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New Waterless Fracking Method Avoids Pollution Problems, But Drillers Slow to Embrace It [View all]
New Waterless Fracking Method Avoids Pollution Problems, But Drillers Slow to Embrace It
11/06/2011
Like water, propane gel is pumped into deep shale formations a mile or more underground, creating immense pressure that cracks rocks to free trapped natural gas bubbles. Like water, the gel also carries small particles of sand or man-made material—known as proppant—that are forced into cracks to hold them open so the gas can flow out.
Unlike water, the gel does a kind of disappearing act underground. It reverts to vapor due to pressure and heat, then returns to the surface—along with the natural gas—for collection, possible reuse and ultimate resale.
And also unlike water, propane does not carry back to the surface drilling chemicals, ancient seabed salts and underground radioactivity.
"We leave the nasties in the ground, where they belong," said Lestz.
...An industry executive said propane's expense does make it a tough sell.
"Propane is always going to be more expensive than water," said Roger Willis, president of Universal Well Services, a Pennsylvania company that provides drilling equipment to the industry. "But propane fracking will probably be useful in some situations. ... The economics of doing it would be fairly complicated. You have to weigh the cost and recovery of propane versus the transport and treatment of the water."
The New York Oil & Gas Association, a lobbying group, referred a reporter to Willis after being asked for the group's stance on propane fracking.
New York is anticipating allowing "produced" water to be taken by municipal sewer treatment plants that have been retrofitted and approved by the state to properly handle drilling contaminants. However, no plants New York currently have that approval.
How to safely transport and dispose of millions of gallons of produced wastewater is one of the issues being wrestled with as the New York Department of Environmental Conservation considers opening up the state to hydrofracking.
http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20111104/gasfrac-propane-natural-gas-drilling-hydraulic-fracturing-fracking-drinking-water-marcellus-shale-new-york
11/06/2011
Like water, propane gel is pumped into deep shale formations a mile or more underground, creating immense pressure that cracks rocks to free trapped natural gas bubbles. Like water, the gel also carries small particles of sand or man-made material—known as proppant—that are forced into cracks to hold them open so the gas can flow out.
Unlike water, the gel does a kind of disappearing act underground. It reverts to vapor due to pressure and heat, then returns to the surface—along with the natural gas—for collection, possible reuse and ultimate resale.
And also unlike water, propane does not carry back to the surface drilling chemicals, ancient seabed salts and underground radioactivity.
"We leave the nasties in the ground, where they belong," said Lestz.
...An industry executive said propane's expense does make it a tough sell.
"Propane is always going to be more expensive than water," said Roger Willis, president of Universal Well Services, a Pennsylvania company that provides drilling equipment to the industry. "But propane fracking will probably be useful in some situations. ... The economics of doing it would be fairly complicated. You have to weigh the cost and recovery of propane versus the transport and treatment of the water."
The New York Oil & Gas Association, a lobbying group, referred a reporter to Willis after being asked for the group's stance on propane fracking.
New York is anticipating allowing "produced" water to be taken by municipal sewer treatment plants that have been retrofitted and approved by the state to properly handle drilling contaminants. However, no plants New York currently have that approval.
How to safely transport and dispose of millions of gallons of produced wastewater is one of the issues being wrestled with as the New York Department of Environmental Conservation considers opening up the state to hydrofracking.
http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20111104/gasfrac-propane-natural-gas-drilling-hydraulic-fracturing-fracking-drinking-water-marcellus-shale-new-york
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