Technology Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage

Hydraulic fracturing is one of the main reasons for the rapid increase in gas and oil production in the recent times. Hydraulic fracturing or fracking is a technique, which helps in recovering gas and oil from shale rocks. The process of fracking requires drilling into the Earth before high-pressure liquids directed at the rock help to release the gas trapped inside it. Water, sand and various other chemicals injected into the rocks, with great pressure, that allow the gas to flow out of the well. The process can be carried out vertically and horizontally, however it is common to use the latter as it helps in creating more ways to release gas.

Once the well reaches the right depth, it turns right or left and becomes horizontal. This is called the kick off point. The horizontal section can span anywhere from 1,000 to 6,000 feet. The drill is removed but the surrounding steel casing remains. These steel casings are meant to protect the groundwater and the surrounding area from any potential leakage during the fracking process. Down at the horizontal section of the well, little holes are punctured through the steel in thousands of spots. Then, a water solution is pumped at a extremely high pressure down the well. This causes tons of cracks and fissures in the rock. Additives and sand in the water mixture hold the cracks open, allowing oil to escape and be brought up to the surface.

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).

Next drillers inject the well with extremely pressurized fluid. The fluid is a make of water, sand, and lube sent into the wellbore under high pressure. Which then initiates the adjacent rock to crack and release natural gas that has been captive underneath the earth surface. The forced mixture then creates a fairway to the well and consents the released gas to flow to the wellbore.

To those in the energy industry, it refers purely to the process of injecting fluids-which consist of water and between three and twelve chemicals, including hydrochloric acid, sodium chloride, methanol, and isopropyic ethanol, that serve various functions-underground at high pressure to crack open shale rock, release natural gas or oil trapped there, and allow the hydrocarbons to flow to the surface. (24)

The first step in hydraulic fracturing is drilling the actual well and then inserting a steel pipe into the wellbore. The steel pipe is pierced so that the fluid that is pushed through can penetrate into the target zones where the oil or gas is located ("Hydraulic Fracturing 101," n.d.). These kinds of wells can be drilled thousands of feet below

Hydraulic fracturing is a controversial practice commonly used by oil and natural gas producers. This practice, better known as “fracking”, is used to stimulate the production of oil by fracturing shale to release natural gas. The birth modern day hydraulic fracturing began as early as the 1940s and today it is widely practiced across the United States, from new york, to Oklahoma, even all the way to California. The process of fracking is fairly simple, hydraulic fracturing (fracking) involves tapping shale and other tight-rock formations by drilling a mile or more below the surface before turning horizontal and continuing to drill several thousand feet more (Energy from Shale 2016). is drilled water is injected at an extremely high rate

Hydraulic fracking is a process in which metal pipes are drilled miles deep into the ground. This method uses millions of gallons of water and chemicals which are injected down a pipe, thus causing rock layers called shale to break due to a difference in pressure. Furthermore, the natural gas flows upwards and is obtained to be further burned for human use.

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.

First the shaft is drilled several hundred meters into the earth. From that a horizontal hole is drilled into the gas bearing layer of rock. Next, the fracking fluid is pumped into the ground using high performance pumps. The mixture penetrates into the rock layer and produces tiny cracks. The sand prevents the cracks from closing again. The chemicals perform various tasks, among other things they compress water, kill off bacteria, or dissolve minerals. Next, the majority of the fracking fluid is pumped out again. Now the natural gas can be recovered. As soon as the gas source is exhausted, the drill hole is resealed. The fracking fluid is pumped back into deep underground layers and sealed in.

Secondary steps require a perforated gun producing high-magnitude electrical currents to be introduced down the wellbore (oil field terminology pertaining to a hole generated from oil/gas exploration), helping drive holes into the cement and ultimately enabling a channel for gas flow. The gun is then removed. Under high pressure, the drill pumps a solution of water, sand, and chemicals into the established site, allowing the gas (methane) to be released and stored.

Hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” is a process that fractures rock formations in the earth’s surface in order to release hydrocarbons. When these hydrocarbons are released, they flow more freely through the rocks and up to the wellbore, were oil and gas are extracted to (Suchy, 2012). Not all rock formations require a hydraulic fracturing operation to be done because the fluids move freely through rocks that have been naturally fractured. Shale gas reservoirs on the other hand are not permeable and have very few natural fractures; therefore the trapped gas and oil must be extracted by fracking only.

It begins by drilling into the surface, and then steel cased by cementing, then placing small explosives are then shot into the rock, next pumping liquids hence why it is referred as hydraulic fracking, into the ground. This produces the crust of the earth to break and release fluid we so desperately need for our society. Although this method is very effective, the chemicals that pumped into the ground which includes, hydrochloric acid, ethylene glycol and isopropanol are toxic. In addition, to the harmful chemicals mentioned, millions gallons of water and sand are being utilized in this process which could have side effects into the earth after-done for so many times. On an average it usually one to five million gallons of water is pumped into the cavity (Gral and CPM 30). Although, we need the energy to sustain life, fracking damages the environment which makes it less livable place to habitat all for the cost of cheaper form of

This method is called Fracking (Hydraulic fracking, for the proper term…). Fracking is the process that allows natural gas to be extracted from rock deposits deeper within the earth. This process is carried out by injecting a fracking liquid into the earth and this