What Is Hydraulic Fracking?

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.

Hydraulic fracturing also called fracking has been around for many years despite the recent events of controversy to continue fracturing or not. With the earth’s resources depleting rapidly every year and no sufficient replacement for energy humanity needs fracking. The process of fracking has been around for more than six decades. Fracking has been around since the 1940s and was created to increase the removal flow of oil and natural gas. In the words of chemical engineer Robert Rapier “Fracking involves pumping water, chemicals, and a proppant down an oil or gas well under high pressure to break open channels in the rock holding the oil or gas (Rapier).” A proppant can be different materials,

Hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, is a process the the oil and gas industry uses to extract natural gas and oil from shale rock formations buried deep within the Earth. Fracking is done in order to recover oil and natural gas from formations and areas that scientists didn’t think were possible to produce. It is also used for the extraction of oil and natural gas from older wells in more mature oil and natural gas fields. Many people don’t know about the many harmful effects to people and the environment because of fracking. Hydraulic fracturing is harmful to the environment and people because it contaminates drinking water, pollutes the air, and threatens the climate.

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).

‘Hydraulic fracturing/fracking is the process of injecting liquid at high pressure into subterranean rocks, boreholes, etc. to force open existing fissures and extract oil or gas’ (Oxford dictionaries, 2015).

Hydraulic fracturing is the process of drilling a well deep into the ground, and then injecting it with sand, high-pressure water, and over 500 different types of chemicals to break up the rock and shale and release natural gas to be collected and used as fuel for our vehicles, homes, and workplaces. While some hydraulic fracturing can date as far back as the Civil War, it wasn 't until about the 1940s that it became a more commercialized business. However, it was in the 1990s that the modern techniques used to make fracking much more common came about. George P. Mitchell of the Mitchell Energy & Development Corporation is credited with finding the modern

As the terminology of hydraulic fracking suggests, it involves water, a lot of water in fact that in British Columbia, the average volume of water per well is 77 million litres. With the usage of water at both the front end with fracking fluid, the water based chemical cocktail that is injected into the shale, and at the back end where there is flowback water and produced water. (Becklumb et al., 2015) The flow of water back up from the fracking operation (the backflow) is a combination of brine and formulated fracking fluid. This backflow water will persist until it reaches the point where the water and components resembles the local formation of minerals and rock chemically. This is known as produced water, while the well continues in operation.

The natural resource industry continues to improve, providing the world with energy that fuels machines and keep homes warm. Drilling is the way the world has been getting oil from the ground due to the efficiency. A certain process can only work for so long and the output continues to decrease. Due to the high demands oil and natural gases, the world has turned to alternative ways retrieve these resources. Hydraulic fracturing is now the most effective way to retrieve oil and natural gas from the ground. Recently, the number of earthquakes have increased near hydraulic fracturing sites. Hydraulic fracturing is both beneficial and destructive at the same time. Several examples of seismic activity linked to fracking

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.

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

Hydraulic Fracturing, or Fracking, as it is commonly known, is a process that requires three main components: a natural gas deposit, drilling and fracking fluid. The operation begins with companies surveying lands to discover an untapped source. Once one is found,

Many see hydraulic fracturing or fracking as a good source of oil pumping but others see major problems with this process. Hydraulic fracturing or ‘fracking’ is the process of oil and gas pumping using a water, sand and some chemicals to drill horizontally against rocks. The water and sands pressure is raised to a point of breaking or fracturing the rocks which then releases the oil and gases (Lallanilla). There are many pros and cons to this process of fracking. Some more than others.

1 What is Hydraulic Fracturing The United States Geological Survey Energy Resources Program defines hydraulic fracturing as "an oil and gas well development process that typically involves injecting water, sand, and chemicals under high pressure into a bedrock formation via the well" (Hydraulic Fracturing). The process is meant to produce fractures in the rock formations which increases the flow of oil from the bedrock to the wells, where it can then be processed into crude oil (Hydraulic Fracturing). Despite being a fairly new method of extraction, fracking has quickly become one of the top methods in use.

Hydraulic fracking (‘Fracking’) dominates the US oil and gas industry. Although it is currently a politically dividing topic due to environmental concerns (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2010), the concept behind fracking has been around for over 150 years (Roberts, 1866), and has been in use in its current state for over 60 years (Clark, 1949). This report will cover the early history of fracking, and its early technological advancements.

Hydraulic fracturing begins with tapping shale and rock formations by drilling a mile or more below the surface of the earth before slowly turning horizontal and continuing several thousand feet. After