Pros And Cons Of Hydraulic Fracturing

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is the process used to excavate oil and gas trapped in shale rock.

Hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” is an oil and gas drilling process that is used to extract oil and natural gas from deep underground. Fracking is the cheapest route for oil and gas companies to make billions of dollars. The majority of the time the cheapest way is not always the best way of doing things. Hydraulic fracturing is not a good thing just because it makes money for--at times--everyone involved, as it causes our air and water to be polluted. There should be more regulations and laws to prevent contamination and protect our air and water from fracking pollution.

With the age of constant industrial and technological growth has come the necessity for not only cost effective and efficient methods for industry, but also the need for obtaining fuel for the machines that make the modern world possible. Oil has become as precious a commodity as gold, if not more so; its attainments constantly driving the world's largest businesses and governments across the world into action. Naturally, a "quick-fix" solution to this problem is constantly sought after by oil companies wishing to provide oil on a massive scale. One of these drilling methods is known as induced hydraulic fracturing (also known as fracking).

Soon, there will not be enough natural energy to sustain the growing population and aging earth. Although this has led to many different methods to obtaining other natural resources then that of fossil fuels; one of the methods is Hydraulic Fracturing. Fracking is a hole drilled into earth until it finds a shale rock, it then releases a high-pressure water mixture to break the rock and release the gas inside. The process creates new for gas to be pushed out from deep within the earth to create natural energy.

Hydraulic fracturing or fracking, which it is more commonly known by, is a method used to retrieve oil and gas out of shale rock. This is a very effective way to retrieve oil and is now a very commonly used method to retrieve oil. This method is responsible for about a quarter of the United States oil production. The problem is that there are possible health concerns to this method but this technique is used all over the United States and has opened doors to retrieving oil that was not possible almost a decade ago. So should the U.S. continue hydraulic fracturing even though there are environmental and health concerns? Fracking is worth the risk because if the U.S. stopped fracking they would have to become more dependent on another country,

This paper explores the hydraulic fracturing process, exactly what it is, what the fracturing process does to the earth and the surrounding environment in addition, to the consequences. Hydraulic fracturing is fracturing of rock by pressurization. This process by which oil and natural gas can be forced from the earth. The hydraulic fracturing process takes millions of gallons of clean water, sand, chemicals and pumps them underground at high pressure to break apart rock to release gas and or oil. My research has led me to the discovery that there are as many proponents for fracking as that are those that oppose the process. One thing

Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking” for short, is the process of extracting oil or gas from deep beneath the Earth’s surface by pushing water into shale rock to displace the oil or gas (Pritchard, 2013).

Hydraulic fracturing in combination with advancement in directional drilling has made it possible to economically extract oil and gas from unconventional resources. The growth in U.S. oil and gas exploration and production made possible by the increase in use of hydraulic fracturing, has raised concerns about its potential to impact human health and the environment. Concerns have been raised by the public about the effects of hydraulic fracturing on quality and quantity of drinking water resources. The hydraulic fracturing water cycle includes five main activities: the withdrawal of ground or surface water needed for hydraulic fracturing fluids; the mixing of water, chemicals, and proppant on the well pad to create the hydraulic fracturing fluid; the injection of hydraulic fracturing fluids into the well to fracture the formation, the return of injected fluid and water produced from the formation to the surface; and the reuse, treatment and disposal of wastewater generated at the well pad, including produced water (U.S. EPA, 2015). With the water cycle being so massive and prolonged, the presence of potential negative impacts is greatly increased.

Hydraulic fracturing is a process of collecting natural gas by pressurizing shale beds. Fracking consists of two components: a drill and fracturing fluids [4]. Well shafts are drilled into a bed of shale less than two thousand feet deep to form a horizontal fracture because less force is required to make the rock strata buckle perpendicularly to the drill [2]. After the primary shaft has been drilled, cement is poured into the surrounding area to keep the fracturing fluids from backtracking up the shaft [2]. Once the drill is placed into the pay zone, where the reservoir of oil is located, fracturing fluids are forced into the surrounding

Hydraulic fracturing is a public policy that devises the query of whether the economics of the process justifies the risks because it boosts jobs based on inexpensive industrial inputs, but at the same time, is at the center of several controversies concerning environmental law, economic growth, and public health. Hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking, is a process to release natural gas and oil from the ground. The contemporary period of fracking correlates to the progressive era conservation movement during 1890-1960 because both reveal the idea that humans have dominion or control over the environment. According to the progressive era, humans must plan their use of fracking to make sure it maximizes wealth and preserves the environment in the future. The debate between the advocates and the opponents argue if economics prevail over the risks involved in fracking. Nonetheless, the negative influences on

Hydraulic fracturing is harmful to the environment and people. I believe there are alternative methods that are safer. In order to protect the environment and the population, precautions need to be implemented to reduce the damaging effects of fracking. The government needs to use other methods to change the current process of hydraulic fracturing.

The first successful commercial application of Horizontal Hydraulic Fracturing was in 1949 (Norris) and has opened up a new window of opportunity for the economy and the environmental controversy. Fracking has made some major improvements over the years: including getting more product per yield and improving some environmental shortcomings of the extracting process. It has also increased in operation size; a comparison is shown below in Figure 1. Modern Horizontal Hydraulic Fracturing has a complex process and most Americans don’t fully understand the process of Horizontal Hydraulic

One of the most highly debated topics in the gas industry is hydraulic fracking. News about it is on the radio, tv and all over the internet. The truth about hydraulic fracking can be hard to find but is imperative to know the truth. The U.S Energy Information Administration estimates that the United States has 2,119 trillion cubic feet of recoverable gas. They predict that 60% of this gas is “unconventional gas” that is stored in low permeability formations such as shale, coalbeds, and tight sands (Jackson, 2011).

E- Hydraulic Fracturing is a process where natural gas is recovered from deep layers inside the earth by injecting sand, water and chemicals at a high pressure into subterranean rocks and boreholes to recover this natural gas. In this process a shaft is drilled into the earth and after a several hundred meters a horizontal hole is drilled into the rocks containing this natural gas. The mixture of fluid is now pumped in (sand,water and chemicals) and the natural gas can be recovered after the fluid has served its purpose. The drill hole is then sealed and the fracking fluid is pumped and sealed in deep underground areas.

great amounts of hydrocarbons from each well. If we use this process, this will mean that