Course project week 1

of Affiliation Hydraulic Fracturing Hydraulic fracturing refers to a well-simulated procedure that is applied when undertaking a maximum extraction of resources like natural gas, oil, water and even geothermal energy found deep beneath the earth’s surface. With regard to gas and oil, this process finds its use in creating a free movement of the said resources from the rock pores all the way to the production wells. A slight difference occurs between oil fracturing and gas fracturing, in that gas requires prolonged fracturing session unlike oil. ()
The fracturing process involving pumping of fluids usually made up of chemicals and water, into structures at high pressure. Following a buildup of pressure that ultimately exceeds the strength of the rock, fracture occur, which might extend hundreds of feet away from the situation of the well. A propping agent is then pumped into the fractures to keep it open, as pumping pressure is freed (Hydraulic fracturing, 1990). At the end of the fracturing, the inner pressure within the geologic structure makes the injected fracturing liquid to rise above the surface for storage in pits or tanks to await disposal or recycling.
In the United States, this process is currently underway in the Marcellus Shale region that takes in places like Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Virginia Maryland, and West Virginia. South America also has fracturing going on in places that include Venezuela, Brazil and Argentina while in Europe fracturing goes on in Britain between Blackpool and Pendle Hil, in Lancashire.
Despite much criticism, hydraulic fracturing has affected the economy in a number of positive ways. This includes the Creation of employment opportunities for many Citizens, generation of income for the many employees working in this sector, increasing the states revenues both directly and indirectly (Karapataki, 2012). In addition, the fracturing process has increased economic activities in certain places thus improving tax Revenue of the concerned Local Government.
References
Hydraulic Fracturing Background Information | Hydraulic Fracturing | US EPA. (n. d.). Home | Water | US EPA. Retrieved March 15, 2013, from http://water. epa. gov/type/groundwater/uic/class2/hydraulicfracturing/wells_hydrowhat. cfm
Hydraulic fracturing (1990 ed.). (1990). Richardson, TX: Society of Petroleum Engineers.
Karapataki, C. (2012). Techno-economic analysis of water management options for unconventional natural gas developments in the Marcellus Shale. Detroit: Greenwood Press.