National Geographic Society is a 501 (c)(3) organization. Unconventional natural gas is extracted using hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. Fracking can result in toxic or radioactive wastewater, micro-earthquakes, groundwater contamination, explosions, and many more issues. Vertical drilling: the most common method. Shale gas is natural gas produced from shale. Email:Gri@lse.ac.uk The process of extraction starts with a hole being drilled into the bedrock, sometimes as deep as two miles, until an area of. In Europe the largest estimated resources lie in Poland (4.1 tcm) and France (3.9 tcm), with 0.7 tcm for the United Kingdom. Mark Zoback, a professor of geophysics at Stanford University, was asked to be part of that panel, which recently released its first report; He spoke with Stanford Report about shale gas as an energy source and the recommendations in the report. DRL-1220756. Privacy Notice| From there it is piped away for commercial use. The drill moves through the previously identified vein of petroleum-rich shale and pulls from all along the longitudinal axis. Fracking is also a potential trigger for earthquakes and has been linked to seismic events in North America and elsewhere in the world. The US Geological Survey noted that there has been an increase in seismicity around shale gas operations since 2009 in the state of Oklahoma, but that most of this was due to the disposal of wastewater rather than fracking. Nonetheless, identifying measures to reduce the environmental impact and improve the safety of shale gas production are precisely the issues the subcommittee was asked to address in our report. Extraction Once a potential natural gas deposit has been located by a team of exploration geologists and geophysicists, it is up to a team of drilling experts to dig down to where the natural gas is thought to exist. As a result, its main industry is agriculture. Btu per cubic foot of natural gas delivered to consumers by state and other components of consumption for U.S. scientists use technologies to model and visualize layers below the surface that they cannot see. the ratio of the volume of all the pores, or holes, in an object and the object's total mass. Stanford geophysicist Mark Zoback, who recently served on a Department of Energy panel of experts, says it can be done safely. Natural Gas Extraction. Content Created by. Natural gas currently provides more than a quarter of the energy used in the United States and that fraction is likely to continue growing. Sustainability Policy| Countries such as China, India and Australia also use large quantities of coal for electrical power generation and switching to natural gas would dramatically reduce their emissions. In a new study I've carried out with Prof. Steve Gorelick, we argue there is more than enough gas from shale in the U.S. to completely replace coal for generating electricity in the next 20-30 years. Finally, there is concern over the emissions generated by the fracking process itself. Encourage students to discuss the scientific evidence with each other to better assess their level of certainty with their predictions. Shale gas refers to gas held in fractures and pore spaces, or gas adsorbed on organic material (the remains of organisms such as plants and animals) within shale rock. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Conventional Natural Gas Production . The hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" of gas shale has raised concerns about potential damage to the environment and to human health. Learn more about how individuals and communities can manage their resources to support themselves and the world around them. Why does some shale contain oil and/or natural gas while other shales do not? The NOAA Weather Forecast Modelprovides a good example. United States Geological Survey. That means that theres no way for the public to know what goes into the ground to bring up the natural gas. Students use an interactive computational model and real-world data to evaluate the environmental impact of extracting natural gas to generate electricity. Projections by the US Energy Information Administration in 2016 estimated that shale gas would account for 30 per cent of world natural gas production by 2040. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited. Therefore natural gas does not flow easily through shale. allowing liquid and gases to pass through. Chemically identical to conventional natural gas, renewable natural gas (RNG) is the . Its not a perfect system by any means, and human error, laziness, overused equipment, or unforeseen circumstances can turn an operation into an environmental disaster in an instant. This activity targets the following skills: The resources are also available at the top of the page. Step 2: Steel casings, or pipes, are inserted into the well and the space between the rock and casing is then filled with cement. For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. Because these basic resources are such a large part of our daily lives, it is important that we manage them responsibly to ensure future generations have what they need. Most people probably associate natural gas extraction with the process of fracking (hydraulic fracturing). describe how oil and natural gas are formed, describe how geologists find the shales with oil and/or natural gas resources, explain why shale needs to be fractured to release natural gas, Information, Media, and Technology Skills, Tech Setup: 1 computer per learner, 1 computer per small group, Projector. Ask students to work through the activity in their groups, discussing and responding to questions as they go. Show the Geologic Cross-Section of Ohio and Pennsylvania. Provide students with the link to the Extracting Gas from Shale interactive. Wastewater tanks, hoses, and other equipment often have unforeseen cracks or leaks, which results in spillage and contamination of local habitats or municipal water supplies. What method of extraction is used for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale formation? Once those different levels of the substrate have been plunged along the vertical line, extraction companies move to the horizontal. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that in 2021, U.S. dry shale gas production was about 26.8 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) and equal to about 79% of total U.S. dry natural gas production in 2021. The fractures are kept open by use of proppants, such as sand. According to the Energy Information Agency, natural gas deposits, both in the United States and the world, are absolutely enormous. The lower part of the section, from the Hamilton Group (Marcellus Shale and Mahantango Formation) to the Tully Limestone, is Middle Devonian in age. Shale gas was generated from organic mud deposited at the bottom of ancient bodies of water. Recent technologies have made it possible to extract the oil and natural gas trapped in deep shale formations. Natural gas from shale is widely promoted as clean compared with oil and . Sorry, nothing was found for your search. 02. Has hydraulic fracturing caused drinking water contamination? The impact of this fluid causes fissures to form, opening new channels for the fracturing slurry to probe and releasing the stored gas in the process. On the next page, learn about "fracking" and discover why people are concerned. Natural gas is extracted from subsurface rock formations via drilling. Deep holes are drilled down into the shale rock followed by horizontal drilling to access more of the gas reserves as shale reserves are typically distributed horizontally rather than vertically. Water or other fluids, such as propane, are pumped into wells, cracking open the natural fissures in the rock. Divide students into groups of two or three, with two being the ideal grouping for sharing computer work stations. No matter how clean it might be relative to gasoline, natural gas is still a fossil fuel, and as long as we keep cutting environmental corners to extract it, the potential dangers it presents will always outweigh its scant virtues. For these reasons, it has received political support from the Obama Administration. Dr. Hee-Sun Lee, The Concord Consortium, The Concord Consortium According to some estimates, at current consumption rates there is enough gas to last for 100 years. Amy Pallant, Principal Investigator, The Concord Consortium Hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" is a technique that uses fluid, usually water . [42] In 2007, the Antrim gas field produced 136 billion cubic feet (3.9 billion cubic metres) of gas, making it the 13th largest source of natural gas in the United States. All communities face the challenge of managing resources responsibly, not only for themselves, but for the sake of the world around them. Using domestic natural gas for transportation could significantly lessen our dependence on imported oil. The remainder of the section is Upper Devonian. 1145 17th Street NW Mark Zoback, Department of Geophysics: (650) 725-9295, zoback@stanford.edu, Louis Bergeron, Stanford News Service: (650) 725-1944, louisb3@stanford.edu, A publication of Stanford's Office of University Communications, Stanford University. All rights reserved. Corn, soybeans, and wheat are globally exported from this region and serve as the main economy. Each energy resource has its advantages and disadvantages. To save students' data for grading online, register your class for free at theHigh-Adventure Science portal page. Green Matters is a registered trademark. As of March 2014 there were approximately 1.1 million oil and gas wells in the United States, a direct consequence of technological advances that have increased domestic energy production to levels unseen since the 1970s.Much of the growth has been in natural gas obtained through hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," which involves injecting immense quantities of water and chemicals into . Since Earth's continents are continually moving and areas that were once covered by water may no longer be covered by water, geologists look for sedimentary rocks with high organic matter content. First of all, is the threat it poses to local groundwater resources. When it comes to natural gas extraction, vertical drilling is often employed first. As explained by National Geographic , vertical drilling involves plunging a single vertical drill into the Earth's surface, and pulling up whatever gas or oil is found in that particular gas well. Speaking of renewables, wouldn't we be better off directing our efforts toward renewable resources such as solar, wind and water? How serious are those concerns? Shale & Public Health Conference, November 2020. LSE U.S. natural gas production by source or type of gas and gross production . Once this access hole has been established, the pressurized fluid -- usually a slurry of water, sand, and chemicals -- is shot against the rock. This activity is part of a sequence of activities in the What Are Our Energy Choices? Hydraulic fracturing -- commonly referred to as "fracking" -- is the process of hitting shale or other rock with high-powered blasts of fluid. Indeed, compared to petroleum, domestic natural gas represents potential reductions in emissions, greater economic stability, and fewer security concerns. Those shale deposits all have the common characteristic of low porosity and permeability. Recent studies have estimated that the carbon footprint of shale-gas extraction is as much as 20 percent higher than originally thought. Reserves typically represent a small percentage of resources and can only be reliably estimated when based on detailed exploration and evaluation, including drilling. When that water comes back up the well, it has picked up chemicals present in the shale that aren't good for human health or the environment. type of fossil fuel made up mostly of the gas methane. Fracking Explained 1. First, wellbore is drilled into the layer of rock. Hydraulic fracturing increases the permeability of the shale by forcing open the natural cracks in the shale. Most problems associated with shale gas wells have arisen from poor well construction it is critically important to drill properly and to line the wells with steel casing that is properly cemented in place. If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer. Recovery rates for shale gas are much lower than for conventional gas. Tel: +44 (0)20 7107 5027 2. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks.com article: David DeFranza, Planet Green Resource estimates refer to the amount of natural gas that is believed to exist in a particular location. .ng-c-sponsor-logo { Tell students that: 4. This lists the logos of programs or partners of NG Education which have provided or contributed the content on this page. Shale rock formations have become an important source of natural gas in the United States. Ask your students to think about these questions, based on the cross-section of Marcellus Shale. Introduce and discuss the use of computational models. Over the last five to 10 years, however, it has been demonstrated that by carefully controlled hydraulic fracturing in a well drilled horizontally into the shale, you can enhance the permeability of the shale to produce commercial quantities of gas. (http://www.eia.gov/dnav/ng/ng_prod_sum_dcu_NUS_a.htm), Generalized cross section of Catskill delta magnafacies across western Pennsylvania and Ohio (adapted from Harper, 1999). 5) How similar is the Marcellus Shale to other shale deposits where natural gas is currently extracted? According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the fracking process requires an extensive array of drilling equipment. When you reach out to them, you will need the page title, URL, and the date you accessed the resource. This process converts kerogen in oil shale into shale oil by pyrolysis, hydrogenation, or thermal dissolution.The resultant shale oil is used as fuel oil or upgraded to meet refinery feedstock specifications by adding hydrogen and removing sulfur and nitrogen impurities.. Shale oil extraction is usually performed . Coal, one of humankinds earliest fuel sources, is still used today to generate electricity. This said, there are instances where natural gas has been found in drinking water supplies, which is one of the problems that can be caused by poor well construction. Uncertainty items allow for classroom debates over the evidence. Put simply, hydraulic fracturing is the process of injecting liquid and materials at high pressure to create small fractures within tight shale formations to stimulate the production and safely extract energy from an underground well after the drilling has ended and the rig and derrick are removed from the site. 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