Hydraulic Fracturing - Cost and Environmental Concerns

Hydraulic fracturing: An overview

Hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking or hydrofracking, is an energy extraction method that involves injecting pressurized liquid into bedrock formations. The process involves drilling wells and producing hydrocarbons. However, there are several concerns surrounding this process, including cost and environmental concerns.

Hydrocarbon extraction

Hydrofracturing is a process of fracturing rocks in order to release hydrocarbons. This process has many advantages, and has been widely used in the oil and gas industry. It is relatively inexpensive and increases production, which in turn lowers prices and creates jobs.

Hydrocarbon extraction requires high volumes of water and chemicals that are used to create fractures in rock formations. Although the technique was originally used on terrestrial geological formations, it has recently been extended to the marine environment. While the process does not pose a direct threat to marine life, the chemical composition of the produced water and flowback fluid can potentially harm the marine environment.

Well stimulation

Hydraulic Fracturing is a method used to increase the permeability of an oil or gas reservoir to increase the well's production. There are many types of well stimulation techniques. Some are more effective than others, but all are designed to increase production. Some types have fewer risks than others, while others may even be more expensive to perform.

Multistage hydraulic fracturing is a common technique for well stimulation. It is most commonly used in reservoirs with low permeability. Hydraulic fracturing is difficult to simulate using a conventional computer model. To achieve realistic simulations, a mesh of multilateral multisegment wells is used to model the hydraulic fractures.

Environmental concerns

While hydraulic fracturing has significantly increased oil and gas activity, it also exacerbates existing environmental concerns. Specifically, hydraulic fracturing increases the risk of hydrocarbon spills, formation water contamination, and the degradation of the surface. It also decreases seismic activity, and can be used in areas where water supplies are scarce.

Environmental concerns with hydraulic fracturing are also increasing due to the massive amounts of water being pumped from fracking wells, which threaten waterways. Since fracking wastewater is injected into deep underground disposal wells, it has the potential to cause induced earthquakes. Although these earthquakes are typically small, they can cause faults to shift.

Mishaps

Hydraulic fracturing is an important industry, but it can lead to serious accidents if companies don't take proper safety measures. The Alberta Energy Regulator (ERCB) has issued a bulletin, which calls for companies to conduct well control, risk assessment, and technical modeling before they start underground work. The bulletin also urges companies to identify and notify the owners of any well bores that may be affected by hydraulic fracturing. The report also calls for a cooperative effort between industry stakeholders and the ERCB to prevent accidents.