Hydraulic Fracturingor

‘Fracking’

Background• The purpose of fracking is to increase the amount of mineral

that can be mined from an ore body.• The ‘frack’ shale oil or natural gas deep below the earth’s

crust. Usually deposits are 1 500 to 6000 m the ground surface.

• The company will either use a natural fracture or they will drill a borehole into the targeted area.

• http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/03/bakken-shale-oil/fracking-animation-video (National Geographic – explanation video).

Well Diagram

Fracking Completion

Fracking Fluid

• The fluid is the most controversial aspect of this mining technique.

• The fluid includes slurry water (slick water), proppants (silica sand or ceramic) and chemical additives (see diagram).

• Most of the fluid injected contains 90% water, 9% propping agents and usually less than 0.5% chemical additives (although that can depend on the well and geologic structure of the earth).

Fracking Fluid

Fracking Fluid

• Injected fluid is recovered as much as possible, and then stored in pits or containers.

• It can be toxic due to the chemical additives and materials washed out from the ground.

• Some of it is reprocessed to use in more fracking operations, some released into the environment after it is cleaned and some is left in the geological formation.

The Environment

• Concerns include contamination of the ground water, risks to air quality, the migration of gases and fracking chemicals to the surface and the potential mishandling of waste.

• 2010 EPA study “discovered contaminants in drinking water included: arsenic, copper, vanadium, and adamantanes adjacent to drilling operations which can cause illnesses including cancer, kidney failure, anaemia and fertility problems.”

World Deposits of Shale Oil and Gas

Things to Consider

• The first use of fracking was done in 1947, but new techniques has made it much more economically feasible

• Fracking has turned the Energy World upside down, with the steadily increasing supply of natural gas and crude oil created from fracking, North America has become a reliable and stable energy source. Lessening our need (USA too) to import oil from the Middle East or other sources.

• It is expected that NA is set to be energy independent by 2020 by fracking initiatives.

• NA is also set to be the world’s largest producer of crude oil by 2017, out producing Saudi Arabia and Russia.

• Source: www.frackingenergy.com