[My earlier post can be found here: https://kazhugupaarvai.blogspot.in/2017/02/cauvery-delta-methane-project-truths.html]
Let's look at science behind Methane extraction some more ..
What science knows so far
Fracking or Hydraulic Fracturing is the technique used for extracting methane from coal bed. It means pumping a fracturing fluid at high pressure to widen the fractures in a rock. Horizontal drilling allows drilling vertically several thousand meters (typically 6,000 metres) deep and then turning 90° and drilling horizontally.
What is water used for in this process?
Approximately 7–15 million L of water are used per well. Approximately 50–70 % of the water solution is recovered. The remaining water stays in the ground. The recovered water is contaminated with chemicals and salts from the rock formation. It is either transported or directly disposed in treatment facilities.
Where is all this water going to come from? Tamilnadu is already facing a severe water crisis. This question remains unanswered so far!
What science still does not know
(1) It is clear that with fracking & horizontal drilling, we are artificially creating fissures in rocks undergound. Does that also mean the gaps will stay open forever? Does fracking really cause earthquakes? It is not conclusively proven.
(2) What happens with the water that stays in the ground? It gets contaminated to some extent. How to clean it and use it is unclear. Does it contaminate the ground water is also unclear. This is also one of the often portrayed issues with this whole process.
What is happening in the USA now
(1) North Dakota has 8000 to 15000 fracking wells now to extract Shale gas.
(2) In 2000, there were about 276,000 natural gas wells in the United States. But by 2010, that number had almost doubled to 510,000, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). And every year, about 13,000 new wells are drilled.
(3) Researchers from Duke University tested drinking water at 60 fracking well sites throughout Pennsylvania and New York; their research was published in 2011 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The researchers found that drinking water near some fracking wells had levels of methane that "fell squarely within a range that the U.S. Department of Interior says is dangerous and requires urgent 'hazard mitigation' action".
(4) Have we advanced from 2011 to 2017 in terms of protecting ground water sources? That is not clear.
(Premature) Conclusion for now ..
(1) It is too early to conclude if this project is good or bad. There is no 100% solid evidence to swing it this way or that way.
(2) Emotional appeals are definitely there, right from the late Nammazhvar Sir to our modern college students. We in India, are very passionate about our soil. I do not know if everybody understands the science behind it. But there is an inherent fear that we may damage the fragile ecosystem from underneath the ground. We are also concerned about what happens to humans involved in the process.
(3) In my opinion, if any agency wants to promote it, they first have to prove with a pilot project (2 to 3 wells max) that there really is no harm in this method. If there is a slightest confirmation that it is dangerous for humans or agriculture in long term, this project should just be dropped. But if it really works in Pilot mode, then people will automatically accept it.
(4) My thought is that the full license should be granted ONLY IF the pilot is successfully demonstrated for everyone to see and accept. The initial approval should still be kept on hold till anything positive is proven or if negatives do not show up over a sustained period of time for the pilot fracking well activity.
I think that is where most of the concern from the activists is too. A full-fledged drilling license should not be issued till the technology is proven to cause no harm to either man or agricultural land or water sources.
Wait for my subsequent posts on the personal networks of people involved to see what the vested interests are ..
More References:
(01) http://www.chemistryviews.org/details/education/1316813/What_is_Shale_Gas_How_Does_Fracking_Work.html
(02) http://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/how-hydraulic-fracturing-works/
(03) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uti2niW2BRA
(04) http://www.livescience.com/34464-what-is-fracking.html
(05) http://www.cred.org/fracking-frequency/
(06) http://www.waterworld.com/articles/wwi/print/volume-28/issue-5/regional-spotlight-us-caribbean/fracking-wastewater-management.html
Let's look at science behind Methane extraction some more ..
What science knows so far
Fracking or Hydraulic Fracturing is the technique used for extracting methane from coal bed. It means pumping a fracturing fluid at high pressure to widen the fractures in a rock. Horizontal drilling allows drilling vertically several thousand meters (typically 6,000 metres) deep and then turning 90° and drilling horizontally.
What is water used for in this process?
Approximately 7–15 million L of water are used per well. Approximately 50–70 % of the water solution is recovered. The remaining water stays in the ground. The recovered water is contaminated with chemicals and salts from the rock formation. It is either transported or directly disposed in treatment facilities.
Where is all this water going to come from? Tamilnadu is already facing a severe water crisis. This question remains unanswered so far!
What science still does not know
(1) It is clear that with fracking & horizontal drilling, we are artificially creating fissures in rocks undergound. Does that also mean the gaps will stay open forever? Does fracking really cause earthquakes? It is not conclusively proven.
(2) What happens with the water that stays in the ground? It gets contaminated to some extent. How to clean it and use it is unclear. Does it contaminate the ground water is also unclear. This is also one of the often portrayed issues with this whole process.
What is happening in the USA now
(1) North Dakota has 8000 to 15000 fracking wells now to extract Shale gas.
(2) In 2000, there were about 276,000 natural gas wells in the United States. But by 2010, that number had almost doubled to 510,000, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). And every year, about 13,000 new wells are drilled.
(3) Researchers from Duke University tested drinking water at 60 fracking well sites throughout Pennsylvania and New York; their research was published in 2011 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The researchers found that drinking water near some fracking wells had levels of methane that "fell squarely within a range that the U.S. Department of Interior says is dangerous and requires urgent 'hazard mitigation' action".
(4) Have we advanced from 2011 to 2017 in terms of protecting ground water sources? That is not clear.
(Premature) Conclusion for now ..
(1) It is too early to conclude if this project is good or bad. There is no 100% solid evidence to swing it this way or that way.
(2) Emotional appeals are definitely there, right from the late Nammazhvar Sir to our modern college students. We in India, are very passionate about our soil. I do not know if everybody understands the science behind it. But there is an inherent fear that we may damage the fragile ecosystem from underneath the ground. We are also concerned about what happens to humans involved in the process.
(3) In my opinion, if any agency wants to promote it, they first have to prove with a pilot project (2 to 3 wells max) that there really is no harm in this method. If there is a slightest confirmation that it is dangerous for humans or agriculture in long term, this project should just be dropped. But if it really works in Pilot mode, then people will automatically accept it.
(4) My thought is that the full license should be granted ONLY IF the pilot is successfully demonstrated for everyone to see and accept. The initial approval should still be kept on hold till anything positive is proven or if negatives do not show up over a sustained period of time for the pilot fracking well activity.
I think that is where most of the concern from the activists is too. A full-fledged drilling license should not be issued till the technology is proven to cause no harm to either man or agricultural land or water sources.
Wait for my subsequent posts on the personal networks of people involved to see what the vested interests are ..
More References:
(01) http://www.chemistryviews.org/details/education/1316813/What_is_Shale_Gas_How_Does_Fracking_Work.html
(02) http://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/how-hydraulic-fracturing-works/
(03) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uti2niW2BRA
(04) http://www.livescience.com/34464-what-is-fracking.html
(05) http://www.cred.org/fracking-frequency/
(06) http://www.waterworld.com/articles/wwi/print/volume-28/issue-5/regional-spotlight-us-caribbean/fracking-wastewater-management.html
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