Activity 2A, Greg Glasgow
Research Summary for the Technology and Natural Science Domain
Gregory Glasgow, Section 001
· What is hydraulic fracturing? How does it work?
Hydraulic fracturing is a method of extracting natural gas from solid shale reservoirs typically found between 5,000 and 10,000 feet below ground level. To begin, a vertical well is drilled down to just above the reservoir. Then, the well is drilled horizontally so that it is as fully surrounded by the gas reservoir as it can be. Once the hole is drilled, the rock is mechanically fractured or “stimulated” by pumping thousands of gallons of water into the well. (U.S. Department of Energy, “How is Shale Gas Produced”) This releases natural gas that has been stored in the shale where it can be collected at the surface and sold.
· Why is there so much gas in the Marcellus shale?
Marcellus shale can trap more natural gas than other rocks and minerals because of its relatively low density. This means that there are very small holes in the shale that can house deposits of natural gas. Materials with a higher density aren’t as porous and therefore cannot store gas. (U.S. Department of Energy, “How is Shale Gas Produced”) Also, natural gas can be found in Marcellus shale because organic matter was “compressed and heated…forming hydrocarbons” inside the rock itself. (Soeder, 2009)
· How would a pipeline be built in the county? Where would it go? What effect would it have on land and animals?
Pipelines are built by utilizing multiple teams of people that have 30 to 100 mile stretch of land. Each team is responsible for digging a trench and physically laying the pipe into the ground. Any wildlife such as trees, foliage, nests of mammals etc. would be destroyed in the process. The total length of the pipeline can reach to over a thousand miles and can travel from Texas to the Northeastern United States. (INGAA, 2015)
· How is the waste water dealt with?
There are a few ways that waste water is disposed of. “10 to 20 percent” of the water injected into the ground is actually forced back up to the surface as more and more water is pumped into the ground. (U.S. Department of Energy, “Shale Gas 101”) Also, some of the waste water can remain in the ground and be “absorbed by the shale formation.” (U.S. Department of Energy, “Shale Gas 101”) The majority of the waste water actually is recycled and is pumped back into the ground. The final two options for fracking companies are simply pumping the waste water back into the ground and leaving it there, or they can treat it and dump it back into nearby bodies of water. (U.S. Department of Energy, “Shale Gas 101”)
"Shale Gas 101." Energy.gov. U.S. Department of Energy, n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2015. http://energy.gov/fe/shale-gas-101#faq_11
“How is Shale Gas Produced.” Energy.gov. U.S. Department of Energy, n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2013/04/f0/how_is_shale_gas_produced.pdf
Soeder, Daniel J. "Water Resources and Natural Gas Production from the Marcellus Shale."" (2009): n. pag. USGS. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
"How Are Pipelines Built?" INGAA. Interstate Natural Gas Association of America, 2015. Web. 15 Apr. 2015. <http://www.ingaa.org/cms/65.aspx>.