What is the Purpose of Hydraulic Fracturing?

Hydraulic fracturing is a highly successful method of recovering unconventional oil and gas resources.

FREMONT, CA: Hydraulic fracturing, abbreviated as fracking, is a good stimulation process that involves injecting high-pressure fluid into a reservoir to fracture a hydrocarbon-bearing rock, resulting in the movement of oil and gas to the surface.

Fracking fluid is often a mixture of water, fine-grained silica sand, and specific chemicals capable of fissure creation in underlying rocks. According to the US Department of Energy, fracking techniques exploit 95 percent of new oil and gas wells in the country, accounting for more than 60 percent of total marketed natural gas in the United States and 50% of total crude production.

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Fracking is the most successful method of recovering hydrocarbons in difficult oil and gas fields where unconventional drilling techniques are required to meet production targets. Examples include formations with crude or gas-saturated rocks with low permeability and poor water-oil connection.

Fracking occurs once a drilled hole has been completed. It is used in unconventional reservoirs such as shale, tight oil, and tight gas as an enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technology.

Hydraulic Fracturing Depth: Hydraulic fracturing for natural gas and oil-bearing rock fracturing is carried out at significant depths. The normal depth of a hydraulic fracturing well is between 7,000 and 10,000 feet underground.

The well expands horizontally into the formation at a particular depth in the wellbore (called the kick-off point). Hydraulic fracturing must be performed sufficiently to circumvent public or industrial water tables. This is necessary to avoid contamination by harmful compounds.

Shale Gas Extraction: The hydraulic fracturing procedure extracts natural gas from shale by injecting high-pressure frac fluid into the reservoir, creating fissures in the shale rocks. The gas pools together from numerous places within the rock as individual fractures intersect. It is then disconnected through the production case.

Coalbed Methane Production: Coalbed Methane (CBM) is a natural gas derived from coal beds. Coal beds are porous subterranean structures containing different methane levels trapped within natural fissures. In the United States, it is increasingly being used as a source of alternative energy and heating.

Hydraulic fracturing can enhance the quantity and connection of individual fissures, which enables operators to more efficiently tap the gas.