What exactly is hydrofracking?

Hydrofracking means hydraulic fracturing, a technique in which large quantities of water, combined with smaller sized quantities of chemicals and sand, are pumped under high pressure into a drilled gas well. The purpose of hydraulic fracturing is to form tiny fractures in the rock by utilizing water to require the rock to open along small existing fractures. When the pressure is launched, and the water got rid of, the sand stays behind, propping open the newly developed fractures and permitting gas to flow more easily into the well. Because of that, sand is called a proppant.

Hydrofracturing was first recorded being utilized in Kansas in 1947. The Stanolind Oil Business injected a mixture of acid and oil into a well to enhance the production of oil. A patent was released the following year, and Halliburton Oil Well Cementing Business was given the unique rights to use the fracturing technique. Halliburton added sand to the oil mix and began fracturing wells.

Initially, oil and other thicker (thicker) materials were pumped into wells to finish a fracturing task. In 1953, water was presented as a fracturing fluid, and different chemicals have been added throughout the years to increase the efficiency of the liquid. Along with testing the usefulness of numerous chemicals, various kinds and sizes of proppants were tested for effectiveness. The first tasks were finished using sand. However, products evaluated have likewise consisted of plastic pellets, steel shot, resin-coated sand, and various metal beads. While the concentrations of sand in the very first hydraulic fracturing attempts were restricted by the low pressure of pumps, the capability to utilize very high pressure has enabled present fracturing jobs to utilize much higher concentrations of sand. Greater pressure and concentrations suggest that more fractures can be opened and more gas to be released from the well.

Though fracturing methods and materials might vary from well to well, the majority of wells are fractured from 8 to forty times throughout their lives. Some price quotes claim that hydraulic fracturing has permitted a more than 90 percent boost in recuperating gas when compared with production of wells in which hydrofracking was not utilized.

Issues have been raised whereby the wastewater that is produced by the hydrofracking process, as well as the safety of the chemicals utilized to make the hydrofracking fluid is not safe and can damage the environment.

Did you know? Maryland is the first state with gas resources to BAN fracking in March 2017. New York City banned drilling in 2012 and Vermont even without known frackable gas reserves.