What is Hydraulic Fracturing you may say? According to Propublica.org, Hydraulic Fracturing is the process used in 9 out of 10 natural gas wells in the United States, Where millions of water, sand and chemicals are pumped underground to break apart the rock and release the gas. The main purpose for Hydraulic Fracturing is due to its inexpensive extraction. Over the past decade, the combination of Hydraulic Fracturing and horizontal drilling has opened up shale deposits across the country and has brought a large quantity of natural gas to new regions. Some places in the nation that practice the use of Hydraulic Fracturing are
• Barnett Shale, FT. Worth Basin, Texas.
• Fayetteville Shale, Arkoma Basin, Arkansas.
• Marcellus Shale, Appalachian Basin.
• Utica Shale, Appalachian Basin.
A significant part of the drilling has occurred …show more content…
in the Forth Worth area. Some geologists believe the formation could hold 30 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Two years ago, 70% of all U.S. gas shale production came from the Barnett Shale, but that percentage has been dropping as production has risen in other places. The Fayetteville Shale is roughly 50 miles north to south, stretching across the state of Arkansas. It produces natural gas in the central portion of the Arkoma Basin. According to Geology.com, the productive wells penetrate the Fayetteville Shale at depths between a few hundred and 7000 feet below the surface, and at elevations of between a few hundred feet above sea level and 7000 feet below sea level. The Marcellus Shale underlies much of Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, West Virginia, and adjacent states. Over the past years two technologies, Hydro Fracturing and horizontal drilling have been tested in the Marcellus resulting in one of the most productive wells in the eastern United States. It is believed that the Marcellus contains about 50 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, enough to supply the entire United States for two years. According to Whatisfracking.com, The Utica Shale formation stretches across Kentucky, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia, Virginia and even some parts of Canada. The Shale is more than 7,000 feet below ground and located under the Marcellus Shale. It is thought to hold more than 15 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 5.5 billion barrels of oil according to the Ohio Geological Survey. The Utica Shale has had an enormous economic impact in Ohio. (Source sourcewatch.org)
The Fracking process occurs after a well has been drilled and steel pipe has been inserted in the well bore. The casing is penetrated within the target zones that contain oil or gas, so when the fracturing fluid is injected into the well it flows back through the hole into the target zones. The target formation will not be able to absorb the fluid as quickly as it is being injected. At this point, the pressure created causes the formation to crack or fracture. Once the fractures have been made, injection ceases and the fracturing fluids begin to flow back to the surface. Materials called proppants (sand), are injected as part of the fracture fluid mixture, remain in the target formation to hold open the fractures. On the other hand, there is other ways to fracture wells. Sometimes fractures are created by injecting gases such as propane or nitrogen, and sometimes acidizing occurs at the same time with fracturing. Acidizing means pumping acid into the formation to dissolve some of the rock material to clean out pores and make gas and fluid to flow more rapidly into the well (Sourceearthworksaction.org). After the well fracturing has been completed Hydraulic Fracturing fluid, formation water, and natural gas begin to flow back up the well. This combination of fluids are then stored immediately, typically in tanks or pits before any treatment, disposal, or recycling. (Source Probublica.Org) The amount of water used per well or yearly is different from one another. For example, Texas has used approximately 19 billion gallons of water for its 4,300 plus wells from January 2011 to May 2013. In 2012 Pennsylvania had an estimated 4.5 million gallons of water used to fracture wells in the Marcellus Shale. The EPA estimates that between 2011 and 2013 11 billion gallons of water were used to tap formations in Pennsylvania. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the Utica Shale formation in Ohio uses more water than any other oil formation in the country. Each well uses approximately 5.1 million gallons of water per fracture. From 2011 to September 2014, Ohio used a total of 4 billion gallons of water to fracture wells in the state. The water inserted into these wells isn’t just normal water. There are many chemicals that are added to the water. For example, Some of the chemicals are Hydrochloric Acid, Glutaraldehyde, Quaternary Ammonium Chloride, Sodium Chloride, Ammonium Persulfate and much more chemicals.
While Hydraulic Fracturing may beneficial to the economy it can also be harmful not just to us human beings but also to the earth.
Some human exposure to fracking chemicals can occur by drinking chemicals that have spilled or entered water sources, direct skin contact with the chemicals or waste water, or by breathing in vapors from the contaminated water. Also, during the transportation of these fracturing chemicals it sometimes tends to spill contaminating soil and surface waters. In 2013, 41 spills impacted surface waters in Colorado alone. (Source worksaction.org) The chart below shows the possible health effects that can result from the chemicals in the Fracturing
process. (Natural gas Operations from a Public Health Perspective By Theo Colborn)