hydraulic fracturing
Key facts
- Industrial process.name
- Environmental Effects of Hydraulic Fracturing
- Industrial process.image
- HydroFrac2.svg
- Industrial process.caption
- Schematic depiction of hydraulic fracturing for shale gas
- Industrial process.type
- Mechanical
- Industrial process.sector
- Mining
- Industrial process.technologies
- Fluid pressure
- Industrial process.product
- Natural gas, petroleum
- Industrial process.inventor
- Floyd Farris, Joseph B. Clark (Stanolind Oil and Gas Corporation)
- Industrial process.year
- 1947
via Wikipedia infobox
Research
1,483 papersArticle
46 sectionsContents
- Definition
- Hydraulic fracking
- Geology
- Mechanics
- Veins
- Dikes
- History
- Precursors
- 20th century applications
- Oil and gas wells
- Massive fracturing
- Shales
- Process
- Method
- Well types
- Fracturing fluids
- Fracture monitoring
- Radionuclide monitoring
- Microseismic monitoring
- Horizontal completions
- Uses
- Non-oil/gas uses
- Economic effects
- Public debate
- Politics and public policy
- Popular movement and civil society organizations
- U.S. government and corporate lobbying
- Alleged Russian state advocacy
- Current fracking operations
- Documentary films
- Research issues
- Health risks
- Environmental justice
- Environmental impacts
- Air contamination
- Water use and contamination
- Land use
- Induced seismic activity
- Regulations
- See also
- Notes and references
- Explanatory notes
- References
- Sources
- Further reading
- External links
Fracking (also known as hydraulic fracturing, fracing, hydrofracturing, or hydrofracking) is a well stimulation technique involving the fracturing of formations in bedrock by a pressurized liquid. The process involves the high-pressure injection of "fracking fluid" (primarily water, containing sand or other proppants suspended with the aid of thickening agents) into a wellbore to create cracks in the deep-rock formations through which natural gas, petroleum, and brine will flow more freely. When the hydraulic pressure is removed from the well, small grains of hydraulic fracturing proppants (either sand or aluminium oxide) hold the fractures open.
Fracking, using either hydraulic pressure or acid, is the most common method for well stimulation. Well stimulation techniques help create pathways for oil, gas or water to flow more easily, ultimately increasing the overall production of the well. Both methods of fracking are classed as unconventional, because they aim to permanently enhance (increase) the permeability of the formation. So the traditional division of hydrocarbon-bearing rocks into source and reservoir no longer holds; the source rock becomes the reservoir after the treatment.