Hydraulic fracturing has faced a great deal of criticism. In most cases, the criticism is due to the already existing shortage of clean water on earth. While some companies like GasFrac Canada are now using alternative frac waters, others need to do so. Although, excessive water use is not the only issue, drilling deep into the rock formation of earth has proved to be the cause of man-made earthquakes in different areas including, Texas and Oklahoma.
While the concerns are real, one company is trying to create a better, cleaner and more efficient operation. The company, GasFrac out of Canada, has redefined the fracking process. In doing so, the company injects petroleum based liquids deep into a well rather than using a mixture of water and chemicals. As a result, while earthquakes due to seismic activity remain a real concern and issue, this new process strives to eliminate water table contamination.
Water-free fracking proponents try to support a theory that the process is a solution to water contamination and others related to the process. While this is the case, it is essential to look at the benefits and drawbacks of any new technology or process. With that being said, the benefits of waterless fracking currently appear to outweigh any drawbacks.
When it comes to the process, it is basically the same as traditional fracturing only with alternative liquids. In addition, waterless fracking operations start by drilling a well while traditional operations work with existing wells. When using a waterless operation, once the desired depth of the well has been reached, horizontal drilling continues.
Once the well is complete, the hole is injected with the proppant carrier which fractures the formation of the base rock allowing oil or gas to escape and reach the surface. While Canadian GasFrac uses liquid propane as a carrier, there are additional alternatives to water which have been proposed by others. In most cases, all alternatives are more expensive than water though GasFrac claims that there are numerous benefits in using propane.
Most often, liquid propane provides all the chemical aspects and benefits necessary to match that of water based operations. These benefits include, a more effective operation, the elimination of blockages in the well and the reversal of liquid propane to a gas form, which results in oil and gas flowing freely back to the surface.
Water-free fracking also helps to prevent pollutants from escaping to the surface. For, when a liquid version of propane vaporizes, the pollutants are left in the well. Whereas, operations which use water tend to carry these pollutants back to the surface, including chemicals used in the process and heavy metals which are a natural aspect of the rock formations which have been disturbed.
One of the biggest benefits in using propane is that liquid propane can be sold or recycled. In addition, once the process is complete, companies must dispose of produced water used during the operation. As a result, there has to be some place to release the polluted water, often causing polluted oceans and waterways. For, while there had been rules in place to prevent dumping of frac water into the ocean, environmental rollbacks have now allowed for a number of coastal locations in which companies can now do so.
While the concerns are real, one company is trying to create a better, cleaner and more efficient operation. The company, GasFrac out of Canada, has redefined the fracking process. In doing so, the company injects petroleum based liquids deep into a well rather than using a mixture of water and chemicals. As a result, while earthquakes due to seismic activity remain a real concern and issue, this new process strives to eliminate water table contamination.
Water-free fracking proponents try to support a theory that the process is a solution to water contamination and others related to the process. While this is the case, it is essential to look at the benefits and drawbacks of any new technology or process. With that being said, the benefits of waterless fracking currently appear to outweigh any drawbacks.
When it comes to the process, it is basically the same as traditional fracturing only with alternative liquids. In addition, waterless fracking operations start by drilling a well while traditional operations work with existing wells. When using a waterless operation, once the desired depth of the well has been reached, horizontal drilling continues.
Once the well is complete, the hole is injected with the proppant carrier which fractures the formation of the base rock allowing oil or gas to escape and reach the surface. While Canadian GasFrac uses liquid propane as a carrier, there are additional alternatives to water which have been proposed by others. In most cases, all alternatives are more expensive than water though GasFrac claims that there are numerous benefits in using propane.
Most often, liquid propane provides all the chemical aspects and benefits necessary to match that of water based operations. These benefits include, a more effective operation, the elimination of blockages in the well and the reversal of liquid propane to a gas form, which results in oil and gas flowing freely back to the surface.
Water-free fracking also helps to prevent pollutants from escaping to the surface. For, when a liquid version of propane vaporizes, the pollutants are left in the well. Whereas, operations which use water tend to carry these pollutants back to the surface, including chemicals used in the process and heavy metals which are a natural aspect of the rock formations which have been disturbed.
One of the biggest benefits in using propane is that liquid propane can be sold or recycled. In addition, once the process is complete, companies must dispose of produced water used during the operation. As a result, there has to be some place to release the polluted water, often causing polluted oceans and waterways. For, while there had been rules in place to prevent dumping of frac water into the ocean, environmental rollbacks have now allowed for a number of coastal locations in which companies can now do so.
About the Author:
Discover the latest articles that are published about the alternative frac waters and their technology. To get instant access to the main page click on the link http://www.seawatertechnologies.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment