the sand in the water is to hold the fractures open so that the gas can rise to the earth's surface. The frac water, along with water already down inside the fractured rock also flows back to the surface. The portion of upwelled water that was not injected into the well is termed "production water." This can often exceed the volume of the water that was injected.
Millions of gallons of water are required to extract the gas entrapped within a single drilling site. Multiply this by the 37,000 wells that are projected to be active and it is clear that frac water management is the key to successfully extracting the nation's rich shale reserves without demolishing the environment. There are a number of ways of approaching the management of frac water.
Rapid evaporation tanks are an excellent way of reducing the volume of water that needs to be transported offsite. Some of the water can be recycled for use in new fracking projects. What cannot be evaporated or recycled is pumped into wastewater disposal wells. It is this wastewater that is responsible for the damaging earthquakes and water contamination.
Oil companies are working in partnership with frac water handling companies to solve these critical high volume water transfer problems. Overcoming the obstacles of frac water management is essential to effectively utilizing the rich resources lying deep within shale rock formations.
Exploration of shale gas formations in Appalachia, Oklahoma and Texas are projected to be able to supply the country with energy for the next 90 years. This allows breathing space for development of renewable energy sources like geothermal, wind, biogas, etc. In the past ten years, natural gas from shale now occupies 35 percent of all gas production in the United States.
Now that the technological barriers of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling have been overcome, the next frontier is improving technologies in frac water management. The biggest environmental concerns associated with fracking, earthquakes and water contamination, are caused by the problems associated with the disposal of millions of gallons of frac water.
In order to get to the target reserves, massive quantities of water are transported to the drill site by truck or by pipeline. Here, it is processed into a gel and mixed with sand and a cocktail of chemicals to facilitate the fracking process. In preparation for the processed water, the shale rock deep beneath the surface of the earth is blasted at intervals along the horizontal borehole. The water and sand mixture is then pumped underground, where it keeps the fractures open long enough for the gas to flow upward to the surface.
The purpose of the sand in the water is to hold the fractures open so that the gas can rise to the earth's surface. The frac water, along with water already down inside the fractured rock also flows back to the surface. The portion of upwelled water that was not injected into the well is termed "production water." This can often exceed the volume of the water that was injected.
Millions of gallons of water are required to extract the gas entrapped within a single drilling site. Multiply this by the 37,000 wells that are projected to be active and it is clear that frac water management is the key to successfully extracting the nation's rich shale reserves without demolishing the environment. There are a number of ways of approaching the management of frac water.
Rapid evaporation tanks are an excellent way of reducing the volume of water that needs to be transported offsite. Some of the water can be recycled for use in new fracking projects. What cannot be evaporated or recycled is pumped into wastewater disposal wells. It is this wastewater that is responsible for the damaging earthquakes and water contamination.
Oil companies are working in partnership with frac water handling companies to solve these critical high volume water transfer problems. Overcoming the obstacles of frac water management is essential to effectively utilizing the rich resources lying deep within shale rock formations.
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