Over the past years, the combination of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing has enabled access to significant volumes of shale gas that were previously uneconomical to produce. The production of gas from shale developments has invigorated the gas market in the United States.
The USA has abundant resources of Shale Gas. Of all the natural gas consumed in the United States last 2009, the dominant 87% was produced locally; thus, the supply of gas is not as dependent on foreign producers as is the supply of crude oil, and the shipment system is less subject to disruption. The availability of big amounts of shale gas will further allow the United States to consume a predominantly domestic supply of gas. Inning accordance with the EIA Annual Energy Outlook 2011, the United States possesses 2,552 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of prospective gas resources.
Do you knowSedimentary rocks are rocks formed by the accumulation of sediments at the Earth’s surface area and within bodies of water. Typical sedimentary rocks include sandstone, limestone, and shale.
Shale gas is found in shale “plays,” which are shale developments including substantial accumulations of gas and which share comparable geologic and geographic homes. A decade of production has come from the Barnett Shale play in Texas. Experience and details got from establishing the Barnett Shale have enhanced the efficiency of shale gas development around the country.
Other crucial plays are the Marcellus Shale and Utica Shale in the eastern United States; and, the Haynesville Shale and Fayetteville Shale in Louisiana and Arkansas. Surveyors and Geologists determine ideal good places in locations with capacity for cost-effective gas production by using both surface-level observation strategies and computer-generated maps of the subsurface.
Horizontal Drilling and Hydraulic Fracturing
Two drilling techniques are used to produce shale gas. Horizontal drilling is used to supply higher access to the gas trapped deep in the production. Initially, a well is drilled to the targeted rock development. At the desired depth, the drill bit relies on bore a well that stretches through the tank horizontally, exposing the well to more of the producing shale. Hydraulic fracturing (frequently called “fracking” or “hydrofracking”) is a process where chemicals, water, and sand are pumped into the well to unlock the hydrocarbons trapped in shale developments by opening fractures (fractures) in the rock and enabling gas to flow from the shale into the well. When used in conjunction with horizontal drilling, hydraulic fracturing enables gas manufacturers to extract shale gas at the sensible expense. Without these techniques, gas does not flow to the well rapidly, and commercial quantities can not be produced from shale.
