How is shale gas extracted

They use an interactive computational model to explore how hydraulic fracturing releases natural gas from deep shale formations. For shale gas, hydraulic fracturing of a reservoir is the preferred stimulation method see graphic below. Storing barrels of shale oil helps prices remain more stable. How to survive alone in the wilderness for 1 week eastern woodlands duration. Jun 19, 2014 shale gas and other unconventional sources of natural gas published jun 19, 2014 updated apr 3, 2015 despite decades of extraction and use, the estimated size of the us natural gas resource has steadily risen since the 1990s, largely buoyed by the increased feasibility of extracting gas from unconventional deposits. The first presentation provides an overview of the characteristics of a shale gas production site, the method of hydraulic fracturing, and the safety procedures used by one company. Shale gas is the term often used to describe both tight gas and shale gas resources. Hydraulic fracturing is a technique used in unconventional gas production. Shales are finegrained sedimentary rocks that can be rich sources of petroleum and natural gas. Exploitable reserves are currently estimated at 206000 billion cubic. The initial drilling only accounts for 40% of the total cost. Led by new applications of hydraulic fracturing technology and horizontal drilling, development of new sources of shale gas has offset declines in production from conventional gas reservoirs, and has led to major increases in reserves of us natural gas. Difference between conventional, shale, tight and coal seam.

This contrasts with a conventional gas reservoir produced from sands and carbonates such as. Shale gas is similar to shale oil except, of course, its natural gas instead of oil. A type of unconventional oil found in shale formations. Initial findings from the caney shale project will be used to drill and test a horizontal well.

The process of unconventional natural gas production. The lucrative gas is found trapped in shale rock, which is formed from consolidated mud, clay and organic matter. Fracking is a type of drilling technique that involves fracturing rock deep underground in order to extract shale gas a natural fuel that is trapped within shale formations. Shale oil extraction is usually performed above ground ex situ processing by mining the oil shale and then treating it in processing facilities. That was a reason the state, unlike new york, allowed gas companies to use hydraulic fracturing or fracking to extract gas from the marcellus shale formation, estimated to be the largest. Unconventional natural gas production, shale gas extraction and hydraulic fracturing. This gas, however, is locked in shale and cannot simply be drilled out. Shale gas is mostly found trapped in layers of sedimentary shale rocks. Which companies are the biggest shale players in the u. In addition to mining, theres also retorting and refining of the kerogen into synthetic crude. Regions titled, natural gas drilling in the marcellus shale under the npdes program march 16, 2011. Image changes to show a computer generated crosssection of land with the shale rock level labelled narrator. This fractures the rock and increases the volumes of gas or oil that can be recovered above ground. To release the gas, explorers drill down into the earth and then bend the drill.

In this process, oil shale is heated in the absence of oxygen until its kerogen decomposes into condensable shale oil vapors and noncondensable combustible oil shale gas. Natural gas is an odourless, colourless gas, largely formed over millions of years underground. The explosions and fracturing increase the permeability of the shale, allowing the gas thats trapped in the pores to. More natural gas is being extracted from underground shale deposits, but environmental concerns have been raised.

Shale oil extraction fracking benefits from innovative drilling techniques. For more information about shale oil and gas and fracking, visit the govuk website. In order for a shale to contain thermally formed shale gas, it is necessary for. Shale gas ranks among the least sustainable sources of electricity, according to research from a team of manchester scientists.

Hydraulic fracturing, horizontal drilling, and acidizing are processes to expand the amount of gas that a well can access, and thus increase its productivity. Apr 17, 2012 a small amount of easily accessible shale gas was extracted in the 19th century, but it wasnt until the 1970s that shale gas technology started to develop in earnest, supported by us government r. What is shale gas, how is it extracted through fracking. Tight gas is found trapped in sandstone or limestone formations with relatively low permeability. When other natural gas wells that were easier to extract gas from, known today as conventional gas wells, were discovered, this shale gas.

After the gas rises to the top, it is necessary to separate it from other substances. Energy firms will drill at first vertically down into the ground at between 6,000ft and 10,000ft, and then horizontally by more than a. The process of extracting liquid crude oil from the ground is comparatively simple to extracting oil shale. Oct 20, 2019 fracking is a process that oil companies use to drill down into the layers of shale and open up the rock formations so that oil can be extracted. It may refer to crude oil that is found within shale formations, or to oil that is. Shale gas is natural gas trapped in rocks deep underground its extracted by fracking.

This information sheet explains where natural gas can occur and how it is extracted. Shale gas is mainly methane trapped within shale rock layers at depths greater than 1. And without cuttingedge water treatment technology, the water discharge from oil shale refining will increase salinity in surrounding water, poisoning the local area source. Geographic footprint of shale gas extraction health. Hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking is where more than a million gallons of fluid is injected into rock formations to stimulate the flow of natural. Shale gas formations are unconventional reservoirs i. How much shale gas is produced in the united states. Can you extract oil from oil shale with hydraulic press. The information provided below explains the basics, including what shale gas is, where its found, why its important, how its. Fracking causes ecological damage to the environment. The shale needs to be exploded and fractured to get at the gas trapped in the shale. A number of wells have been drilled, and favourable tax treatment has been offered to shale gas producers. Fracking is a process that oil companies use to drill down into the layers of shale and open up the rock formations so that oil can be extracted. New technologies in petroleum exploration and extraction most notably the process of hydraulic fracturing aka fracking have unlocked unconventional oil and gas stored in.

It can be extracted using a process known as hydraulic fracturing or fracking which involves drilling long horizontal wells in shale rocks more. Faced with declining natural gas production, the federal government invested in many supply alternatives, including the. Extraction of oil and gas from unconventional shale reservoirs that started in the u. Shale gas in the united kingdom has attracted increasing attention since 2007, when onshore shale gas production was proposed.

Extracting natural gas from shale can be done safely, says. Oil vapors and oil shale gas are then collected and cooled, causing the shale oil to condense. Hydraulic fracturing commonly known as fracking is the process used to extract shale gas. Natural gas is most commonly extracted by drilling vertically from the earths surface. Everyone talks about fracking, but thats only one step of a larger process. Shale splits easily into relatively thin sheets due to this lamination, allowing oil and gas trapped beneath the shale rock to be extracted using modern fracturing techniques that open passageways between the laminations.

Shale rock formations have become an important source of natural gas in the united states. Jan 16, 2018 shale gas ranks among the least sustainable sources of electricity, according to research from a team of manchester scientists. The where and what of shale gas formations geologically, gas shales are fine grained, organicrich, sedimentary rock formations that trap natural gas. Federal price controls on natural gas led to shortages in the 1970s. Gas shale rock has characteristically small pores that are relatively impermeable to natural gas flow unless they are naturally or artificially fractured to create. Students discover how geologists use the composition and location of rocks to find deposits of oil and natural gas. The main enabling technologies, hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling, have opened up new areas for oil and gas development, with particular focus on natural gas reservoirs such as shale, coalbed and tight sands. Extracting gas from shale students discover how geologists use the composition and location of rocks to find deposits of oil and natural gas. However, development has been hampered by high clay content and reactivity of the formation with water.

While coal seam gas is fairly shallow and more easily extracted from the coal seams where it was formed at depths between 300 metres to 1 kilometre, shale gas and tight gas is. Two major drilling techniques are used to produce shale gas. What is shale gas, how is it extracted through fracking and what are. However, before shale gas can be extracted on a commercial basis, cuadrilla would need to apply for new licences and permits. Mar 18, 2020 the caney shale reservoir is rich in total organic carbon and contains a large oil resource with production supported by natural gas drive. Gas extracted from shale currently accounts in 2011 for about 15 percent of natural gas produced in the united states. How death and disaster followed the shale gas boom in appalachia. Shale is a sedimentary rock found in huge deposits across the world.

In addition, oil shale processing produces spent oil shale, which is a solid. Pressure from gases trapped in the chamber where oil is present force the crude oil to the surface. Like conventional oil, conventional natural gas easily flows through crack in rock formations and can be extracted with vertical wells. Here we look at the major components of hydraulic fracturing, its environmental implications, and its impact on the us and global economies. Natural gas extraction involves using hydraulic pressure to make gas rise from deep wells to the surface. Energy information administration eia estimates that in 2019, u. Shale oil extraction methods are more flexible than traditional oil well drilling. Other modern technologies perform the processing underground onsite or in situ processing by applying heat and extracting the oil via oil wells. It takes two barrels of water to produce one barrel of oil shale liquid source. Video explaining shale gas and hydraulic fracturing fracking. Hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking is where more than a million gallons of fluid is injected into rock formations to stimulate the flow of natural gas or oil. Shale gas, on the other hand, has remained trapped in rock and is much harder to access.

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, opened up more natural gas for production, but the technology added costs to the oil extraction process. Shale gas refers to natural gas that is trapped within shale formations. Oil shale presents environmental challenges as well. The resultant shale oil is used as fuel oil or upgraded to meet refinery feedstock specifications by adding hydrogen and removing sulfur and nitrogen impurities shale oil extraction is usually performed. The production of barnett shale natural gas was pioneered by the mitchell energy and development corporation. The energy information administration estimates it will make up almost half of the nations natural gas production by 2035. Natural gas is a major energy source around the world, accounting for 21 per cent of the worlds energy supply in 2010. After this pressure is alleviated, the more difficult secondary and tertiary phases of oil drilling begin. Shale oil costs more than conventional oil to extract. The method used for shale gas extraction involves hydraulic fracturing of rock layers by highly pressurized fluid.

Their shale gas production rose from 2000 to 2010 from 2 to 23 % overall gas production with the trend still rising 1. Shale is distinguished from other mudstones because it is fissile and layeredor laminated. To extract shale gas, a production well is drilled vertically until it reaches the shale formation, at which point the wellbore turns to follow the shale. Shale gas and other sources of natural gas union of. How shale gas extraction affects drilling localities. Largescale natural gas production from shale began around 2000, when shale gas production became a commercial reality in the barnett shale located in northcentral texas.

Shale gas is expected to account for 30 per cent of world natural gas production by 2040. Hydraulic fracturing used in the extraction of this resource requires a large volume of water and generates vast quantities of highly contaminated wastewater, i. This webpage has been developed to answer the many questions that people have about shale gas and hydraulic fracturing or fracking. The first well drilled specifically for natural gas extraction in the united states was drilled into a shale gas play in 1821. Shale oil extraction is an industrial process for unconventional oil production. Natural gas can be extracted from different geological formations and, depending on the type of formation, different extraction methods are required. Hydraulic fracturing and its impact on water resources. I have not heard presense of sour gas h2s mentioned in the news but that is probably present too. Whole core extracted from caney shale formation in oklahoma. What is shale gas, how is it extracted and what are some of the challenges involved. Resource recovery and reuse for hydraulic fracturing. Shale gas is natural gas produced from shale formations that typically function as both the reservoir and the source rocks for the natural gas. The first shale gas well in england was drilled in 1875. This typically involves injecting pressurized fluids to.

An initial assessment of 14 regions outside the united states prepared for the us energy information administration eia, us department of energy april 2011. Above that, the pollution caused by the improper processing of natural gas can be. Jan 31, 2020 shale oil production makes the united states more energy independent. Unconventional reservoirs can costeffectively produce gas only by using a special stimulation technique, like hydraulic fracturing, or other special recovery process and technology. From a single vertical drill, the well is limited to the gas reserves it encounters. Beneath the surface of a large portion of north america, buried in ancient bedrock, is a. Horizontal drilling began in the 1930s, and in 1947 a well was first fracked in the u. This chapter provides a summary of presentations on the process of shale gas extraction and its potential geographic impact. Extracting gas from shale national geographic society.

How is shale gas extracted through hydraulic fracturing fracking. The main difference between tight gas and shale gas, however, is that tight gas can be found in low permeability sedimentary rocks, such as sandstones, while shale gas rocks are usually impermeable 2 royal dutch shell plc. How to get gas from hard rock jump to media player the us has almost ended its reliance on imported gas after opening up its reserves of shale gas using the process of hydraulic fracking. This paper presents the research status of shale gas seepage mechanism under supercritical co 2 conditions from several aspects including the adsorption and desorption of gas, the competitive adsorption of co 2 and ch 4, the multiscale spatial. Permeability refers to the capacity of a porous, sediment, soil or rock in this case to transmit a fluid. How death and disaster followed the shale gas boom in. The united states began shale projects in the 1970s. Check out the seven steps of oil and natural gas extraction below. Oct 15, 2018 what is fracking and why is it controversial. Shale gas exploitation with supercritical co 2 is a promising technology that not only improve gas recovery but also achieve geological storage of co 2.

In terms of chemical makeup, shale gas is typically a dry gas composed primarily of methane 6095% vv, but some formations do produce wet gas. The process of unconventional natural gas production epa. Natural gas is extracted by drilling into the ground and using water to move the gas to the surface. Of the natural gas consumed in the united states in 2009, 87% was produced domestically. There are some fractures like dikes that form naturally, creating the means by which petroleum and gas may make it to reservoir rocks. This process converts kerogen in oil shale into shale oil by pyrolysis, hydrogenation, or thermal dissolution. Shale gas and other unconventional sources of natural gas published jun 19, 2014 updated apr 3, 2015 despite decades of extraction and use, the estimated size of the us natural gas resource has steadily risen since the 1990s, largely buoyed by the increased feasibility of extracting gas from unconventional deposits. Beneath the surface of a large portion of north america, buried in ancient bedrock, is a massive reserve of natural gas. Shale gas is natural gas, mostly methane but presumably it can be associated with heavier fractions ethane, natural gas liquids including propane and butane just as other gas deposits are. The extraction and use of shale gas can considerably affect the environment through the leaking of extraction chemicals and waste into water supplies, contamination of the water table and the surface soil as well the leaking of greenhouse gases during extraction. S federal price controls on natural gas led to shortages in the 1970s. Everywhere you can read about the shale gas rush in north dakota, texas, and montana, all usa. How shale transformed the us energy fortunes how shale deposits are extracted oil and gas explorers in the us have been aware of large deposits of shale gas and oil since the 1940s, but until recently were unable to extract such resources in a costeffective manner.

Instead, a process known as hydraulic fracturing must be used. When i talk to my friends and family about my job, i find that most of them dont understand how the oil and natural gas extraction process works. The problem is that this process adds two extra steps to the conventional extraction process in which liquid oil is simply pumped from the ground. How shale gas extraction affects drilling localities figure 1. Shale gas and other sources of natural gas union of concerned. The united states is home to vast quantities of shale oil and shale gas, with estimates of natural gas reserves among the largest known in the world. Shale gas in the united states is an available source of natural gas.

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking to extract shale gas is a. The information provided below explains the basics, including what shale gas is, where its found, why its important, how its produced, and challenges associated with production. The differences between oil shale, shale oil, and shale gas. Shale gas was first extracted as a resource in fredonia, new york, in 1821, in shallow, lowpressure fractures. The extraction and use of shale gas can affect the environment through the leaking of extraction chemicals and waste into water supplies, the leaking of. Shale has low permeability and high porosity, so there was a good deal of research and development needed before methods applied in other types of drilling could be suitable for the extraction of shale gas. What needs to be done to access the natural gas thats trapped in shale. The information provided below explains the basics, including what shale gas is. In the past decade, fracking has contributed to the deaths of more than a thousand people and the emission of more than a. Most of the shale gas extracted today, above all in the united states, is thermally formed in deeplying dark shales. Shale gas extraction explained many believe the us is on the brink of a new industrial age, as it benefits from a recent energy boom.