Fracking

Extracted Attributes

• Alternative Names

  Hydraulic fracturing, fracing, hydrofracturing, hydrofracking

• Economic Benefits

  Job creation, energy independence, reduced energy prices, and lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to coal

• Primary Applications

  Extraction of natural gas, petroleum, and geothermal energy

• Key Components of Fracking Fluid

  Water, sand (or aluminium oxide proppants), and chemical thickening agents

• Environmental and Health Concerns

  Groundwater contamination, air and noise pollution, seismic tremors, and adverse pregnancy/birth outcomes

Timeline

• Colonel Edward A. L. Roberts conceives the idea of 'shooting the well' after observing artillery impact during the Battle of Fredericksburg. (Source: NRDC)

  1862-12-11

• Fracking is first used in the United States to stimulate oil and gas wells. (Source: Independent Petroleum Association of America)

  1947-01-01

• More than 120 tremors are recorded during drilling operations at a Cuadrilla fracking site in Blackpool, UK, leading to local concern. (Source: BBC)

  2019-08-26

• Dr. Nicole Deziel testifies before the U.S. Senate Budget Committee regarding the public health risks associated with fracking. (Source: Yale School of Medicine)

  2023-05-01

Fracking

Fracking (also known as hydraulic fracturing, fracing, hydrofracturing, or hydrofracking) is a well stimulation technique involving the fracturing of formations in bedrock by a pressurized liquid. The process involves the high-pressure injection of "fracking fluid" (primarily water, containing sand or other proppants suspended with the aid of thickening agents) into a wellbore to create cracks in the deep-rock formations through which natural gas, petroleum, and brine will flow more freely. When the hydraulic pressure is removed from the well, small grains of hydraulic fracturing proppants (either sand or aluminium oxide) hold the fractures open. Fracking, using either hydraulic pressure or acid, is the most common method for well stimulation. Well stimulation techniques help create pathways for oil, gas or water to flow more easily, ultimately increasing the overall production of the well. Both methods of fracking are classed as unconventional, because they aim to permanently enhance (increase) the permeability of the formation. So the traditional division of hydrocarbon-bearing rocks into source and reservoir no longer holds; the source rock becomes the reservoir after the treatment. Hydraulic fracking is more familiar to the general public, and is the predominant method used in hydrocarbon exploitation, but acid fracking has a much longer history. The hydrocarbon industry tends to use fracturing, although the word fracking now dominates in popular media.

Web Search Results

• Fracking - Wikipedia

  Fracking is highly controversial. Its proponents highlight the economic benefits of more extensively accessible hydrocarbons (such as petroleum and natural gas), the benefits of replacing coal with natural gas, which burns more cleanly and emits less carbon dioxide (CO2), and the benefits of energy independence. Opponents of fracking argue that these are outweighed by the environmental impacts, which include groundwater and surface water contamination, noise and air pollution, the triggering of earthquakes, and the resulting hazards to public health and the environment. Research has found adverse health effects in populations living near hydraulic fracturing sites, including confirmation of chemical, physical, and psychosocial hazards such as pregnancy and birth outcomes, migraine [...] to flow from the rock into the wellbore at high economic return. Thus, creating conductive fractures in the rock is instrumental in extraction from naturally impermeable shale reservoirs. Permeability is measured in the microdarcy "Darcy (unit)") to nanodarcy range. Fractures are a conductive path connecting a larger volume of reservoir to the well. So-called "super fracking" creates cracks deeper in the rock formation to release more oil and gas, and increases efficiency. The yield for typical shale bores generally falls off after the first year or two, but the peak producing life of a well can be extended to several decades. [...] ## Hydraulic fracking [edit] Hydraulic fracking is the most commonly used well stimulation technique. It involves the fracturing of formations "Formation (geology)") in bedrock by a pressurized liquid. The process involves the high-pressure injection of "fracking fluid" (primarily water, containing sand or other proppants suspended with the aid of thickening agents) into a wellbore to create cracks in the deep rock formations through which natural gas, petroleum, and brine will flow more freely. When the hydraulic pressure is removed from the well, small grains of hydraulic fracturing proppants (either sand or aluminium oxide) hold the fractures open.

• Yale environmental health expert discusses concerns about fracking | Yale School of Medicine

  INFORMATION FOR # Yale environmental health expert discusses concerns about fracking Dr. Nicole Deziel, PhD, MHS, testifies before the U.S. Senate Budget Committee on the health risks associated with oil and gas exploration during a hearing in May 2023. Fracking, a shorthand term for hydraulic fracturing that is also used to refer to the larger operations of unconventional oil and gas extraction, is a process in which a high-pressure liquid (usually a mix of water, sand, and chemicals) is pumped deep into shale rock to create large fissures that allow the release of oil and natural gas.

• What is fracking and why is it controversial?

  ## What is fracking? Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a technique for recovering gas and oil from shale rock. It involves drilling into the earth and directing a high-pressure mixture of water, sand and chemicals at a rock layer, to release the gas inside. Wells can be drilled vertically or horizontally in order to release the gas. ## Why is fracking controversial? The injection of fluid at high pressure into the rock can cause earth tremors - small movements in the earth's surface. In 2019, more than 120 tremors were recorded during drilling at a Cuadrilla site in Blackpool. Seismic events of this scale are considered minor and are rarely felt by people, but they are a concern to local residents.

• Fracking 101

  ## What is fracking? Modern high-volume hydraulic fracturing is a technique used to enable the extraction of natural gas or oil from shale and other forms of “tight” rock (in other words, impermeable rock formations that lock in oil and gas and make fossil fuel production difficult). Large quantities of water, chemicals, and sand are blasted into these formations at pressures high enough to crack the rock, allowing the once-trapped gas and oil to flow to the surface. ## History of fracking [...] ## History of fracking The idea for fracking—or “shooting the well,” as the practice was once referred to—dates back to 1862 and has been credited to a Colonel Edward A. L. Roberts. In the midst of fighting during the Civil War’s Battle of Fredericksburg, Roberts noted the impact that artillery had on narrow, water-filled channels. A few years later, he applied his battlefield observations to the design of an “exploding torpedo” that could be lowered into an oil well and detonated, shattering surrounding rock. When water was then pumped into the well, oil flows increased—in some cases by as much as 1,200 percent—and fracking was established as a way to increase a well’s productive potential. [...] ## How does fracking work? It involves blasting fluid deep below the earth’s surface to crack sedimentary rock formations—this includes shale, sandstone, limestone, and carbonite—to unlock natural gas and crude oil reserves. An infographic illustrates a cross-section view of a fracking operation both above- and below-ground Credit: NRDC

• Independent Petroleum Association of America | Hydraulic Fracturing

  Member Login Logo Logo Logo Logo Logo # Hydraulic Fracturing ### What is fracking? Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking” as it is more commonly known, is just one small method of the broader process of unconventional development of oil and natural gas. Fracking is a proven drilling technology used for extracting oil, natural gas, geothermal energy, or water from deep underground. Fracking has been safely used in the United States since 1947. More than 1.7 million U.S. wells have been completed using the fracking process, producing more than seven billion barrels of oil and 600 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. [...] 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. The process takes about three to five days, on average, to complete from start to finish. Once the fracturing operation is finished, the well is considered “completed” and is now ready to safely produce American oil or natural gas for years, even decades, to come. [...] Fracking is a uniquely American success story that has provided immense benefits around the nation. By safely unlocking America’s abundant natural resources, fracking has created millions of American jobs, reduced energy prices, brought cleaner air by significantly reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions to 25-year-lows, strengthened our national security, and transformed the United States into a global energy superpower. ## Facts About Fracking Facts About Fracking ### How has fracking impacted U.S. oil and natural gas production?