Hydraulic Fracturing For Oil And Gas

There is a strong need for innovation and the development of viable renewable energy sources. Recent technological advances now allow natural gas supplies—previously believed inaccessible or nonexistent—to be discovered, mined, and processed for both industrial and consumer use. The technology, a controversial process that is alternatively called hydraulic fracturing, fracking, fracing, or hydrofracking, has greatly expanded natural gas production in the United States. Presenting a balanced discussion, Environmental Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing is a comprehensive guide to all aspects of hydraulic fracturing used to extract natural gas, along with gas exploration and production in various shale fields. As the use of hydraulic fracturing has grown, concerns about its environmental and public health impacts have also increased—one of the most significant concerns being the fluids that are injected into rock formations to cause the fracturing contain potentially hazardous chemical additives. The book covers all facets of the issue, including ongoing controversies about the environmental and operator safety issues arising from possible water pollution, drinking water contamination, on-the-job safety hazards, and harmful chemical exposure to workers and residents near well areas. The author discusses both the pros and cons of hydraulic fracturing, explaining the process in great detail. He describes the benefits of hydraulic fracturing and its importance in making the United States energy independent by drilling for its own resources, as well as the potential impacts to the surrounding environment. The text also includes suggestions and recommendations on how to mitigate environmental damage. Arguably the first book of its kind, this is the go-to text on the use and impacts of hydraulic fracturing.

Hydraulic fracturing is a technique developed initially to stimulate oil production from wells in declining oil reservoirs. More recently, it has been used to initiate oil and gas production in unconventional reservoirs where these resources were previously inaccessible. This process is now used in more than 90% of new oil and gas production wells. Hydraulic fracturing is done after a well is drilled and involves injecting large volumes of water, sand and specialized chemicals under enough pressure to fracture the formations holding the oil or gas. The sand holds the fractures open to allow the oil or gas to flow freely out of the formation and into a production well. This book explores hydraulic fracturing and safe drinking water act issues as well as the public health and environmental impacts of natural gas drilling.

Over roughly the past decade, oil and gas production in the United States has surged dramatically—thanks largely to technological advances such as high-volume hydraulic fracturing, more commonly known as “fracking.” This rapid increase has generated widespread debate, with proponents touting economic and energy-security benefits and opponents highlighting the environmental and social risks of increased oil and gas production. Despite the heated debate, neither side has a monopoly on the facts. In this book, Daniel Raimi gives a balanced and accessible view of oil and gas development, clearly and thoroughly explaining the key issues surrounding the shale revolution. The Fracking Debate directly addresses the most common questions and concerns associated with fracking: What is fracking? Does fracking pollute the water supply? Will fracking make the United States energy independent? Does fracking cause earthquakes? How is fracking regulated? Is fracking good for the economy? Coupling a deep understanding of the scholarly research with lessons from his travels to every major U.S. oil- and gas-producing region, Raimi highlights stories of the people and communities affected by the shale revolution, for better and for worse. The Fracking Debate provides the evidence and context that have so frequently been missing from the national discussion of the future of oil and gas production, offering readers the tools to make sense of this critical issue.

Hydraulic Fracturing effectively busts the myths associated with hydraulic fracturing. It explains how to properly engineer and optimize a hydraulically fractured well by selecting the right materials, evaluating the economic benefits of the project, and ensuring the safety and success of the people, environment, and equipment. From data estimation

The stimulation of unconventional hydrocarbon reservoirs is proven to improve their productivity to an extent that has rendered them economically viable. Generally, the stimulation design is a complex process dependent on intertwining factors such as the history of the formation, rock and reservoir fluid type, lithology and structural layout of the formation, cost, time, etc. A holistic grasp of these can be daunting, especially for people without sufficient experience and/or expertise in the exploitation of unconventional hydrocarbon reserves. This book presents the key facets integral to producing unconventional resources, and how the different components, if pieced together, can be used to create an integrated stimulation design. Areas covered are as follows: • stimulation methods, • fracturing fluids, • mixing and behavior of reservoir fluids, • assessment of reservoir performance, • integration of surface drilling data, • estimation of geomechanical properties and hydrocarbon saturation, and • health and safety. Exploitation of Unconventional Oil and Gas Resources: Hydraulic Fracturing and Other Recovery and Assessment Techniques is an excellent introduction to the subject area of unconventional oil and gas reservoirs, but it also complements existing information in the same discipline. It is an essential text for higher education students and professionals in academia, research, and the industry.

Hydraulic fracturing was first developed in the United States during the 1940s and has since spread internationally. A proven technology that is reaching deeper and tighter formations, hydraulic fracturing now delivers hydrocarbons from fields previously considered economically unviable. Essentials of Hydraulic Fracturing focuses on consolidating the fundamental basics of fracturing technology with advances in extended horizontal wellbores and fracturing applications. It provides the essentials required to understand fracturing behavior and offers advice for applying that knowledge to fracturing treatment design and application. Essentials of Hydraulic Fracturingis a long-awaited text for petroleum engineering students, industry-wide hydraulic fracturing training courses or seminars, and practicing fracturing treatment engineers. Features include: Understanding of fracture propagation geometry and fracture conductivity and how it affects treatment results A focus on safety and environmental prudence Economic optimization of fracturing treatments Fracturing fluid system and propping agent performance Important considerations in designing the fracture treatment for both vertical and horizontal wellbores Algorithms and examples pertinent to treatment design and analysis Pre- and post-fracturing approaches and diagnostics for evaluating treatment performance Hydraulic fracturing model construction and applicability Comparative design examples Construction of spreadsheet calculations key to treatment designs

This final report provides a review and synthesis of available scientific information concerning the relationship between hydraulic fracturing activities and drinking water resources in the United States. The report is organized around activities in the hydraulic fracturing water cycle and their potential to impact drinking water resources. The stages include: (1) acquiring water to be used for hydraulic fracturing (Water Acquisition), (2) mixing the water with chemical additives to prepare hydraulic fracturing fluids (Chemical Mixing), (3) injecting the hydraulic fracturing fluids into the production well to create fractures in the targeted production zone (Well Injection), (4) collecting the wastewater that returns through the well after injection (Produced Water Handling), and (5) managing the wastewater via disposal or reuse methods (Wastewater Disposal and Reuse). EPA found scientific evidence that hydraulic fracturing activities can impact drinking water resources under some circumstances. The report identifies certain conditions under which impacts from hydraulic fracturing activities can be more frequent or severe.

Hydraulic fracturing is a technique used to increase oil and gas production from underground oil-or-gas-bearing rock formations. Since the mid-2000s, the combination of hydraulic fracturing and directional drilling has become widespread, raising concerns about the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. This is the Executive Summary of the report on a study that assessed the potential for activities in the hydraulic fracturing water cycle to impact the quality or quantity of drinking water resources and to identify factors that affect the frequency or severity of those goals. The report is based on data and information gathered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through independent research, technical workshops and roundtables with stakeholders, and reviews of approximately 1,200 cited sources of data and information. Figures and tables. This is a print on demand report.