“Hydraulic Fracturing, known as “frac’ing” in the industry, has made another unwelcome appearance in the media, in which the process is termed “fracking”, where it is reported that the procedure may cause earthquakes. Essentially, water containing a surfactant and various other chemicals is injected under high pressure into a source rock e.g. shale, causing the latter to fracture and release natural gas (principally methane). It is hoped that fracking will provide 45% of the U.S. gas by 2035, although the jury remains “out” on its safety aspects, awaiting the conclusions of studies by the University of Texas and by the Environmental Protection Agency.
In Europe, fracking is set to be adopted widely, particularly in Poland which has significant reserves of gas-shale, while in France, which is similarly well resourced, reservations over groundwater contamination by fracking are sufficiently strident that the country has vowed not to adopt the method. France indeed produces almost 80% of its electricity from nuclear power, while other EU nations rely far more on fossil fuels and for whom gas is a more important ingredient of their energy-mix, including the UK.
In the inauguration of a pilot study offshore near the famous holiday resort of Blackpool, renowned for its “sticks of rock” and big-dipper rides, in the North-West of the United Kingdom, an unexpected side-effect of fracking has been identified, namely an earthquake of magnitude 2.3 which has reinforced some disquiet as to the safety of the procedure. Commercial fracking is presently banned not only in France, but in New York and Pennsylvania states, from where there is footage available on YouTube of residents setting fire to their drinking water in consequence of the high levels of methane gas in it arising from neighbouring fracking operations…….”
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PA and NY banned fracking??? What the frack?
My wife is a geophycist and is currently monitoring a frack taking place in the Marcellus Shale Formation (PA) as we speak.
The Marcellus Shale formation is the largest source of domestic natural gas in the United States, and is expected to produce 4,359 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
The bans that the article has mentioned aren’t for the entire states of PA and NY as it implies. The CITIES of Buffalo, NY and Pittsburgh, PA have instituted a ban on fracking while more information is gathered on its impact.
The permitting agencies in these areas may be a bit more strict, but there is definitely drilling activity that is going on in and around PA and NY.
My wife worked on a project to assess the validity of the claims that fracking causes earthquaked. It was determined that fracking does not cause earthquakes.
Now on to the matter of “Fire on the Water”, the engineers responsible for a particular well are very, very aware of any groundwater formations that exist, being very careful to not compromise the groundwater. A mistake could cost them the entire well.
I can’t wait for the next shale formation discovery that trumps Marecellus, adding to domestic production, improving the US trade deficit, strenthening the dollar, and stimulating the economy.
@Professor Chris Rhodes: Chill the Frack Out!
I’m lookin’ forward to a little GST bomb fixin’ blow up!
LNG jromitron