Hydraulic Fracturing Fluids

By: Amanda Murphy

Introduction
Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) fluids have become a subject of debate in the United States, especially after the discovery of the Marcellus Shale. One topic of concern is the treatment and disposal of the flowback fluids (fluid that returns to the surface with extracted gas). A fracking fluid is pressurized during drilling and injecting in order to fracture shale rocks to release natural gas (methane) from inside. There are 2 main components to the fluid: a mixture of water and sand, and other chemical additives (refer to Fig.1).

Figure. 1

Usage of Water
Water and sand together make up over 99% of the fluid used during hydraulic fracturing. Each drill site requires about 3-5 million gallons of water per frack. Why Water Water is accessible, affordable, and incompressible so it is the primary component of fracking fluid. Where the Water Comes From Over half of the water used for Marcellus Shale drilling comes from rivers, creeks, and lakes in Pennsylvania. The remaining water is purchased from municipalities by drilling companies. Transportation Water can then be transported to the drill site by truck or through temporary pipelines installed underground.

Who Regulates Water Usage The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), in cooperation with the Delaware River Basin Commission and the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, regulates water used for Marcellus Shale drilling in Pennsylvania. As part of the permit application process, drilling companies must identify the water sources from which they plan to obtain water and specify anticipated impacts. Sources may include rivers, streams, and lakes or municipalities and must be approved by the appropriate river basin commission.

Usage of Other Chemical Additives

Even though chemical additives represent a very small portion (approx. 0.5%) of hydraulic
fracturing fluids, they serve several important purposes: 1) Eliminate bacterial growth in the wellbacteria can cause corrosion which could impact the safety and integrity of the well 2) Prevent scale build-up in the well 3) Reduce friction to help manage well pressure Many of the additives are used in a wide variety of consumer products. The following chart shows the common chemicals in hydraulic fracturing fluids as well as how they are used in everyday life.

Well-Zoning and Structure

In Pennsylvania, gas wells cannot be drilled within 200 feet of structures, water wells or freshwater springs. Moreover they cannot be drilled within 100 feet of streams or wetlands. Waivers allow companies to drill inside of these limits with additional protective measures. About 34% of U.S. public water supply comes from groundwater sources, while the rest comes from surface water bodies like lakes, rivers, and reservoirs. Municipal wells work like residential wells, but typically have a larger diameter and higher flow rate. Residential water wells (Fig. 2) reach an average depth of about 200 feet, but occasionally can reach depths of more than 500 feet.

Figure. 2

After Water Has Been Used for Fracking

Approximately 10-30 percent of the total water used per frack returns to the surface with the extracted gas. The remaining water remains deep underground. It is mostly absorbed by the shale formation, which is isolated from the water table (depth below which all of the pore spaces and sediments are completely saturated with water).

Flowback
Flowback is the fluid that returns to the surface with the extracted gas. It may contain: salts, clay, rock particles, naturally occurring elements dissolved from the rock, and chemicals that were added prior to the beginning of the hydraulic fracturing process. Most flowback occurs within 7-10 days of drilling, but may occur for 3-4 weeks. Flowback is captured in lined pits or metal tanks (refer to Fig. 3) and must be treated and reused at another drill site or transported by truck (refer to Fig. 3) for proper disposal.

Figure. 3

How Flowback Becomes Contaminated

There are 3 ways flowback water can become contaminated during Marcellus Shale drilling. Inadequate Water Management Plans Companies are expected to follow Best Management Practices (BMPs) for storm water management, but if BMPs are not followed, surface water containing silt and debris may run off the site and into local waterways. This type of contamination consists primarily of mud. Surface Spills Chemicals or chemical-laden fluids (flowback) may spill or leak and seep into the ground surrounding a drill pad. Fuel spills (gasoline, diesel) from vehicles and equipment are another source of potential contamination. These types of spills can be identified due to the distinct chemical fingerprint of the spilled fluids. While spills of this type have been reported by the DEP and some investigations are ongoing, there have not been any substantiated cases of these fluids entering the groundwater supply. Methane Migration Naturally occurring methane could potentially make its way into the groundwater supply and enter private wells drilled into the aquifer. The DEP has issued fines to gas companies for methane migration, although it is difficult to determine where the methane originated and whether it can be tied to Marcellus Shale drilling.

Flowback Regulation
As a part of the permit application process, drilling companies must identify where wastewater, or flowback, will be treated and stored. Additionally, companies must adhere to the guidelines provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for water disposal. The DEP dictates that: flowback must be treated to have a total dissolved solids (TDS) concentration of 500 parts per million (ppm) or less for discharge into surface water bodies.

Conclusion
Hydraulic fracturing fluids are going to remain a controversial societal topic until further research is conducted. For now, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the DEP are doing the best they can to mandate regulations.

Sources:
-Figure 1 was edited from: http://naturalgas.org/wpcontent/uploads/2013/09/shaleshock2.jpg -Figure 2 was edited from: http://mcleodwaterwells.com/images/water_wells_drilled.jpg -Figure 3 was taken and edited from: http://wellsite-ds.com/?p=2164 - The chart was edited from: http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/sites/www.intellectualtakeout.org/files/imagecache/chart_cont ent/chart-graph/Fracking-fluid-components%5B1%5D.png -All technical information was taken from lectures from Dr. Richard Parizek, GEOSC 452, Hydrogeology, Fall 2013