While such activity is not likely to occur in the near future, it is likely that permits for exploration in the lough allen basin may. According to the united states environmental protection agency epa, hydraulic fracturing is a process to stimulate a natural gas, oil, or geothermal well to maximize extraction. Hydraulic fracturing has been used in the oil and natural gas industry since the 1940s, producing more than 700 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 15 billion barrels of oil since the practice began. Hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling have created new domestic energy frontiers and made the united states a net energy exporter for the first time in more than 60 years. Study of the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. Epa s study of hydraulic fracturing and its potential impact on drinking water resources. Epas study of hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas and. The stages and activities of the hydraulic fracturing water cycle include. Energy in depth, a nonprofit organization representing the oil and gas industry, has lobbied against the frac act, but supports the new epa study in concept. Executive summary, hydraulic fracturing study us epa. Impacts from the hydraulic fracturing water cycle on drinking water resources in the united states. Hydraulic fracturing also called fracking, fracing, hydrofracking, fraccing, fracing, and hydrofracturing is a well stimulation technique in which rock is fractured by a pressurized liquid. Hydraulic fracturing free download as powerpoint presentation.
Impacts from the hydraulic fracturing water cycle on drinking water resources in the united states, executive summary pdf 50 pp, 8 mb, 12122016, epa600r16236es contact us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem. Epa releases revised guidance on sdwa permitting for hydraulic fracturing with diesel. Epas study of hydraulic fracturing and its potential impact on drinking water resources. Environmental impact assessments and hydraulic fracturing. Jul 05, 2012 regulatory action covering the practice of hydraulic fracturing began soon after the technology was developed in the late 1940s, many years before congress passed the clean water act or safe drinking water act. The hydraulic fracturing technology creates sandfilled fractures up to 1 inch thick and 30 feet ft in radius. This assessment, which is part of an interdisciplinary study by a panel of neutral experts on the risks and.
Epa to study hydraulic fracturing san antonio expressnews. Enhanced epa oversight of the permitting process for diesel fuel use during hydraulic fracturing can further epa efforts to protect water resources, and establishment of a plan for determining whether to propose a chemical disclosure rule can help address the publics concerns about hydraulic fracturing chemicals. Permitting guidance for oil and gas hydraulic fracturing activities using diesel fuels. Regulation of water pollution from hydraulic fracturing in. Introduction to fracturing hydraulic fracturing and horizontal wells are not new tools for the oil and gas industry. Epa, ghgrp petroleum and natural gas systems sector industrial profile. The potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. The usgs monitors the environmental impact of this practice across the country, from potential earthquakes to degraded groundwater quality. Increased vertical depth restriction for hydraulic fracturing operations near the top of the bedrock surface section 7, j. Epa analysis of fracfocus 1 data fact sheet epas study. Enhanced epa oversight and action can further protect.
Hydraulic fracturing study timeline pdf epas study of. The first horizontal well was in the 1930s and horizontal wells were common by the late 1970s. An uptodate description of current and new hydraulic fracturing. An infographic presenting the hydraulic fracturing drinking water assessment by the numbers. The environmental protection agency estimates that 50,000 to 350,000 gallons of water may be used to fracture. Hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking, is a process that uses fluids and other materials that are pumped under high pressure into gasbearing rock formations in order to open fractures cracks to create a path for the gas to flow. The frac act would permit regulation of hydraulic fracturing under the sdwa and would require oil and gas companies to disclose the chemicals used in fracking operations.
Hydraulic fracturing drinking water assessment by the numbers pdf 1 pg, 282 k. Table 1 broadly summarizes the different fluids that are used for hydraulic fracturing epa. The epa defines the broader process to include acquisition of source water, well construction, well stimulation, and waste disposal. Hydraulic fracturing anion and cation determinations organic acid determinations sample preparation reagentfree ion chromatography recommended resources anions and cations in produced water download application note 1105. Horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing hf process has become a technically and economically feasible method for extraction of shale gas that can conditionally serve as a substitute energy source in order to reduce carbon emissions and drive a smooth transition towards more sustainable and renewable sources shaffer et al. It presents the facts as they are currently available and understood. The united states environmental protection agencys usepas draft study of the potential. The process involves the highpressure 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. Environmental protection agency epa released a revised guidance clarifying the application of the safe drinking water acts sdwas underground injection control uic program requirements to the injection of diesel fuels during hydraulic fracturing operations. The first fracturing experiment was in 1947 and the process was accepted as commercial by 1950. The study plan was released in november 2011 and outlined the scope, research approaches, and research questions of epa s hydraulic fracturing drinking water study. Therefore, an effective hydraulic fracturing design from pretreatment formation evaluation to environmental friendly and efficient management of fracturing fluid and waste water will be presented at the end of the study. During hydraulic fracturing, pressurized fluid is injected through a well into a subsurface rock layer in order to open the fractures. Epas study of hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas and its.
Hydraulic fracturing wastewater analysis reagentfree ion. Hydraulic fracturing opens narrow cracks in rock layers in order to allow oil, gas, or water to flow through the rock. Determination of anion and cations in produced water from hydraulic fracturing. Hydraulic fracturing study plan 2011 epas study of. Appendices epa600r16236fb december 2016 downloaded from the united states environmental protection agencys website january 2017.
Hydraulic fracturing enhanced by water pressure blasting. An overview of hydraulic fracturing and other formation stimulation. The extraction of shale gas on a commercial scale is an activity that is licensable by the. The extraction of shale gas on a commercial scale is an activity that is licensable by the environmental protection agency epa of ireland. A timeline of epa s study of the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. Hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking, is the process of injecting water, sand, andor chemicals into a well to break up underground bedrock to free up oil or gas reserves. Assessment of the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing. Fracturing can be traced to the 1860s, when liquid nitroglycerin ng was used to stimulate shallow, hard rock wells. A more comprehensive list of concerns reported to the epa during initial stakeholder meetings can be found in appendix c of the epas plan to study the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources epa600r11121.
Hydraulic fracturing study timeline pdf 1 pg, 1 mb. Requirements for diesel fuels used for hydraulic fracturing wells. Hydraulic fracturing equipment the fracturing equipment consists of a rod, a tool to create an initial notch, a continuous slurry mixer, a positive displacement pump mounted on a trailer, and the fracture mixture fluid and proppant. As for what fracking means to the united states the answers are security, economic growth and jobs, jobs, jobs. Synergistic utilization of inherent halides and alcohols in. Nontarget profiling of organic compounds in a temporal. An extended overview of the history of the fracturing technology is presented. Epa and state uic programs were required to regulate hydraulic fracturing.
Hydraulic fracturing wastewater analysis reagentfree. Hydraulic fracturing typically uses water to induce fractures. Hydraulic fracturing design and operations guidelines 1. Epas study of hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas and its potential. Hydraulic fracturing study progress report 2012 epas. Washington the environmental protection agency is close to launching a broad study on hydraulic fracturing, but the probe doesnt guarantee the federal government will step in and regulate the. You may need a pdf reader to view some of the files on this page.
Environmental protection agency risk reduction engineering laboratory office of research and development cincinnati, oh 45268. In december 2016, epa released its final report on the relationship between hydraulic fracturing. Progress reporttable continued from previous pagecasrn chemical name iupac reference name and120729 indole structure 2430439546 inulin, carboxymethyl ether, sodium salt 1, 412030498 iridium oxide 87439896 iron 2, 417619 iron oxide fe3o4. Another document attached to apis comment noted that in the west virginia case the damage here results from an accident or malfunction of the fracturing process. Impacts from the hydraulic fracturing water cycle on drinking water resources. Although the united states has been stimulating well production with hydraulic fracturing fracking 1 since the 1940s, highvolume hydraulic fracturing hvhf combined with horizontal drilling is a relatively recent 2, 3 development with potential to adversely impact human health, environment, and water resources, with uncertainty about impacts and gaps in the data on hvhf. In response to public concern, congress directed the united states environmental protection agency epa to conduct research to examine the relationship between hydraulic fracturing and drinking water resources. Plan to study the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on epa hydraulic fracturing study plan. Hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling are safely unlocking vast u. On may 4, 2012, epa released draft underground injection control uic program permitting guidance for class ii wells that use diesel fuels during hydraulic fracturing activities. Dec 16, 2014 hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking, is a process that uses fluids and other materials that are pumped under high pressure into gasbearing rock formations in order to open fractures cracks to create a path for the gas to flow. Study of the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing december 2012on drinking water resources. University of cincinnatirisk reduction engineering. Synergistic utilization of inherent halides and alcohols.
Synergistic utilization of inherent halides and alcohols in hydraulic fracturing wastewater for radicalbased treatment. This paper deals with the possible impact of hydraulic fracturing fracking, employed in the exploitation of unconventional shale gas and tight gas reservoirs, on groundwater, which is the most important source of drinkingwater in germany and many other european countries. Epa released the final report, hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas. Hydraulic fracturing drinking water assessment us epa. Wells may be drilled vertically hundreds to thousands of feet below the land surface and may include horizontal or directional sections extending thousands of feet. Many concerns about hydraulic fracturing center on potential risks to drinking water resources, although other issues have been raised. The heritage foundations nicolas loris explains how, when regulated effectively, hydraulic fracturing is safeas well as necessary for energy production and job creation in the united states. Horizontal drilling coupled with hydraulic fracturing hf is now a widely used technology to stimulate the release of oil and natural gas from tight reservoirs. Pdf with the introduction of hydraulic fracturing technology, the united states has become the largest natural gas producer in the world with a. Jan 09, 2017 hydraulic fracturing produces fractures in the rock formation that stimulate the flow of natural gas or oil, increasing the volumes that can be recovered. United states environmental protection agency office of.
The rise of hydraulic fracturing in oil and gas production and the. Study of the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on. Hydraulic fracturing informally called fracking, hydraulic fracturing dates back to 1947 when the practice was pioneered for vertical wells in the hugoton gas field in grant county, kansas. Hydraulic fracturing hydraulic fracturing mechanics. The coupling of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling has increased oil and gas production in the united states in recent years. Hydraulic fracturing requires large volumes of water mixed with chemicals and proppants often sand, used to prop open the fractures. Hydraulic fracturing design and operations guidelines. Hydraulic fracturing, know as fracking or hydrofracking, produces fractures in a rock formation by pumping fluids water, proppant, and chemical additives at high pressure down a wellbore. Hydraulic fracturing regulations in united states vermont journal. Developing energy from shale is an advanced process that uses the latest drilling technologies and equipment.
Hydraulic fracturing study timeline pdf 1 pg, 1 mb contact us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem. Hydraulic fracturing presentation linkedin slideshare. Impacts from the hydraulic fracturing water cycle on drinking water. Pumpingvolume restrictions and provisions fors to notify the mniewr about hydraulic fracturing operations section 9. Outlines for epa permit writers, where epa is the permitting authority. Epa releases revised guidance on sdwa permitting for.
739 1096 1033 1394 66 401 158 1198 574 837 973 876 955 102 1554 1244 693 281 688 1491 879 792 1004 1104 162 507 70 7 1119 832 557