Fracking
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Fracking
Fracking, also known as hydraulic fracturing, is injecting pressurized water and additives into the earth to create cracks and fissures through which fuel and natural gas can be tapped. The well-simulation techniques are often used to create more fractures in low permeability rocks to increase their permeability (Bažant, 2014). Many mining and drilling companies use fracking as an effective process to extract oil and natural gases from beneath the earth’s surface. There are different types of fracking techniques, vertical drilling, the commonly used technique, and horizontal drilling. Vertical wells are often drilled straight done into the earth, whereas horizontal wells are often created to stimulate reservoirs that, in most cases, would not be achieved vertically.
The horizontal drill is used to reach targets located beneath adjacent lands to maximize the extraction. Notably, horizontal drilling is often adopted to extract natural gas and oil in zones that are forbidden from drilling, such as cities or parks where vertical drills can cause destabilization. Additionally, horizontal drilling is often adopted when the process intends to drain a broad area in one drilling and, in turn, increase the pay zone length (Hobart 2019). Horizontal drilling increases wells’ productivity or, in other cases, seals or relieves pressure in wells that many out of control. Horizontal drilling is gaining traction over the recent years following its associated advantages.
There are several types of equipment used during the different phases of hydraulic fracturing. The leading equipment used for hydraulic fracturing includes blenders to frack the fluids. The fracking fluid contains a base fluid that is often water, although nitrogen can be used alternatively. A proppant, in this case, ceramic beads or pure silica sand, is used, and lastly, additives are meant to protect the equipment and reservoir (Hobart, 2019). High-pressure fracturing pumps and storage tanks. The frac fluid includes corrosion inhibitors, biocides, breakers, potassium chloride, gels, friction reducers, oxygen scavengers, scale inhibitors, Ph adjusting agents, and surfactants. The chemical additives are made up of approximately between 1l2 to 2 percent of the total frac fluid, while water accounts for over 90%.
The fracturing fluid varies from one is to the next; it is depended on the size and needs of the area and the properties of the environment to be fractured. Thus, the concertation and recipes of the frac fluid vary in different applications. The hydraulic process uses a couple of hazardous components; however, they are safe when properly handled and adhered to the industry safety practices (Bažant, 2014). Some of the standard hazardous components used include hydrochloric acids used to initiate cracks and dissolve mineral compounds. Additionally, there are fluids intended to prevent bacterial growth, increased lubrication of the extraction process, prevents corrosion and clogs.
Fracking has been one hotly debated technique by chemists and even geologists in recent years. Some have questioned the environmental impacts of the process, and for some, the secrecy involved especially surrounding the components of the chemicals used in the fracking liquids used. One of the significant criticism against fracking is that it induces earthquakes with magnitudes to caused massive damages and loss of lives. However, lately, there is increased transparency and caution involved when carrying out the fracking process (Bažant, 2014).
References
Bažant, Z. P., Salviato, M., Chau, V. T., Viswanathan, H., & Zubelewicz, A. (2014). Why fracking works. Journal of Applied Mechanics, 81(10).
Markl, G., Burisch, M., & Neumann, U. (2016). Natural fracking and the genesis of five-element veins. Mineralium Deposita, 51(6), 703-71
Hobart .M (2019) Methods used to increase production and hit targets that cannot be reached with a vertical well. https://geology.com/articles/horizontal-drilling/ (Retrieved March 29, 2021)
