Factors Affecting The Environment Of Oil Gas Water Systems

The Alberta oil sands operations are the fastest growing source of heat-trapping greenhouse gas in Canada. Therefore, as environmental concerns increase with amplified pollution, governments must ensure policies are in place as to avoid further environmental damage. Currently the government does not enforce enough environmental policies to properly protect this beautiful country and its people. Moreover, the alternative components of the oil sands business contribute an enormous amount of environmental destruction. Pipelines to transport crude oil from the refineries to cities across North America cut across sacred land and pipelines and freighters have high possibility of spillage. Furthermore, the damage to human health from water contamination and air pollution is a major concern, the oil sands business causes massive detriment to human wellbeing. Lastly, the surrounding area of the oil sands are deeply affected. The deforestation of the boreal forest and the toxic tailings ponds that surround the operation endanger wildlife and the environment.

Two-hundred million years ago a salt sea covered the Permian Basin which can be attributed to the abundance of oil in Odessa, Texas. Once the structure of the Earth changed a limestone floor developed in the sea. With the help of other rocks, hydrocarbons were trapped from the plants and animals which later resulted in the formation of oil and gas. This area is known as the Permian Basin and distinguishes counties in West Texas and South New Mexico. The Permian Basin earned its name with Permian referring to the Permian Period where sedimentary beds were simultaneously deposited in parts of Russia, England, Southeast New Mexico and West Texas. Basin can be defined as, geologically, a natural indentation in the Earth’s surface that contains water. Two thousand foot cliffs of limestone that cover West Texas and South East New Mexico were at one time submerged reefs created by millions of lime-secreting algae. With this knowledge the West Texas Geological Society

For more than sixty years, oil and gas companies have been fracturing shale rock far below the earth’s surface in order to release pockets of natural gas. The extraction of shale gas from wells dates back to 1821; but the revolutionary procedure of hydraulic fracturing—injecting pressurized fluid into shale rock to create fissures—was commercialized in the 1950s. New drilling techniques, created in the 1970s, reach previously inaccessible shale gas by allowing the use of horizontal piping within the wells. While the United States is currently dependent on foreign countries for natural resources, a hope for independence has led companies to further explore hydraulic fracturing, redefining the way that natural resources are

The process of the collection of an underground fluid would not be possible without the use of hydraulic fracturing. In the Shale reserves, located about 5,000 feet underground, suffer an extremely low permeability rate. Permeability is the measure of how well a fluid flows through an absorbent material at the depth, and within such nonporous rock, the ability of fluids to travel to the well is greatly limited. Fracturing increases the area of the fluid that is exposed to porous materials and thus greatly increases production. The method of fracturing utilizes a few key components which allow for an economical extraction of resources.

After scientists have tested the oil and the rocks, oil companies will begin drilling in the wells and rock samples will be brought to the surface. After the scientists have studied the rock samples from above ground and are convinced that they have found the right type of rock, companies begin drilling production wells. “When the wells first hit the reservoir, some of the oil begins coming to the surface immediately” (“Fossil Energy: How Fossil Fuels Were Formed,” n.d.). However, with today’s technology, oil companies are able to install special equipment to help the oil from spurting hundreds and hundreds of feet from the ground.

The formation is located in western North Dakota, southern Saskatchewan, northeastern Montana, and southwestern Manitoba, and has a depth of approximately 130 feet to 12,000 feet deep. The upper and lower Bakken shale layers contain large amounts of organic-rich black mudstone. During the Lower Bakken Member deposition, an increase in the rate of siliciclastic sedimentation (quartz and orthoclase feldspar) caused more organic material to be preserved in bottom sediments. During Upper Bakken Member deposition, an increase in biological productivity in the water column resulted in more organic carbon reaching the bottom where it was subsequently preserved (Bustin & Smith, 1995). The middle layer is made up of mostly mudstone and sandstone. This layer can be tapped by both conventional and continuous oil

Not all oil is buried deep beneath the earth in crevices that can be exploited by drilling. There are reserves that can be found in shale deposits that are far more difficult to extract. With the rising price of oil and closer we come to reaching peak oil, Hydraulic Fracturing has become a viable option that we can utilize to retrieve both natural gas and oil. During Hydraulic Fracturing a large tube is pushed down into the Earth’s crust just past any aquifers where miniature earthquakes are made to create rivets in the ground to expose the shale. The earthquakes are created by injecting large amounts of fluid into the ground that builds up in the existing voids until they break open. Oil and gas from the surrounding shale flows into

The process of hydraulic fracturing has made it easier to reach gas and oil reserves that used to be impossible to access, this has led to a dramatic expansion of energy production and an increase in the activity level of the economy (Hassett and Mathur). The use of hydraulic fracturing and directional horizontal drilling are being used together to reach oil and gas that was previously unreachable with old drilling methods (Romich and Schumacher). In Ohio, there have been at least 80,000 natural gas and oil wells that have used fracking at varying depths (“Hydraulic Fracturing”). There are areas in Eastern Ohio that contain deposits of dry gas (farthest east) and wet gases and

Introduction and Background In the oil and gas industry, fracking is a major current issue that engineers are dealing with for the current state of the United states. Hydraulic fracking, or "fracking" is the process of drilling a well to the depth in the earth where shale rock is located. Once the drill bit reaches this specific depth, the drilling alters its path to a horizontal track into the shale rock in order to span the entire reservoir. Next, fracking fluid, consisting of sand, liquid chemicals, and water, is injected into the shale rock at a high pressure, which cause small cracks, known as fissures, in the rock. This action allows oil and natural gas to freely escape into the pipeline. The oil and gas mixture then flows to the surface

uncomplicated area to study oils. In the Canadian and American parts of the Williston Basin occur

Prior to what is today known as Hydraulic Fracturing or “Fracking”, in the 19th century, water wells and bores had been fractured using explosives to create high permeability for both water and oil wells. Over the years, the technology has been refined and improved into what is used today for exploration in Shale rocks due to their low-permeability.

During use, new oil picks up toxic chemicals, carcinogenic hydrocarbons, and heavy metals which harm the environment and public health when used oil is disposed of improperly. One pint of oil can produce a slick covering approximately one acre of water. Used oil in waterways threatens fish, waterfowl, insects and aquatic life. In salt water, oil kills the microscopic plankton and algae that form the base of the marine food web. Very small amounts of oil spilled in the habitat of fish and shellfish can contaminate their flavor. Used oil seeps through landfills and soils to contaminate groundwater supplies. One quart of oil can foul the taste and purity of 250,000 gallons of water. Used oil applied to roads as a dust suppressant causes water

“If we do nothing, it doesn 't matter how we feel. And that’s exactly what oil companies are banking on: out of sight, out of mind” (Hart, 24). Petroleum is a naturally occurring oil found under deep layers of rock (“oil drilling”). Oil drilling is when a pipe penetrates through these several layers of rock in order to reach the petroleum oil underneath. This oil can then be purified or turned into gasoline for energy use. Offshore oil drilling, like its’ name describes, is specifically oil drilling on the ocean floor, away from a shore line. Offshore oil drilling provides one of the most consumed American energy resources, but also provides a risk to the environment (Crawford et al. 2&7). The United State’s

4) Project Blue Gulf advocates the scientific observation, experimentation, and unearthing of water quality of the Gulf of Mexico in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010. The BP oil disaster is regarded as the largest and most catastrophic marine oil spill in United States history. An estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil discharged into the Gulf over the course of 87 days and had devastating environmental, ecological, economic, and public health consequences. Our mission is to provide future direction to natural resource managers through the acquisition of water quality data, as well as raise public awareness concerning the critical need for restoration and risks associated with offshore drilling. We encourage active participation by beachgoers, water enthusiasts, and science buffs of all experience and levels of education.

Economically, operators of the gas field have an incentive to maintain fractures in the gas producing shale. Extending the fractures into a surrounding formation might allow saline fluids or brines to enter the induced fracture and flow into the gas producing portion of the shale, which could significantly hamper gas production. Even if hydraulically induced fractures extend into overlying formations, the possibility for fluids to leak upward into an aquifer is remote, unless those fractures are also connected to some other pathway,