Lets Discuss the Advantages of Fracking

December 13th, 2011 | Author: richhill

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The advantages of fracking are not always very obvious to the American Consumer because of all the misinformation that is being presented by uninformed parties. The fact is that in the Marcellus shale rock basin, the need for hydrofracking is a requirement to extract the trapped natural gas and oil from beneath the ground.

The shale rock layer deposited in this region of the country is situated between 2000 and 9000 feet deep, in most instances. This type of rock has capillaries where the natural gas and oil are currently trapped. To break open these capillaries, the process of hydrofracking is performed by drilling a shaft down to this area below ground.

The reason this works is because of the soft nature of the shale rock and the ease at which it can be fractured. The fracturing process is done by applying water pressure to the rock. To keep the newly formed factures open, there is frac sand present in the water during the hydrofracking process. These particles keep the newly formed fractures open so the natural gas and oil can flow to the surface and be collected for the domestic energy market.

The pressure being applied at the surface area of the well bore is just enough to fracture the shale rock. Other rock layers that are more dense like granite, are not affected by the hydrofracking process. Because of this fact, only the shale rock layer is affected by the water pressure being applied.

Near the top of the well bore is compacted soil that may become affected by the hydrofracking process. To minimize the effects in this region of the ground, the well bore is now being lined so all the pressure is directed downwards. This “lining” process involves two concrete jackets that are formed around the well bore way down past the water table.

With the introduction of horizontal drilling techniques a few years ago, the surface area of the shale rock being exposed to the hydrofracking process has dramatically increased. This allows for a greater amount of trapped oil and natural gas to be extracted from each well in the Marcellus shale rock basin.

With this new technology being combined with the hydrofracking process, more natural gas and oil can be recovered from fewer wells. This reduces the cost of energy exploration in the region which can then be passed down to the American consumer.

Of all the leading advantages of fracking, the two that matters most to the American public is the lower prices for energy and a reduction in the number of wells needed to provide this necessary energy reserve.