Facts About Clean Fracking Technology

By Jose Foster


Even though it is only presently that faccing is becoming popular, the technology has been in existence for nearly two centuries. Additional terms used in reference to the technology is hydrofracking, hydrofracturing, and faccing. History has it that fracking technology has been in existence since the 1800s. At that time, explosives were used in order to access underground oil shale formations and gas. Here is information one should know regarding clean fracking technology.

Later in the 1930s, companies decided to start using non-explosives. To determine how effective non-explosives can be, experiments were carried out in the course of the next decade. By 1949, the hydrofrac technology was invented. The adoption of the new technology gained a lot of popularity by 1950s. At the time, the adoption was happening at the rate of 3000 wells per month.

Over gallons of fluid were utilized in the initial models of fracking technology. The fluid was made up of gelled kerosene, 400 pounds of sand, water and gelled crude oil. The amount and composition of the fluid did not change for a long period. Today, there has been some slight changes. Around 8 million gallons of water and between 75000 and 32000 pounds of sand are utilized today.

Advancements in technology have also allowed for the use of different forms of fluid. Some of the common types of fluids in use are slickwater, gels, and foams. Modern fracking fluid is composed of several different ingredients, including guan gum, biocines, friction reducers, diesel fuel, hydrochloric acid, and benzene. Most of these ingredients are highly harmful to the environment. That is why there are calls everywhere demanding that hydrofracking should be made environmentally friendly.

The large amount of water consumed in the process calls for safe disposal to prevent environmental problems. State waterways such as lakes, rivers, and oceans were the final destination of the wastewater used in fraccing before1985. Changes have occurred currently, with wastewater being disposed in deep injection wells. Brine disposal well is also a term used for these wells.

Apart from being disposed in disposal wells, there are private establishments that take and process the wastewater. Although the water can be processed, only some of it can be processed fully. The rest still contain the fluid used in hydrofracking and must be disposed in landfills or injected into the ground. It is being realized that these methods of disposal have negative impacts even though they once appeared flawless.

Polluted drinking water is among the major negative effects that come with wastewater disposal. In one way or the other, the water makes its way into the water systems hence causing contamination. Furthermore, depletion of fresh water has developed as a major impact resulting from heavy usage of water in extracting oil. Finally, there are negative impacts on the environment due to both methods of disposing water and hydrofracking itself.

To minimize the adverse effects of fraccing as a whole, there are suggestions to find ways of reusing wastewater. To this effect, some techniques have been invented that make reuse of wastewater possible. Other ways of minimizing pollution include eliminating methane escape, reducing amounts of fresh water used for the process, and using alternative energy sources other than diesel.




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