Hydraulic Fracturing 101

What is Hydraulic Fracturing? Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking”, is the process of drilling and injecting fluid into the ground at a high pressure in order to break or fracture the shale rocks to release natural gas inside.

Hydraulic Fracturing Process 1. Drill the well Vertical till the shale is reached and then horizontal lateral 2. Case and Cement possible hazard areas Pressure zones Ground Water Areas 3. Perforate casing and cementing with Perforating Gun Begins fracture process in rock formation 4. Pump fracturing fluid down hole High pressured fluid extend fractures 5. Production

Casing and Cementing Casing and cementing a wellbore is used to: Protect groundwater from contamination Keep integrity of well-bore Casing is steel pipe that is designed to handle: over- or under-pressured zones and high tensile stresses down hole Casing is cemented in place to safely deliver hydrocarbons to the surface

Al Granberg, http://www. propublica

Pennsylvania has considerable coal and considerable gas in shale formations. The coal is relatively “dirty”—high in contaminants such as sulfur. The gas is far below the surface in the Marcellus and Utica shales.

Hydraulic Fracturing Water laced with chemicals is pumped down to fracture the shale and releases the gas, which can be pumped up.

The chemical additives and proppants ensure that gas and oil can flow freely out of rock fractures.

Perforating the Formation Perforated using a “perf gun” Perforating guns use explosive charges to fracture: Casing Cementing Formation