Posts Tagged ‘New York’

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Natural Gas from Marcellus Shale

The Marcellus Shale Natural Gas estimated reserve has been reduced from 262 trillion cubic feet of gas in 2009 to 84 trillion cubic feet of gas this year from the Energy Information Agency of America. What the American consumer needs to realize is that this is just an estimate and not a hard fact.

The hard facts of this massive shale oil and natural gas deposit are that it covers an area from the Great Lakes to the north of New York all the way down the Appalachian Mountains to Alabama. The exact amount of trapped energy reserves that is recoverable will never really be known.

This layer of shale rock is on average 2000 to 9000 feet deep. This is well below the water tables in nearly every region it is located in. There is also enough in the smallest amount that has been estimated for the natural gas deposit to be present to supply every home in America with this domestic energy source for 4 years. The upper end is 100 years.

Marcellus Shale Economy

The economic boom in this region of the country is a welcome boost to the working class people that live there. The jobs will come from supplying the raw materials for the wells. This will include the frac sand for the hydrofracking of the wells. These jobs will be on the rail lines transporting the material along with the transloading stations that will place the material on the tractor trailers and the drivers that will haul the cargo to its final destination. All of those jobs do not even include the well teams that will be necessary.

All of these workers will also need to eat, places to stay and supplies of their own. The communities that embrace this domestic energy reserve can finds themselves out of the recession faster than those that are protesting the projects.

The major oil and gas producers are starting to build the processing plants that are necessary to handle this vast amount of energy when it is recovered. For those communities that no not desire to be a part of it just might find themselves bypassed.

Hydrofracking in Marcellus Shale

The concern over the drinking water has only been drummed up by those that are not looking at the facts. Hydrofracking has been in use for both energy well and drinking water wells for over 100 years. It is a safe and the only process that can break the shale rock formation so the natural gas and oil can be recovered.

The Marcellus Shale Natural Gas reserve is a boom for the regional economies and the best domestic natural energy resource available today. There is no substitute, even the electric cars need energy that is created by natural gas.

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• Spin overtaking facts in Marcellus Shale debate (sfgate.com)
• Marcellus Shale Fracking for Natural Gas (transloading.org)
• Marcellus Shale Fracking (transloading.org)

Where Marcellus Shale was Discovered in 1839

The need for Natural Gas Fracking in the Marcellus Shale Rock region cannot be understated. Without the shale rock being crushed or cracked, the natural gas reserves cannot be released and then harvested at the surface by the energy industry.

All known easy to reach reserves of natural gas and oil reserves have already been found and are being tapped to supply the demands of consumers and industry. Unfortunately the demand for this energy is greater than what these reserves have to offer.

The Marcellus Shale rock deposit was formed over 400 million years ago. It was not discovered until about 1839 when James Hall named it for the town in New York were it broke thru the surface. Since that time, the trapped oil and natural gas reserves have been left alone while the easier to obtain reserves were exploited for consumption by consumer and industry alike.

The means to extract the reserves for the Marcellus shale rock layer has been in use for over 100 years. Because of the added expense of drilling horizontally and then hydrofracking the well, the reserves have been left untouched until lately.

The harvesting of the Marcellus shale rock region’s reserves has occurred because the need for an increase in sources from which natural gas and oil can be extracted from is in an increasing demand. Another contributing factor is that the easy to harvest reserves of natural gas and oil hare no longer producing enough to meet the worlds and America’s needs.

The process of hydrofracking to break up the shale rock layers of the Marcellus shale region involves a slurry mixture of water and sand. This constitutes 99.5% to 99.95% of the slurry. The remaining chemicals are added to aid in the break up and dissolving of the rock layers to make extraction of the energy reserves easier. These extra chemicals are mainly VOCs and acids.

This slurry is pumped into the bore head of the well under extreme pressure to break apart the shale rock so the trapped energy reserves it holds can be collected at the surface. Without this hydrofracking process, the trapped natural gas and oil would remain unattainable for use by consumer and industry.

Unless new and easier to obtain natural gas and oil reserves are found, which is not expected, or the demand for this energy is decreased, the process of natural gas fracking is necessary to meet the demands of the modern economy of America. The alternative is higher prices with a diminishing supply of natural gas for all.

Marcellus Shale Fracking will be in the news for a long time to come as various state and local governments work out the safest and best methods to perform this type of drilling.

Related articles

• Panel urges steps to reduce shale-drilling risks (philly.com)
• Gov’t panel: Fracking chemicals should be revealed (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Marcellus Shale Fracking (transloading.org)

The Hydrofracking Advantages are many, but the main one is that it is the only way to extract the maximum oil and natural gas out of existing wells and to feed the needs of an energy hungry world.

Fracking has been in use for over 100 years and is used around the world in wells to help get trapped reserves to the surface.

It has also been shown to be the most efficient way of extracting trapped oil and natural gas from the many shale rock deposits that has been found. This has opened the door to billions of gallons of reserves that were previously thought to be unattainable.

Because hydrofracking in the many shale rock formations releases mostly natural gas, the use of this clean burning fuel can be used more readily than other dirtier fossil fuels. This will make a positive impact on the climate changes that are currently impacting the weather systems around the globe.

The majority of the drilling is done horizontal to the surface in the shale rock beds themselves with only the vertical shaft exposing the other layers of the ground to be exposed to the high pressure that hydrofracking uses to fracture the rock layers. In most instances this horizontal layer is 2000 feet deep or more.

To help prevent accidental contamination of the different layers going down, this vertical shaft is now being lined with concrete. While accidents do occur, the percentage of them in the natural gas and oil extraction field is less than 0.01%.

The hydrofracking process is done by two means. The medium used to transport the sand into position can be done by a propane gel or water. Both means are relatively safe, but the propane gel does not produce any waste water so it is the preferred choice.

For those that use the water as a medium, the makeup of the solution is over 99.5% to 99.95% water and sand. The remaining chemicals that are used are a concern for the many that oppose this scientific approach to extracting the necessary energy reserves from the ground.  What has not been brought to the fore front is the fact that this waste water is actually cleaner than most of the rivers and waterways across America.

Another fact that is left out of most discussions is that hydrofracking is also used to revitalize drinking water wells. This has been going for nearly a century also to the satisfaction of many land owners.

When looked at from a scientific view, the Hydrofracking Advantages far out weigh any misconceptions about this much needed process. The alternative is the reduction in the consumption of fossil fuels by the world. Not even the environmentalists are willing to do that.

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• Propane Fracking is a Good Alternative (transloading.org)
• Fracking Sand Qualities (transloading.org)

The development of propane fracking has come a long way since it was first proposed many years ago.

This has and is still the only economical alternative to hydrofracking to help extract additional energy reserves from the ground, especially from shale rock formation. It is also considered a Green alternative to hydrofracking and is allowed to be used under the current New York moratorium on hydrofracking.

There are a few draw backs from using propane instead of water to pressurize the rock formation and form the necessary fissures in the rock to release the trapped oil and natural gas. To begin with the use of propane for fracing purposes is more expensive that hydrofracking.

Another issue with using propane is that its state has to be altered from a gas to a non-explosive gel. This is done by adding peroxides and other chemicals to the gas that help to make it a liquid. This liquid is a relatively stable compound, but there has been an incident where a fire has broken out at a site during a fracking procedure using propane. The investigation on the true cause is still underway at this time.

The leading reason hydrofracking is not liked by many communities is the potential contamination of ground water sources. The big misunderstanding is that it is not the fracing that is causing the problem but the actual drilling of the wells. The oil and gas reserves are below the ground water tables so the wells need to penetrate this layer to reach the energy reserves. This has been the way of drilling for oil and gas since it first began over 100 years ago.

The fracking of wells is not the step in the extraction of energy from the ground that is causing the contamination of the ground water, but the actually drilling thru this layer of earth itself. The Green movements that have helped get in place the moratorium on hydrofracking in the state of New York have not also given any alternatives to the loss of energy reserves they are forcing or to hydrofracking itself.

Propane fracking is a great alternative to hydrofracking in many aspects. The wells can be operational faster and the amount of water used is dramatically reduced. The amount of cleanup afterward is also reduced because the gas is easier to collect from the well than the waste water that must be channeled to a pond onsite. The only way the protest against fracking can be appeased is to stop drilling wells in America or reduce our consumption. Not even the protestors are willing to do that.

Related articles

• Even More on Propane Fracturing (transloading.org)
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• Marcellus Shale Fracking Benefits (transloading.org)

American natural gas shale deposits are in several regions of the nation. The best known is the Marcellus Shale Deposit that covers the states of New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio. To a lesser extent, the states Maryland and Virginia, along with Lake Erie, also have a limited amount under them.

Right next to the Marcellus deposit is the Devonian Shale Deposit that reaches from Ohio in the north, to Tennessee in the south. These two together are the largest deposits in the nation, with estimated 500 trillion cubic feet of natural gas deposits in the shale rock bed.

The second largest region is the Barnett Shale Deposit in northern Texas. This deposit covers 17 counties including the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. Other significant deposits are the Haynesville Shale Deposit in the northwestern portion of Louisiana, and Fayetteville Shale Deposit in Arkansas.

There are other smaller deposits in Wyoming, Utah, Kansas, Oklahoma, Illinois, and Michigan, each one with proven reserves that is currently being tapped. What has slowed the recovery of these deposits is the drop in the price of natural gas.

The decline in prices is not due to a reduction in the demand for this domestic natural resource, but the plentiful supply of it. This in turn has reduced the profit potential of recovering this type of deposit.

Unlike other reservoirs, horizontal drilling must occur with fracking the wells to recover natural gas from the shale deposits. This has slowed the recovery of the natural gas from these regions slightly.

European countries are starting to venture into the US market with interest in our natural gas deposits. Their reliance on Russian gas has been problematic for years, so a switch to America is gaining strength.

This should not be a worry since the American natural gas shale deposits are large enough to last America with over 100 years of this energy reserve, we will not be running out any time soon.

When you need transloading services for your material, you will require a company that has experience and the necessary skills required to do this job right the first time.

Bulk transloading takes special equipment to make this transfer from train to truck, time and cost efficient. This can only be done with a dedicated transfer station that is manned by experienced personnel.

Working with train and rail services that have long term leases on the rail they use is another important factor on having your product delivered on time, every time. Along with engines, the right type of rail cars that are staffed by trusted employees that are well trained is another key component.

Due to scheduling and demand of train and freight services, more than one is needed to help keep the shipments moving smoothly to their destinations. This is unlike calling a trucking firm that can respond at a moment’s notice and arrive on public roads. The trains have to lease their rails or get permission to travel on rails they do not own. This can cause delays in the delivery of the goods they are transporting.

Working with a transloading service company that has their own station and is partnered with several different train companies is the best way to ensure your product is delivered on time every time.

This is what TranZ Bulk Material Transfer has to offer the energy sector for their transport needs. They have affiliations with multiple rail services that have the rail cars that are made for the quick transfer of the sand that is vital for the hydraulic fracturing process in the natural gas and oil industry. Their station is manned 24/7 by long term employees who are trained in the safest and quickest means to get the materials they work with to their destination the fastest.

When it comes to transloading services in Pennsylvania and New York the leader in the industry is TranZ.

When Marcellus Shale drillers decide on a location to drill for natural gas, they have the latest scientific data to assist them. The process they also use will be a newly developed technology that was designed specifically for the type of land formation and deposits that exist in the Marcellus Shale formation. This new method is called horizontal drilling.

Horizontal Drilling

Horizontal drilling was developed between 1985 and 1993. With the aid of directional boring, wells can now be drilled to a specific level, and then turned horizontal for a greater chance of extracting a natural gas deposit. This technology has the capability to reach depths up to 15,000 feet. The deepest known gas deposit in the Marcellus Shale formation is only 7000 feet deep.

Because of this new advancement, many companies from around the world have made investments in the area of the Marcellus Shale deposits. This not only includes Americans, but also Canadian and Indian companies. The states of Pennsylvania and West Virginia have the greater number of wells at this time and the state of New York is in the process of drilling for the gas deposits that are located in their state.

For those workers with drilling experience, the jobs are mainly in Pennsylvania. In 2008, 29,000 jobs were added related to the Marcellus shale formation. In 2009, 48,000 more were added, and in 2010, 107,000 are expected to be open. Less than 1% of those jobs will be directly involved with the drilling operations. The rest are in supporting the crews of the many wells that are being operated and planned.

What is known is that the numbers of Marcellus Shale drillers that will be needed per well are averaging 11.53 full time employees. What is for sure is that there will be work in these region connected to the Marcellus shale formation for at least the next 100 years.
This process of natural gas drilling is good for the employment economy as well as supplying energy needs.

Our Transloading blog sponsor is TranZ and they are in the support business of supplying bulk materials and and transportation of the unique materials needed in this industry.

Click this link to read more about the Marcellus Shale Region