What is hydraulic fracking and why is it done?
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a drilling method used to extract petroleum (oil) or natural gas from deep in the Earth. In the fracking process, cracks in and below the Earth’s surface are opened and widened by injecting water, chemicals, and sand at high pressure.
What is the purpose of fracking?
Modern high-volume hydraulic fracturing is a technique used to enable the extraction of natural gas or oil from shale and other forms of “tight” rock (in other words, impermeable rock formations that lock in oil and gas and make fossil fuel production difficult).
What are the dangers of fracking?
Risks and Concerns of Fracking
- Contamination of groundwater.
- Methane pollution and its impact on climate change.
- Air pollution impacts.
- Exposure to toxic chemicals.
- Blowouts due to gas explosion.
- Waste disposal.
- Large volume water use in water-deficient regions.
- Fracking-induced earthquakes.
What do you need to know about hydrofracturing?
What is Hydrofracturing? Hydrofracturing is a well development process that involves injecting water under high pressure into a bedrock formation via the well.
Which is the correct definition of hydraulic fracturing?
Hydraulic fracturing (also fracking, fraccing, frac’ing, hydrofracturing or hydrofracking) is a well stimulation technique in which rock is fractured by a pressurized liquid.
Are there any health risks from hydraulic fracturing?
Health risks. Contamination of groundwater from the underground hydraulic fracturing process itself (i.e. the fracturing of the shale) is unlikely. However, surface spills of hydraulic fracturing fluids or wastewater may affect groundwater, and emissions to air also have the potential to impact on health.
How does hydraulic fracturing affect the wellbore wall?
Drilling often plugs up the pore spaces at the wellbore wall, reducing permeability at and near the wellbore. This reduces flow into the borehole from the surrounding rock formation, and partially seals off the borehole from the surrounding rock. Low-volume hydraulic fracturing can be used to restore permeability.