NETL technology may improve well production
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
The National Energy Technology Laboratory in Morgantown, West Virginia, is working on technology that may improve well production and reduce pollution, according to The State Journal.
The technology is a few years away from large-scale development, but it could reduce the level of risk associated with drilling a new well. Drillers often don’t know how well their investment will produce until it’s time for them to start producing gas. The new technology could increase the amount of gas each well can recover from underground.
Although large amounts of natural gas have been recovered in the Marcellus and Utica shale plays, only a fraction of the gas that is trapped in the shale is being recovered.
Learn more: The State Journal > NETL works on technology to improve well production, reduce pollution
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Shale FAQ
What is fracking?
Fracking is a slang term for hydraulic fracturing. Fracturing is a process by which highly pressurized fluid is pumped thousands of feet into the ground to fracture rock formations. The goal is to release the natural gas that’s locked inside the rock.
Is it safe?
What most concerns people about fracturing is ground water contamination. The worry is that fractures underground, caused by the process, will extending upwards and into aquifers, releasing gas and chemicals into the ground water supply. There’s been no confirmed reports of such a thing happening. Though surface spills and drill site blowouts can lead to localized environmental concerns.
Will my water catch on fire?
Flammable water is caused by the release of methane gas into a drinking water supply. Methane gas occurs naturally and can be released by any kind of drilling, including water wells. In Pennsylvania officials fined Chesapeake Energy $1 million for contaminating ground water with methane. It was determined that the company had not properly cemented it’s boreholes and gas migrated up the well, between rock and into aquifers.