Fracking
Overview
By Rocky Romero
HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
WHY IS FRACKING USED?
• Production rates are a
function of reservoir
pressure
Economic
Uneconomic
• As production is removed
from the reservoir, pressure
decreases and therefore
production decreases
• At some point, the
economic limit is reached
and decisions about
enhanced recovery of the
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well must be made
HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
Two Types of Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR)
Secondary Recovery
Tertiary Recovery
(re-pressurizing the reservoir)
(altering physical character of
the oil and/or rock in-situ)
• Inert Gas Injection
 Carbon dioxide
 Nitrogen
 LPG
• Waterflood
• Steamflood
• Chemical flood
(surfactant/detergent)
• In-situ Combustion
• Hydraulic fracturing
Remember, only about 20-30% of the hydrocarbon in a
reservoir is ever recovered…EOR will improve that ratio!
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HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
• The process of fracking
(hydraulic fracturing) is to
fracture reservoir rock (up to
500’ from perforations) with
high pressure fluid (water) &
place a permeable proppant
material (sand) into the fracture
channel
• Fracture remain open after
pressure is reduced providing a
high conductivity pathway for
reservoir fluids to flow to the
well
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HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
• In North America, 58 percent of
new gas wells and 38 percent of
new oil wells are hydraulically
fractured.
• Hydraulic fracturing is also being
used more often in high
permeability formations
• This could be on new wells with
very low permeability or old
wells with production decline
58 % New Gas
Wells
38 % New Oil
Wells
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HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
A Frac Job takes considerable equipment
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HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
3½
minute
video on
how
fracking is
done
HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
• Fracking is done on vertical
wells and on deviated wells
called horizontal wells
(horizontal well shown on
right)
• Fracking is done thru a high
pressure pipe known as
production casing that is
contained within at least 2
larger diameter casing strings
to prevent leakage to any
aquifers the well might be
drilled through
HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
• Vertical well shown on right
HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
HYDRAULIC FRACTURING WATER NEEDS
•One time water needs for each well
•This amount of water is the average golf
course uses every 15 days in the south
HYDRAULIC FRACTURING WATER NEEDS
HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
• Only 0.49% of the
injection fluid is NOT
water
• These are specialized
chemicals used for various
purposes that help keep
the water clean and
fracking done at the
lowest possible pressure
• See chart to right for
details on what these
chemicals are
Environmental
Overview
Skip
CLAIMS AGAINST FRACTURING
Cows killed
• Drinking water burns
• Skin rashes
• Contaminated soils
• Dust/Air pollution
• Noise pollution
•
Overview of One Experts Opinion
Conversation with Dr. Ian Duncan
Associate Director, Texas Dept of Economic Geology
• Areas of Dimock, PA have historical records of NATURAL
methane seepage into underground aquifers
• He notes that their local Ag Extension service used and still
do provide a warning brochure, which he has a copy of,
advising prospective new residents of the area of the
dangers of methane in their drinking water as home have
blown up in the past as a result
• Evidence shows that more often than not, it is the natural
seepage of methane that is causing problems with their
drinking water, not Fracking as reported by the News
Media and YouTube
Separating FACT
FACT from
Separating
fromFICTION
FICTION
Conversation with Dr. Ian Duncan
Associate Director, Texas Dept of Economic Geology
• Over 1000 supposed claims of environmental disasters associated
with Fracking
• Only 30-40 have been filed with the Environmental Defense League
• 6 identified as possible issues
• 3 found incorrectly attributed fracking with naturally occuring
methane seepage into underground aquifers
• 3 found with bad cement jobs (Wyoming, Colorado, Ohio)
• 2 of these 3 had prior knowledge of the cement situation but
Fracked anyway –
• Only 1 instance of fracking causing unintentional problems
Dr. Duncan will be published a paper this year with his results
Separating FACT from FICTION
MASSACHUTTES INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
– July 2011 –
(http://web.mit.edu/mitei/research/studies/documents/natural-gas-2011/NaturalGas_Chapter%201_Context.pdf)
 “There has been concern that these fractures can also
penetrate shallow freshwater zones and contaminate
them with fracturing fluid, but there is no evidence that
this is occurring.
 There is, however, evidence of natural gas migration into
freshwater zones in some areas, most likely as a result of
substandard well completion practices by a few
operators.”
Separating FACT from FICTION
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS – AUSTIN
(January 2012)
(http://energy.utexas.edu/images/stories/chip_groat_shale_gas120126.pdf)
General Observations
 Many of the violations are procedural and:
o represent no environmental effects, or
o are minor with no environmental effects
o represent minor effects, such as small releases
 Many of the effects noted occur in all types of oil and gas well
development – not unique to shale gas
 Fractured wells may experience more incidents because of
additional equipment on the site
Separating FACT from FICTION
Environmental Protection Agency
Study started in 2010
Results due in 2012
EPA Study in Progress
EPA Study in Progress
VIDEOS EXPLAINING DRILLING IN THE MARCELLUS
This are some of the best videos I’ve seen on YouTube on the subject of
drilling operations in general and the Marcellus Shale in particular
Drilling Topic
Video Link
Site Selection
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IAP1GCW
kSE
Well Pad Preparation & Drilling the well
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF3dzivVIo
Completion of the well
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYKQDjciI3
o
Production & Marketing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Gw_BnJqDg&feature=endscreen&NR=1
Frac water cleanup & reuse
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swNaEXoz
ecw
Reclamation of the well site
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFUOwZP
kwg
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VIDEOS EXPLAINING DRILLING IN THE MARCELLUS
This are some of the best videos I’ve seen on YouTube on the subject of
drilling operations in general and the Marcellus Shale in particular
Drilling Topic
Video Link
Horizontal Drilling
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR
=1&v=vvRCYLnVWG8&feature=endsc
reen
Hydraulic Fracking
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
qjP-K1VaI1k
Noise Control
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P
6HY_HZNFmY&NR=1&feature=endsc
reen
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OIL & GAS REFERENCES
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9gGqNUxQ5Q
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/Oil_platform_
P-51_%28Brazil%29.jpg
http://www.arrow-s.com/equipment/new-equipment.html
http://www.chk.com/Media/Educational-Library/FactSheets/Marcellus/Marcellus_Hydraulic_Fracturing_Fact_Sheet.pdf
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73mv-Wl5cgg&feature=relmfu
http://www.flickr.com/photos/royaldutchshell/5352075212/in/photos
tream/
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100014240527023039367045763984
62932810874.html
http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=4330
http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/index.cfm?tg= Bakken
http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=3750
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_platform
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumpjack
http://www.usatanksales.com/fireprotectiontanks.html
http://www.worleyparsons.com/CSG/HYDROCARBONS/ONSHOREOILG
ASPRODUCTIONFACILITIES/Pages/default.aspx
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYQcSz27Xp8&feature=player_em
bedded
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piping_and_instrumentation_diagram
http://stream.aljazeera.com/story/americas-fracking-problem0022005
http://www.energyindepth.org/
http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/index.cfm?tg= shale
http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=4030
http://www.frackcheckwv.net/about/what-is-fracking/
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