FRACKING (Hydraulic Fracturing) Craig R Calabria, Ph.D., P...

FRACKING(Hydraulic Fracturing)

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Craig R Calabria, Ph.D., P.E.Visiting Professor – University of Salford,

Consulting EngineerMarch 2020

Contact: [email protected]@salford.ac.uk

Fossil Fuels: Oil & Gas

“Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is an absurd one.” –

Voltaire French author, humanist, rationalist, & satirist (1694 - 1778)Letter to Fredrick the Great 28 November 1770

Levene, L. “Philosophy: stuff you forgot from school”, Readers Digest Books, 2011

FRACKING

World Energy Consumption

https://www.bp.com/content/dam/bp/business-sites/en/global/corporate/pdfs/energy-economics/statistical-review/bp-stats-review-2019-primary-energy.pdf Retrieved 18 Sept 2019 3

High Carbon Fuels 87.6

Low Carbon Fuels 12.4

Coal: 29.2%

Oil: 35%

Natural Gas: 23.4%

Renewables: 2.2%

Hydro: 5.8%Nuclear:4.4%

Million Tonnes Oil Equivalent

US Energy Consumption

U.S. Energy Information Administration | Annual Energy Outlook 2015/2019

14.8%

31.8%

26.1%

22.7%

4.6%

27.3%

27.3%

19.3%

21.6%

4.5%

High Carbon Fuels 80%

Low Carbon Fuels 20%

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World Primary Energy Consumption

http://peakoilbarrel.com/world-energy-2018-2050-world-energy-annual-report-part-1/ Retrieved 06 Oct 2019

19%

18%

15%

35%

4.4%

1.4%

7.4%

Historic Projected

High Carbon Fuels 52%

Low Carbon Fuels 48%

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• Delphi 3400 Years BP (14th c. BCE - 4th c. CE)

• Delphic Oracle's Lips May Have Been Loosened by Gas Vapors

Oil & Gas History

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/08/0814_delphioracle.htmlRetrieved 29 Oct 2015 6

• 325 BCE - Alexander the Great used flaming torches of petroleum products to scare his enemies,

• 8th Century CE - Baku people used ground impregnated with oil for heating because of absence of wood,

• 1273 - Marco Polo oil collected from seeps on the shores of the Caspian Sea in modern Azerbaijan,1837 - Autun, France - first attempts to mine oil shale, mines were closed in 1957

•

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History of the World Petroleum Industry (Key Dates)

http://www.geohelp.net/world.html Retrieved 22 Sept 2015

• 1857 - Preston Barmore drilled two gas wells on Canadaway Creek near Fredonia, NY– used an 8-pound charge of gunpowder at a

depth of 122' to 'frack' the well – the first record of artificial fracturing

• 1859 - Col. Edwin Drake struck oil 69-ft below ground surface in Titusville, Pennsylvania

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History of the World Petroleum Industry (Key Dates)

http://www.geohelp.net/world.html Retrieved 22 Sept 2015

Fracking History

10http://www.geoexpro.com/articles/2014/02/unlocking-the-earth-a-short-history-of-hydraulic-fracturing Retrieved 29 Oct 2015

Fracking History• The Titusville Morning Herald

reported in 1866: …“Our attention has been called to a series of experiments that have been made in the wells of various localities by Col. Roberts, with his newly patented torpedo. The results have in many cases been astonishing”…

• Production from some wells increased 1,200% within a week of being shot

http://www.energyandcapital.com/articles/a-brief-history-of-fracking/2972 Retrieved 25 Oct 2015 11

• 1947: First Experimental Oilfield Fracturing • 1949: First Commercial Hydraulic Fracturing Treatments • 1977: First Fracturing in Tight Sandstone Formations• 1997: Slickwater Fracturing Introduced• 2005-2010: Growth by 45% a Year• 2010: Flow-Channel Hydraulic Fracturing• 2015: In-Situ Formation of Proppant • 2019: Microchip & Expanding proppants• 2020: Stay tuned

Oil & Gas History

http://energy4me.org/hydraulic-fracturing/history-of-hydraulic-fracturing/ Retrieved 28 Oct 2015Francis, D., “get Smart”, World Oil, Dec. 2019 12

13http://www.bgs.ac.uk/research/energy/shaleGas/howMuch.html

Conventional and Unconventional

• Oil sands• Tight oil & gas• Oil & Gas shale• Thermal depolymerization• Coal and gas conversion• Methane Hydrate

Unconventional Oil & Gas

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• permeability is a property of the porous media only, not the fluid.

Permeability

16https://www.google.com/search? Retrieved 30 Oct 2015

• Conventional (Sandstone) Reservoir– k varies from 0.5 md to 20 md (millidarcy)

• Unconventional (Shale) Reservoir– k varies from 1x10-5 md to 1x10-4 md– ~1/1000 of 1% for Conventional Reservoir k of 10 md

• Thus the need to enhance k

Permeability


• Darcy is not an SI unit• Permeability k

– 1 Darcy ~ 1x10-12m2

• Hydraulic Conductivity K– 1 Darcy = 0.831m/day – 1 Darcy = 9.6x10-4cm/sec

Permeability and Hydraulic Conductivity


where:• is the superficial fluid flow velocity through

the medium (i.e., the average velocity calculated as if the fluid were the only phasepresent in the porous medium) (m/s)

• k is the permeability of a medium (m2) • is the dynamic viscosity of the fluid (Paꞏs) • P is the applied pressure difference (Pa)• X is the thickness of the bed of the porous

medium (m)

Permeability

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Hydraulic Conductivity

20What the frack? | Srikanta Mishra | TEDxColumbus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RraLt7DW4Ao Retrieved 03 Oct 2019

World Shale Oil & Gas Basins

22https://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2015/09/25/world-shale-resources-grow-as-new-countries-added-to-list/ Retrieved 25 Oct 2015

World Shale Oil & Gas Reserves (Technically Recoverable)

23https://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2015/09/25/world-shale-resources-grow-as-new-countries-added-to-list/ Retrieved 25 Oct 2015

• World: 7299 Tcf 206.7 Tm3

• China: 1115 Tcf 31.6 Tm3

• America: 862 Tcf 24.4 Tm3

• Western Europe: 639 Tcf 18.1 Tm3

http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=14431 Retrieved 03 Nov 2015

1) Tcf = Trillion cubic feet2) Tm3 = Trillion cubic meter

• The American gas industry is less restricted than in Europe

• This contrasts with France, where there is a moratorium on fracking while an assessment of the risks is carried out.

• Poland, issued exploration licenses to 20 firms, – test wells have been drilled, and – commercial production commenced in 2014.

.

Shale Gas

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Morton, M.Q., “Unlocking the Earth-A Short History of Hydraulic Fracturing”, GeoExPro, Vol. 10, No. 6, 2013

Oil & Gas History

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http://qz.com/330753/nearly-half-the-uk-is-up-for-fracking-and-these-maps-show-you-where/ Retrieved 18 Oct 2015https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10203146753177558&set=p.10203146753177558&type=3&theater

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=manchester+uk+shale+gas&view=detailv2&id=6E0E093A31E5DEA0395464F85C51589ADE33FB35&selectedindex=35&ccid=XFIgVloY&simid=608026787000812609&thid=OIP.M5c5220565a18a6ef9082fd76d8079539o0&mode=overlay&first=1 Retrieved 19 Oct 2015

Shale Gas

https://www.resilience.org/stories/2019-11-08/uk-government-implements-fracking-ban-for-now/ Retrieved 28 Dec 2109

Banned November 2019

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USA Shale Gas Deposits/Pipelines

http://www.eia.gov/oil_gas/rpd/shale_gas.pdf Retrieved 13 Sept. 2019 32

USA Shale Gas DepositsStates With Moratorium or Ban

https://www.witf.org/2019/11/15/toomey-talks-pro-fracking-legislation-impeachment-on-pittsburgh-stop-2/Retrieved 29 Dec. 2019

This story, and infographic were updated on 28 April 2016.

Base map updated on 29 Dec. 2019

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Pennsylvania Shale Gas Deposits

35https://marcelluscoalition.org/pa-map/ Retrieved 19 Sept 2019

Marcellus Shale Gas Deposits

36https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=26052/ Retrieved 19 Sept 2019

The Marcellus and Other Key Formation in Pennsylvania

37http://www.marcellus.psu.edu/resources/maps.php Retrieved 24 Oct 2015

Utica Shale Gas Deposits

40www.marcellus.psu.edu/resources/images/tristate-wells-by-year.gif Retrieved 19 Sept 2019

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Utica Siltstone & Black Shale Outcrop, Rectangular Joints, near Fort Plain New York

42http://www.marcellus.psu.edu/resources/images/tristate-wells-by-year.gif Retrieved 24 Sept. 2019

crc1

Marcellus Shale Companies, Significant producers within the Pennsylvania Marcellus Shale are:

43https://www.mineralweb.com/directory/shale-plays/marcellus-shale-pennsylvania/ Retrieved 16 Dec. 2019

• Anadarko Petroleum• Atlas Energy Resources• Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation• Carrizo Oil & Gas Corp.• Chesapeake Energy• Chief Oil & Gas• East Resources• Energy Corporation of America• EOG Resources• EQT Corp

• EXCO Resources• Fortuna Energy• Nomac Drilling• North Coast Energy• Range Resources• Rex Energy Corp.• Southwestern Energy Production Co. • StatoilHydro• Stone Energy Company• Ultra Petroleum Corp. Chief Oil & Gas

crc1

The Marcellus Formation

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• Shale Gas Wells 2005 to present

• Data last updated 28 February 2020

https://www.marcellusgas.org/# Retrieve d 02 March 2020

21,583 permitted unconventional PA wells 19,769 are horizontal wells12,552 are drilled or under development 10,262 have reported production values1,051 have been plugged

19 new wells added in the last 21 days4,993 well-pads are permitted in the state

Chevron Producing Natural Gas From ShaleFracking

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHh7cmC669g Retrieved 06 Oct 2019 48

Pennsylvania Shale Gas Deposits

49http://www.marcellus.psu.edu/images/Watershed%20Map%2020150331.jpg Retrieved 25 Oct 2015

How Much Does it Cost to Drill a Single Marcellus Well?

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• The costs to drill a well break down this way:• Land acquisition and leasing: $2.1 million • Permitting: $10,000 • Vertical drilling: $663,000 • Horizontal drilling: $1.2 million • Hydraulic fracturing: $2.5 million • Completion: $200,000 • Production to gathering: $472,000

https://marcellusdrilling.com/2011/09/how-much-does-it-cost-to-drill-a-single-marcellus-well-7-6m/ Retrieved 04 Oct 2019

$7.2M (2011)

$8.4M (2020)

https://www.inflationtool.com/us-dollar/2011-to-present-valueR t i d 04 M h 2020

RISK MATRIX

25 Shades of Green

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• Total ~350,000 oil and gas wells since Drakes well in 1859

• 129,587 active permitted wells. (May 2017)– 10,097 active wells are unconventional

fracked wells• ~220,413 wells unaccounted for

Wells in Pennsylvania

52November 15, 2017, 1:00 PM ‐ 2:00 PM

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, "DEP Office of Oil and Gas Management Operator Well Inventory Report," accessed May 1, 2017

Pollution Potential

53Hydraulic Fracturing Symposium at Texas Tech •Dec 3, 2013

Pollution Potential Reduced by Technology ApplicationEra of Construction is more Important Than Well Age

54Hydraulic Fracturing Symposium at Texas Tech •Dec 3, 2013

Time Era Operation Norms ‐ Level of Technology Era Pollution Potential1830 t0 1916 Cable Tool Drilling, No Cement, Wells Vented HIGH1916 to 1970 Cementing Isolation Steady Improvement MODERATE

1930's Rotary Drilling replaces Cable Tool, BOPs MODERATE & LOWER1952 FRACS reduce # Wells, Better Pipe & Cement LOWER from FRAC Aspect1960 GAS Tight Couplings & Joint makeup MODERATE1970 Cement Improving, Intro Horizontal Wells LOWER

1988 Multi‐Frac, Horizontal Wells, Pad Drilling Reduced Environmental Land Footprint 90%

LOWER

2005 Well Integrity Assessment, Premium Couplings, Added Barriers, & Cementing Full Strings

LOWER after 2008 to 2010 (Stronger Regulatory Review)

2008Chemical Toxicity & Endocrine Disruptors Reduced.

Real‐time Well Integrity Needs Studied ‐ Early Warning & Avoidance

LOWEST Yet, Most States caught up with Design & Inspection

Requirements

Marcellus Shale Play Pad

55Google Earth Pro, near Germania, PA. Abbott Twp.., Potter County PA

Marcellus Shale Play Pad Potter County Pennsylvania

56CRC November 2014

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Findings of Sparrowhawk Water Impoundment (6.5MM (million) gallons) Inspection, Tioga County, Pennsylvania, July 2015

Fracking Lessons Learned

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• Water management issues associated with • potentially leaking open pits, • leading to the fear that groundwater could

be contaminated • if a lined pit was punctured or seals failed.

http://www.aapg.org/publications/news/explorer/details/articleid/12416/truth-and-lies-about-hydraulic-fracturing Retrieved 21 Sept 2015


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• Problems?– Transport Spills - Same as other chemical transportoptions

(Rail, Barge, Truck)– Technology Eras Define Leak Rates

• Well Leaks Dropped Steadily from 1916 to 2000• Leak Rates (Modern Wells) often <0.00005% of Product Vol.

– Safest is Horizontal, Multi-Frac Wells– Replaces 5 to 10 Vertical Wells– Can Reduce Development Footprint by >90%– Over 1 Million Fracs from Horizontal Wells

•

Frack Fluid Composition

62U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Fossil Energy, NATURAL GAS FROM SHALE: Questions and Answers April 2013

• 99.2% made up of – Water – forced into the rock under very high

pressure– Quartz sand – props open the fractures is

not included in % calculation

Marcellus Frac Fluid Composition

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Frac Fluid Composition

64https://geology.com/energy/hydraulic-fracturing-fluids/ Retrieved 02 March 2020


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• Yale-led study (largest study of its kind) investigation found no evidence that trace contamination of organic compounds in drinking water wells near the Marcellus Shale.

• Contamination likely the result of surface releases from hydraulic fracturing operations and not migration from gas wells or deep shale layers,

http://news.yale.edu/2015/10/12/study-elevated-organic-compounds-pennsylvania-drinking-water-hydraulic-fracturing-surface Retrieved 05 Nov 2015

Compressor Station

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Stagecoach Compressor Station North Central Pennsylvania

SPCC Plan

Compressor Station

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Stagecoach Compressor Station North Central Pennsylvania

Fracking: Lessons Learned

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• The failure to establish baseline water chemistry before drilling campaigns.

• Extent to which casing was cemented• Use of air-drilling to penetrate the vertical legs of Marcellus

gas wells• Hydraulic fracturing companies allowed (Energy Policy Act

of 2005) to keep their additives proprietary.• Deep-well injection disposal of flowback water in large

enough volumes/pressure to trigger minor earthquakes in Ohio, Oklahoma, and Texas

http://www.aapg.org/publications/news/explorer/details/articleid/12416/truth-and-lies-about-hydraulic-fracturing Retrieved 21 Sept 2015

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House damage in central Oklahoma from the magnitude 5.6 earthquake on Nov. 6, 2011

http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_top_story/man-made-earthquakes/ Retrieved 25 Oct 2015

• Shale / tight oil and shale gas resources have revolutionized U.S. oil and natural gas production in 2012,• 29 % of total U.S. crude oil production and • 40 % of total U.S. natural gas production

• Variation across the world's shale formations in both geology and above-the-ground conditions,

• Global technically recoverable shale resources will prove to be economically recoverable is not yet clear. It will be function of production costs and volumes.

Conclusions

73http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=14431 Retrieved 03 Nov 2015 Article dated 02 Jan 2014

ATW ($US/ 1000 CF)

74https://geology.com/articles/natural-gas-prices/ Retrieved 02-04 March 2020

30 June 2008 $13.07

Natural Gas Prices Residentail vs ATW 1990 to 2013 ($US/1000 CF)

76https://geology.com/articles/natural-gas-prices/ Retrieved 06 Oct 2019

• What is Fracking?• When, Where, and Why was Fracking introduced into the

Oil/Gas industry?• What Formations are associated with Shale Oil/Gas in

Pennsylvania? • True or False; Does Fracking cause Earthquakes? • What is the major component and percent by volume of

Fracking Fluid?

Questions: PHL PSPE March 2020

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FRACKING (Hydraulic Fracturing) Craig R Calabria, Ph.D., P...

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