Life of an onshore well: finding and producing tight or
shale oil and gas
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At Shell we believe natural gas
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is an important resource for energy future we also believe it must be
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produced safely and responsibly
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technology has made it possible
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to access gas in oil trapped in tiny spaces in Shaler sand formations
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deep under the earth this short video explains how we explore
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drill and produce from a well we consider the geology
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and local environment to carefully select the well location
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this might include gathering seismic data
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or information about air wildlife or nearby water sources
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we work with the regulators to plan the site
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then we begin by building the well pad for operations
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during exploration we may draw a single well
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are several wells to understand the gas or oil an area
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when need rail we are careful to protect the surrounding area
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including groundwater we install multiple layers have steel pipe also
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called casing
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and cement around each layer a pipe this is designed to isolate the gas and fluid
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in the well
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from the potable water table or drinkable water we typically drill
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several kilometers
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or more than a mile deep beneath the earth to reach the trapped hydrocarbon
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formation
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then to access gas or oil locked in shale rock
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we drill horizontally remains different level designs
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depending on the local underground conditions the entire drilling process
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can take several weeks or even months for each well drilled from the pad
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sensors in the drilling equipment fetus continuous data
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as we drown once we reach the bottom of the well
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we remove the trail and install steel pipe to the necessary
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death based on our engineers design at the well this staff typically takes
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only days with many safety checks along the way to be sure we have a good cement
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job
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and the well in casing integrity are secure this advanced drilling technology
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is one of the keys that make it possible to reach more
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the gas or oil trapped far below the surface within the shale
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or Sam where after the well is drilled
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we remove the red and prepare the well to begin the completions and hydraulic
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fracturing process
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this is the second key to extracting gas or oil trap
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in tights and a shale rock hydraulic fracturing
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is a very carefully controlled process that releases the hydrocarbon from the
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tiny pockets
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in which it is trapped we do not hydraulically fracture wells
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unless we have successfully pressure tested for wellbore integrity
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we lowered tool called a perforating gun
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into the wellbore we feed it down to the target location in the well
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a well-loved which gives a state about the well
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helps us know just where to position the tool
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once the perforating tool is in position the fire carefully calibrated charges
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perforate the well casing UConn after wealth to the tights and our shale rock
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layer
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we inject a mix of fluids under pressure
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mostly water with sand and chemicals to create fractures in the surrounding
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shale rock
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or tights and layer the San pops open the cracks
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and allows the gas /url to better well into the well
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when possible we treat and reuse the fluid will be covered during fracturing
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to minimize the amount of water reuse we support the release of information about
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chemical's use
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in fracturing fluids we fracture the well
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incitements four stages after each stage
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we put in a temporary plug to separate the fracture stages
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and prevent gas or oil from flowing too soon the number of stages will depend on
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the local geology
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we repeat this process until we have finished fracturing the link to the
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target area
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hydraulic fracturing and completing the well
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typically lasts only a few days for each well when we are ready
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we drill out the plugs this allows the gas or oil to flow into the well
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that the well pad the flow is separated into gas and liquids
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of the liquids might include oil or water
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that was also locked in the rock deep below ground
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we collect the water to be reused re injected or disposed of
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according to local regulations the gas or oil continues to a pipeline
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to provide energy
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during exploration if no pipeline is nearby
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we may need to temporarily flair or capture the gas
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in short term facilities or store the oil in short term tanks on the location
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if we decide to develop the area we typically put multiple wells
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on a single pad reaching in different directions deep underground
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to minimize disturbance to the surface
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all our wells insight operations meet government rules
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and our own rigorous standards for safety and protecting the environment
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once drilling and completions are done
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we remove most of our equipment and reduce the size of the well pad
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a well typically can produce needed energy
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for decades we inspect and maintain well sites regularly
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during their productive life when the well is no longer producing
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we comply with regulations to cement it closed
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test that is sealed remove all equipment and structures
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and reclaim the site to blend back into its surroundings
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a permanent markers installed to mark the well location