scholarly journals Relationship between vertical depth of the kickoff point of a fracking operation and methane concentrations in groundwater resources

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Haley Dillon Acosta ◽  
J. Mike Courage ◽  
Serge Danielson-Francois
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Produced Water ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Vertical Wells ◽  
Wastewater Disposal ◽  
Water Handling ◽  
Inadequate Information ◽  
Chemical Mixing ◽  
Methane Concentrations ◽  
Thermogenic Methane

There is a problem with hydraulic fracturing and water contamination. Despite Safe Drinking Water Act regulations, risk to water resources remains in areas of water acquisition, chemical mixing, well injection, produced water handling, and wastewater disposal and reuse. This problem has negatively impacted some relying on groundwater resources surrounding hydraulic fracturing operations because of inadequate information (e.g. unmapped faults, abandoned/unfilled wells, unknown mechanisms of risk, etc.). Perhaps a study which investigates the correlation between the vertical depth of the kickoff point (point at which fracking fluids are dispersed underground in vertical wells) and thermogenic methane concentrations in groundwater resources could remedy this situation by filling a gap in the research and identifying a potential risk to groundwater resources. The question: to what extent does the vertical depth of the kickoff point in a fracking operation correlate to thermogenic methane concentrations in groundwater resources?

On-site treatment of flowback and produced water from shale gas hydraulic fracturing: A review and economic evaluation

Chemosphere ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 212 ◽  
pp. 898-914 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ehsan Mohammad-Pajooh ◽  
Dirk Weichgrebe ◽  
Graham Cuff ◽  
Babak Mohamadpour Tosarkani ◽  
Karl-Heinz Rosenwinkel
Keyword(s):  
Economic Evaluation ◽  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Shale Gas ◽  
Produced Water

Factors Influencing the Probability of Hydraulic Fracturing-Induced Seismicity in Oklahoma

2020 ◽  
Vol 110 (5) ◽  
pp. 2272-2282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosamiel Ries ◽  
Michael R. Brudzinski ◽  
Robert J. Skoumal ◽  
Brian S. Currie
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Induced Seismicity ◽  
Lower Probability ◽  
Pressure Gradients ◽  
Volume Number ◽  
Wastewater Disposal ◽  
The Past ◽  
Well Depth ◽  
Depth Relationship ◽  
Available Information

ABSTRACT Injection-induced seismicity became an important issue over the past decade, and although much of the rise in seismicity is attributed to wastewater disposal, a growing number of cases have identified hydraulic fracturing (HF) as the cause. A recent study identified regions in Oklahoma where ≥75% of seismicity from 2010 to 2016 correlated with nearly 300 HF wells. To identify factors associated with increased probability of induced seismicity, we gathered publicly available information about the HF operations in these regions including: injected volume, number of wells on a pad, injected fluid (gel vs. slickwater), vertical depth of the well, proximity of the well to basement rock, and the formation into which the injection occurred. To determine the statistical strength of the trends, we applied logistic regression, bootstrapping, and odds ratios. We see no trend with total injected volume in our Oklahoma dataset, in contrast to strong trends observed in Alberta and Texas, but we note those regions have many more multiwell pads leading to larger cumulative volumes within a localized area. We found a ∼50% lower probability of seismicity with the use of gel compared to slickwater. We found that HF wells targeting older formations had a higher probability of seismicity; however, these wells also tend to be deeper, and we found the trend with well depth to be stronger than the trend with age of formation. When isolated to the Woodford formation, well depth produced the strongest relationship, increasing from ∼5% to ∼50% probability from 1.5 to 5.5 km. However, no trend was seen in the proximity to basement parameter. Based on previously measured pore pressure gradients, we interpret the strong absolute depth relationship to be a result of the increasing formation overpressure measured in deeper portions of the basin that lower the stress change needed to induce seismicity.

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