10 reasons why fracking for dirty oil in California is a stupid idea. Click on graphics in this post to embiggen. The latest target of the unconventional oil craze is California, specifically the Monterey Shale in southern California (see map). Will California become the next North Dakota? Let us ponder. Oil in California is nothing new — it’s the third highest oil-producing state in the U.S. (after Texas and North Dakota, which recently displaced Alaska for the No. 2 spot). The Monterey area has been drilled for years, profitably, though production has been steadily declining since its peak in the mid ’80s. However, as you’ve no doubt read in recent breathless media accounts, drilling technology has advanced.
The Monterey Shale hasn’t been fracked much, at least not with horizontal drilling, but oil companies have got their beady little eyes on it. A new study from University of Southern California says that fracking all that tight oil could boost the state’s economy by 14 percent. National enviro groups have not put up much resistance so far. 1. 2. 3. 4. Untitled. What the Frack? Do we really have 100 years' worth of shale gas? - GetRealList. I have a new piece published in Slate today, examining the oft-repeated claim that we have 100 years’ worth of shale gas resources. In terms of proved reserves, we only have 11 years’ worth. So what’s the deal? Read it here: What the Frack? That was originally part of my recent post, The questionable economics of shale gas I’d also point your attention to a new piece by Reuters, who did some good investigative journalism on top shale gas operator Chesapeake Energy, and accused them of conducting a stealth “land grab” operation by using a series of shell companies: Energy giant hid behind shells in “land grab” This kind of work is vitally important, because the majority of press about shale gas still consists of wild-eyed optimism and verbatim repetition of industry propaganda.
Postscript: Al Gore blogged on my story January 8, 2012 Corrections: Most regrettably, I discovered two typos in the story some weeks after it was published: A shale-gas drilling rig Christopher Furlong/Getty Images. _HF_White_Paper. EPA Backpedals on Fracking. SHALEREPORTFINAL130228_v9. S Study of Hydraulic Fracturing and Its Potential Impact on Drinking Water Resources | EPA's Study of Hydraulic Fracturing and Its Potential Impact on Drinking Water Resources. At the request of Congress, EPA is conducting a study to better understand any potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources.
The scope of the research includes the full lifespan of water in hydraulic fracturing. The progress report was released in December 2012 and a draft report is expected to be released for public comment and peer review in 2014. What is the hydraulic fracturing water cycle? Hydraulic Fracturing 101. Hydraulic fracturing - What it is Geologic formations may contain large quantities of oil or gas, but have a poor flow rate due to low permeability, or from damage or clogging of the formation during drilling. This is particularly true for tight sands, shales and coalbed methane formations. Hydraulic fracturing (aka fracking, which rhymes with cracking) stimulates wells drilled into these formations, making profitable otherwise prohibitively expensive extraction.
Within the past decade, the combination of hydraulic fracturing with horizontal drilling has opened up shale deposits across the country and brought large-scale natural gas drilling to new regions. The fracking process occurs after a well has been drilled and steel pipe (casing) has been inserted in the well bore. Typically, a mixture of water, proppants and chemicals is pumped into the rock or coal formation. Some studies have shown that anywhere from 20-85% of fracking fluids may remain underground. Water Use In 2010, the U.S. Hydraulic Fracturing Diesel Fuel Only | Hydraulic Fracturing.
Natural gas plays a key role in our nation's clean energy future and the process known as hydraulic fracturing is one way of accessing that vital resource. Hydraulic fracturing is used by gas producers to stimulate wells and recover natural gas from sources such as coalbeds and shale gas formations. Hydraulic fracturing is also used for other applications including oil recovery. Over the past few years, several key technical, economic, and energy policy developments have spurred the increased use of hydraulic fracturing for gas extraction over a wider diversity of geographic regions and geologic formations.
Along with the expansion of hydraulic fracturing, there have been increasing concerns about its potential impacts on drinking water resources, public health, and environmental impacts in the vicinity of these facilities. Revised guidance and related documents: Draft Guidance: Permitting Guidance for Oil and Gas Hydraulic Fracturing Activities Using Diesel Fuels. Hfresearchstudyfs. Hydraulic Fracturing: The Process | FracFocus Chemical Disclosure Registry. What Is Hydraulic Fracturing? Contrary to many media reports, hydraulic fracturing is not a “drilling process.” Hydraulic fracturing is used after the drilled hole is completed. Put simply, hydraulic fracturing is the use of fluid and material to create or restore small fractures in a formation in order to stimulate production from new and existing oil and gas wells.
This creates paths that increase the rate at which fluids can be produced from the reservoir formations, in some cases by many hundreds of percent. The process includes steps to protect water supplies. With these and other precautions taken, high volumes of fracturing fluids are pumped deep into the well at pressures sufficient to create or restore the small fractures in the reservoir rock needed to make production possible.
What's in Hydraulic Fracturing Fluid? Water and sand make up 98 to 99.5 percent of the fluid used in hydraulic fracturing. Why is Hydraulic Fracturing Used? How is Hydraulic Fracturing Done? 1. 2. 3. 4. Chemical Use In Hydraulic Fracturing | FracFocus Chemical Disclosure Registry. Chemicals serve many functions in hydraulic fracturing. From limiting the growth of bacteria to preventing corrosion of the well casing, chemicals are needed to insure that the fracturing job is effective and efficient. The number of chemical additives used in a typical fracture treatment depends on the conditions of the specific well being fractured.
A typical fracture treatment will use very low concentrations of between 3 and 12 additive chemicals, depending on the characteristics of the water and the shale formation being fractured. Each component serves a specific, engineered purpose. Fluids are used to create the fractures in the formation and to carry a propping agent (typically silica sand) which is deposited in the induced fractures to keep them from closing up. The make‐up of fracturing fluid varies from one geologic basin or formation to another.