• No results found

Sustainability in Marcellus Shale Development

N/A
N/A
Protected

Academic year: 2021

Share "Sustainability in Marcellus Shale Development"

Copied!
29
0
0

Loading.... (view fulltext now)

Full text

(1)

.23

The Pennsylvania State University

University Park Campus

Sustainability in Marcellus Shale Development

EDSGN 100

Section #2

Team #2

The Amigos

Fall 2016

Lucas Lopez

Karan Relan

Mert Ozkal

Submitted to:

Professor Berezniak

College of Engineering

School of Engineering Design, Technology and Professional Programs

Penn State University

(2)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. PROJECT

OBJECTIVE

2. PROJECT SPONSOR

3. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

4. NATURAL GAS

4.1

Origin

4.2

Sources

a.

Conventional Reservoirs

b.

Unconventional Reservoirs

c.

Technically Recoverable Resources (TRR)

4.3 Uses

4.4 Benefits

5. MARCELLUS SHALE

5.1.

Location

5.2.

Basic Geology

5.3.

Depth

5.4.

Recoverable Gas Resource

5.5.

Current Production

5.6.

Economic Benefits in Pennsylvania

6. HYDRAULIC FRACTURING PROCESS

6.1.

Site Development: Planning Phase

6.2.

Well Site Preparation: Execution Phase

6.3.

Drilling and Completing Wells: Performance Phase

6.4.

Well Production and Operations: Operational Phase

7. ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS

7.1.

Contamination of Drinking Water Aquifers

7.2.

Chemicals Used in Fracking Process

7.3.

High Water Usage

7.4.

Fugitive Methane

7.5.

Surface Runoff from Drill Pads

(3)

7.7.

Leaks From Pits Liners and Storage Tanks

7.8.

Handling, Treatment and Disposal of Fracking Wastewaters

7.9.

Infrastructure Impact

a.

Land Use

b.

Pipelines

c.

Noise

d.

Traffic

e.

Processing Facilities

8. SUSTAINABILITY

9. REGULATORY FRAMEWORK

9.1.

Federal Regulations

9.2.

Federal Exemptions

9.3.

Pennsylvania Regulations

(4)

Sustainability in Marcellus Shale Development

1. PROJECT OBJECTIVE

Design an opportunity to improve upon common industry practices in shale development.

While keeping sustainability and stewardship of the environment in mind, as well as the need to remain a safe and profitable business.

2. PROJECT SPONSOR

Chevron is a company that believes in driving human progress. They work in power, exploration & production, transportation, chemical innovation, and more. Chevron, is the second‐largest oil and gas company headquartered in the United State, and is a leading international energy company with more than 58,000 employees worldwide. It also consistently ranks as one of the best energy companies to work for. Chevron touches the lives of millions of people in countless ways each day, providing the energy and jobs that enable us to improve our standards of living and quality of life.

3. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Water Treatment of Produced Water

After a well starts producing gas, there is the need to regularly haul produced brine water off site. Typical production rate is 40 barrels a day per well with a concentration of approximately 40,000 ppm total dissolved solids. An average well pad has 10 wells which means 400 barrels of highly contaminated water is produced every day from one fracking site.

(5)

4. NATURAL GAS

4.1

Origin

Natural gas is found in deep underground porous or fractured rock formations or associated with other hydrocarbon reservoirs in coal beds and as methane clathrates. The process to capture this form of energy is called Hydraulic Fracturing or Fracking.

4.2

Sources

a.

Conventional Reservoirs

Conventional Reservoirs are when the naturally occurring hydrocarbons that make up natural gas are trapped by rock formations with higher permeability and low porosity. This means that the rock that contains the natural gas requires little pressure to push the fluid through the rock and that it is less porous. In order to harvest the energy a well is drilled

vertically as seen in Figure 1,and after the natural outflow of oil slows down, a pumpjack is used to capture the remaining resources. This process tends to be relatively cheaper than methods used for unconventional reservoirs.

b.

Unconventional Reservoirs

Unconventional Reservoirs are when the natural gas or crude oil is found in rocks with low permeability and higher porosity. The resources are held in place by the hard porous rock and the process to harvest the energy in this case is more costly and time consuming. In Figure 1 you can see the horizontal drilling approach used by companies along with fracking to force the outflow of the resources. In unconventional reservoirs the resources harvested are in slightly different chemical form than that of conventional reservoirs but are refined down into the same natural gas.

c.

Technically Recoverable Resources (TRR)

(6)

and technological discoveries are made, the amount of the Technically Recoverable Resources will increase.

4.3

Uses

In the United States most natural gas is burned as fuel however it has many other uses for residences, businesses, and industry. The breakdown of the use of natural gas in these industries can be seen in Figure 2. In homes and businesses natural gas can be used for space and water heating, as well as in stoves, lighting, and other appliances. Natural gas can also be burned and converted into Electricity with less pollution than other fossil fuels. Natural Gas is also used in industry production as a source of heat and even an additive to make antifreeze, fertilizer, plastics, pharmaceuticals, and more.

4.4

Benefits

Natural Gas is a beneficial source of energy because it is cleanest fossil fuel. When burned it only produces carbon dioxide and water vapor and the amount of carbon dioxide is far less than that of coal and oil. Natural Gas is also used to make cleaner diesel fuel and is a raw material that is used in lightweight cars, wind power blades, solar panels, and other energy efficient materials.

5. MARCELLUS SHALE

5.1.

Location

(7)

5.2.

Basic Geology

An image of Marcellus Shale is shown in Figure 4. Marcellus Shale is a form of

devonian black shale that is easy to see and its radioactive signatures make it easy to find with a geophysical well log. It is found in the Appalachian basin which is a smaller mountain range in the Eastern United States. The shale is spread out over a wide region of states but the most concentrated areas are in Pennsylvania, Eastern Ohio, Western Maryland, and West Virginia.

5.3.

Depth

In order to reach the Marcellus Shale under the earth’s surface, wells are drilled vertically anywhere from 5,000 to 9,000 feet until the shale is reached. Once shale is found the wells are drilled horizontally for another 3,000 to 10,000 feet to recover as much of the natural resource as possible. The varying depth of the shale across Pennsylvania and the Appalachian Basin is found in Figure 5.

5.4.

Recoverable Gas Resources

In 2012 the Energy Information Administration reported that the Marcellus Shale contained 141 trillion cubic feet of Technically Recoverable Natural Gas. This is enough to cover the United States gas consumption for 6 years. Since then Marcellus Shale has become

responsible for 36% of shale gas produced and 18% of the total dry gas produced in the United States.

5.5.

Current Gas Production

(8)

5.6.

Economic Benefits in Pennsylvania

Not only is the availability of natural gas in the United States a way for the country to be less reliant on foreign energy trade but it is also offers significant economic benefits for those who own the mineral rights to their property. Companies will pay to lease land if they suspect that it will be profitable to drill wells on that property. The landowners also receive royalties based off of the amount of natural gas harvested from their property.

6. HYDRAULIC FRACTURING PROCESS

6.1.

Site Development: Planning Phase

Figure 6 shows the layout of a general Hydraulic Fracturing site. In order to set up a fracking site access is gained to a piece of land that has been thoroughly researched and found to contain natural gas. In order to prepare the site for the hydraulic fracturing process, the site is leveled and roads are built to withstand the frequent traffic of heavy equipment. Structures are then built around the site to prevent erosion and runoff pollution. Pits are also dug out to store drill fluid and cuttings. Finally the site is finalized and well pipes are installed with fixtures for stabilization.

6.2.

Well Site Preparation: Execution Phase

(9)

of far underground. Once the flowback is obtained the well is sealed off with a well head to maintain pressure.

6.3.

Drilling and Completing Wells: Performance Phase

Hydraulic Fracturing is only half of the process. The flowback fluid must be refined to obtain the actual natural gas resource. In order to do this well pump trucks pump the flowback fluid from surface of the well into Gas Processing Units. These machines work to separate waste fluid from brine which contains natural gas. The waste fluid will be pumped into takes to be treated later and the natural gas will be pumped into a compressor that cleans, treats, and pressurizes it. From there the gas moves into a dehydrator that removes all water vapor and ensures the final product is raw natural gas.

6.4.

Well Production and Operations: Operational Phase

In order to keep the fracturing site operational, big trucks are constantly bringing materials to and from the wells. Hydraulic fracturing requires millions of gallons of water as well as the transport of sand, flowback fluid, and the natural gas condensate. These materials are usually stored in big tanks on site and then those tanks are emptied into tanker trucks and transported elsewhere to be refined, treated, or used. The transportation of these materials can be very dangerous because of the threat they pose to the environment if a spill were to occur.

7. ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS

7.1.

Contamination of Drinking Water Aquifers

(10)

humans can be seen in Figure 8. Short term effects generally lead to creation of infectious disease in these water supplies (dysentery and hepatitis), while long term effects can cause certain types of cancer based on the product that is the pollutant. Storage Tanks that don’t have strict maintenance, septic systems that pollute water supplies, uncontrolled hazardous wastes, ignorance landfill, chemicals, and atmospheric pollutants are reasons that cause contamination of drinking water aquifers.

7.2.

Chemicals Used in Fracking Process

The Chemicals Used in the Fracking Process are Acetaldehyde, Acetophenone, Acrylamide, Benzene, Benzyl chloride, Copper, Cumene, Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, Diesel, Diethanolamine, Dimethyl formamide, Ethylbenzene, Ethylene glycol, Ethylene oxide, Formaldehyde, Hydrochloric acid, Hydrofluoric acid, Lead, Methanol, Naphthalene, Nitrilotriacetic acid, p-Xylene, Phenol, Phthalic anhydride, Propylene oxide, Sulfuric acid, Thiourea, Toluene, Xylene

7.3.

High Water Usage

Hydraulic fracturing uses between 1.2 and 3.5 million Gallons per well, with large projects using up to 5 Million gallons per well. An average well requires 3 to 8 million US gallons of water over the lifetime.

7.4.

Fugitive Methane

For half a decade, researchers have tried to answer the question how much methane escape from natural wells in the atmosphere. The recent emergence of fracking and shale gas has brought the issue into the fore. But studies continue to present varying result. Without accurate fugitive emission estimates, policymakers trying to curb emissions can’t make informed choices about whether to ramp up natural gas production .

(11)

Activities that may cause environmental impacts including ground clearing, grading, drilling, waste management, vehicular and pedestrian traffic.

It also causes a lot of noise, problems in the air quality, cultural resources, ecological resources ( problems by erosion, dust, reduce of habitat) and due to hazardous material and waste

management.

7.6.

Spills and Leaks of Hydraulic Fracking Fluids

In North Dakota’s Bakken region, the fracking boom has generated nearly 10,000 wells for unconventional oil and gas production—and along with them, almost 4,000 reported wastewater spills resulting from the activity. A new study shows that these spills have left surface waters in the area carrying radium, selenium, thallium, lead, and other toxic chemicals that can persist for years at unsafe levels

7.7.

Leaks From Pits Liners and Storage Tanks

The animal life that lives in the water or the near the shore are the ones that are affected the most. In most cases the oil chokes them to death. Others that live face a number of other problems. The oil works its way into the fur and plumage of the animals. As a result, both birds and mammals find it harder to float in the water or regulate their body temperatures. Many baby animals and birds starve to death, since their parents cannot detect their natural body scent. Birds who preen themselves to get rid of the oil accidentally swallow the oil and die due to the toxic effects.

When precious crude oil or refined petroleum is lost, it affects the amount of petroleum and gas available for use. This means more barrels have to be imported from other countries. Then comes the process of cleaning the oil spill, which requires a lot of financing. Although the company responsible for the oil spills and their effects has to clean it up, there is a lot of government help required at this point.

7.8.

Handling, Treatment and Disposal of Fracking Wastewaters

(12)

hydraulic fracturing must not ignore the regulations of handling, treatment and disposal of fracking wastewaters.

In many conditions the fracking wastewater has to be transported to a temporary storage until its disposal deadline. According to Pennsylvania regulations, the transportation of wastewaters must comply with the PADEP (Pennsylvania Department of Environmental

Protection) waste management regulations. The regulations also inform the transporter on what to do if any kind of accidents (spilling of contaminated wastewater) occurs.

Fracking wastewaters are generally treated to remove contaminants they contain and disposed on surface water supplies. There are other ways to handle the fracking

wastewaters such as to recycling the water to use it on other fracking projects or inject into specialized cells (burried under ground with reliable protection).

7.9.

Infrastructure Impact

a.

Land Use

Land use impact would occur during the drilling/development phase if there are conflicts with existing land use plan or community goals; existing recreational, religious, scientific or other use; or existing commercial land use (eg agriculture, grazing or mineral extraction). In general, the development of oil and gas facilities would change the character of the landscape from rural to a more industrial setting.

Most land use impacts that occur during the drilling/development phase would continue throughout the life of the oil and gas field. Overall land impacts could range from minimal to significant depending upon the both areal extent of the oil and gas field the density of the wells and other ancillary facilities, and the compatibility of the oil and gas field with the existing land uses.

b.

Pipelines

(13)

The colonial pipeline leak that caused gasoline shortage and a price hike throughout the southeast spilled at least 250,000 gallons of gasoline. It occurred on a portion of a pipeline that was 53 years old.

c.

Noise

Primary sources of noise during the drilling/development phase would be equipment (bulldozers, drill rigs, and diesel engines). Other sources of noise include vehicular traffic and blasting. Blasting activities typically would be very limited, the possible exception being in areas where the terrain is hilly and bedrock shallow. With the exception of blasting, noise would be restricted to the immediate vicinity of the work in progress. Noise from blasting would be sporadic and of short duration but would carry for long distances. If noise-producing activities occur near a residential area, noise levels from blasting, drilling, and other activities could exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines. The movement of heavy vehicles and drilling could result in frequent-to-continuous noise.

The highest noise levels would occur from drilling and flaring of gas. Noise from drilling has been measured as 115 dBA at the source to above 55 dBA at distances 1,800 feet (549 meters) to 3,500 feet (1,067 meters) from the well. Drilling noise would occur continuously for 24 hours per day for one to two months or more depending on the depth of the formation. Exploratory wells that end up becoming production wells would continue to generate noise during the production phase.

d.

Traffic

(14)

project area. The locations at which accidents are most likely to occur are intersections used by project-related vehicles to turn onto or off of highways from access roads. Conflicts between industrial traffic and other traffic are likely to occur, especially on weekends, holidays, and seasons of high use by recreationists. Increased recreational use of the area could contribute to a gradual increase in traffic on the access roads. Over 1,000 truckloads per well could be expected during the drilling/development phase

e.

Processing Facilities

Processing Facilities vary when it comes to fracking wastewater. There are mainly 2 different types of processing facilities. The main purpose of these processing facilities is to either clean the contamination water, or to store the contaminated water. In most instances the wastewater stays in a temporary facility until it’s disposed. The stored wastewater is mixed with other chemicals that aim to either neutralize the products blended in with the water, or to clean any infectious bacteria out of the wastewater. After the first processing facility, the

establishments have the opportunity to choose in between dumping the cleaned wastewater to surface water supplies, or to dump the cleaned wastewater into built in capsules that will hold the wastewater until it’s safe (the nuclear waste method). Each of these facilities are governed by their own strict conducts in order to maintain a safe environments by decreasing risk factor to as minimal as possible. w

8. SUSTAINABILITY

(15)

9. REGULATORY FRAMEWORK

9.1.

Federal Regulations

Regulation of fracking is left up to the individual states so they can make laws that meet their different geological needs.

9.2.

Federal Exemptions

Due to the fact that regulation is left up to the states, Hydraulic fracking has many exemptions from major federal environmental statutes. These exemptions include The Safe Drinking Water Act, The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, The Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act, The Clean Water Act, The Clean Air Act, The Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act. In general these exemptions state that although the materials involved with fracking do harm the environment, they are exempt from abiding by regular pollution laws that other industries must follow.

9.3.

Pennsylvania Regulations

The state of Pennsylvania requires many permits before hydraulic fracturing of marcellus shale can occur. The most important permit is the well drilling permit which requires all formal

documents including legal proof of rights to the land, casing and cementing plans, a water management plan, and approval from the Department of Conservation that the well will not interfere with any endangered species. Other regulations include mandatory off-site solids disposal, alternative pit liners, and transportation plans for residual waste. There are also many permits required for the actual construction of the roads and site itself in addition to the fracking regulations.

10. WATER TREATMENT - PRODUCED WATER

10.1. Background

(16)

10.2. Common Practice

The common practice of the hydraulic fracturing industry is to get rid of produced water by injecting deep underground. This process is not efficient because it is not only harmful to the

environment but it is contributing the scarcity of fresh water. We currently have the technology to reuse this water but companies must pay thousands of dollars to transport water to and from the frack the site and the water treatment facility. According to an article on Environmental Leader only 13% of fracking water is reused for fracking purposes however this number is expected to increase as the cost of fresh water rises and the technology to clean wastewater improves and becomes cheaper.

10.3. Findings

Recently companies have been looking for a solution to this water treatment problem and a new product has emerged from GE called the mobile evaporator which is shown in Figure 9. This water purifier on wheels uses thermal evaporation to clean the produced water from hydraulic fracturing on site. This product eliminates the cost and trouble of transport which reduces risk of a spill, decreases costs, and conserves fresh water. This on site purification process appears to be the future of

wastewater treatment for the hydraulic fracturing industry.

10.4. Recommendations

After researching the problem with hydraulic fracturing and wastewater treatment, the GE mobile evaporation system seems to be the most sensible solution. It is beneficial for drilling companies by decreasing transport costs and takes the environment into consideration by promoting water

(17)

11. CONCLUSIONS

Natural gas is a very valuable resource especially here in the United States because it allows the country to be less dependant on the foreign energy market. Unfortunately, along with the economic benefits of Natural Gas come the constraints of Hydraulic Fracturing. Hydraulic Fracturing is a successful way to harness Natural Gas however it is very important for companies to keep the environment in mind when performing their fracking operations. The truth of the matter is that in order to capture this natural gas we are sacrificing millions of gallons in fresh drinking water and polluting other resources by fracking and putting the produced water from the well back into the ground.

(18)
(19)
(20)
(21)
(22)
(23)
(24)
(25)
(26)
(27)
(28)
(29)

References

Related documents

Rhode Island, Vogue Knitting has partnered with North Light Fibers and premier hotels on the island including The 1661, Manisses Hotel, and Rose Farm Inn for a one-of-a

Single-Beat Versus Multibeat Real-Time 3D Echocardiography for Assessing Left Ventricular Volumes and Ejection Fraction. A Comparison Study With Cardiac

Translation of a 90 CGG repeat-containing FMR1 mRNA is predicted to produce an 11.5 kDa protein that contains an N-terminal polyglycine stretch followed by a 42 amino acid

Finally, our ability to explain a reasonably large fraction of the time series variation in crises using a small number of common shocks suggests a relatively limited empirical role

It provides support for the libraries included within CUDA (cuBLAS, cuFFT, etc). Additionally, it supports several underlying interconnection technologies by making use

Hence, researchers in the high- performance computing field are applying GPUs to general- purpose applications (GPGPU).. to develop LDPC decoders on GPUs. Although

Fibra ottica plastica core 1 mm M4x0.7 distanza 3,5 Ø4 5 M6 c AF series - photoelectric sensors FOR OPTICAL FIBRES SENSORI FOTOELETTRICI A FIBRA OTTICA - SERIE AF.