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Unconventional Gas Development from Shale Plays:Myths and Realities Related to Human Health Impacts
A. R. Ingraffea, Ph.D., P.E.
Cornell Universityand
Physicians, Scientists, and Engineers for
Sustainable and Healthy Energy, Inc.
Halifax, Nova Scotia
December 2, 2011 1
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Unconventional Development of
Gas from Shale Formations:
Myths and Realities Related to Human Health Impacts
Fracing is a 60-year-old Well-Proven Technology.
Fluid Migration from Faulty Wells is a rare phenomenon.
The use ofmulti-well pads and cluster drilling reduces surface impacts.
Natural Gas is a Clean Fossil Fuel.
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Fracing for gas development is a 60-year-old
well-proven technology.
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Unconventional Development of
Gas from Shale Formations:
Myths and Realities Related to Human Health Impacts
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Why Is Shale Gas Development
Unconventional
Because it requires 4 technologies only recently combined to make
gas production from shales technically and economically feasible.
Directional drilling: needed to access a thin layer of shale with long
laterals.
High frac fluid volumes: needed to stimulate gas release from many
existing fractures.
Slickwater: needed to control the amount of power needed to pump
large volumes of frac fluids, at high pressures, quickly, over long
distances, through small diameter casing. Clustered, Multi-well Pads: needed to access as much of the gas
inventory as possible, under constraints of leasing and capital.
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High Volume, Slickwater Fracing from
Long Laterals (HVSFLL): The Concept
5
~ 2000 m
~ 100 m
Pay zone
Cap rock
Cap rock
Not to scale
The Lateral
Shale Layer
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Why Is Shale Gas Development
Unconventional
Because it requires 4 technologies only recently combined to make
gas production from shales technically and economically feasible.
Directional drilling: needed to access a thin layer of shale with long
laterals.
High frac fluid volumes: needed to stimulate gas release from many
existing fractures.
Slickwater: needed to control the amount of power needed to pump
large volumes of frac fluids, at high pressures, quickly, over long
distances, through small diameter casing. Clustered, Multi-well Pads: needed to access as much of the gas
inventory as possible, under constraints of leasing and capital.
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Early Joints at Taughannock Falls
Geneseo-Burket (Devonian black shale)
Taughannock Falls State Park, Trumansburg, N.Y.
Photo Courtesy T. Engelder
Gas Producing Shales are Heavily Fractured Naturally
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Why Is Shale Gas Development
Unconventional
Because it requires 4 technologies only recently combined to make
gas production from shales technically and economically feasible.
Directional drilling: needed to access a thin layer of shale with long
laterals.
High frac fluid volumes: needed to stimulate gas release from many
existing fractures.
Slickwater: needed to control the amount of power needed to pump
large volumes of frac fluids, at high pressures, quickly, over long
distances, through small diameter casing. Clustered, Multi-well Pads: needed to access as much of the gas
inventory as possible, under constraints of leasing and capital.
8
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Targeting the Shale Layer Via Multiple, Horizontal
Wells from Clusters of Pads
9From Cody Teff, Shell Appalachia, WELL CONSTRUCTION PRACTICES IN THE MARCELLUS
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10
Example of Spatially Intense Development:
Dallas/Fort Worth Airport Property,
Barnett Shale Play
53 pads on 18,076 acres,30 square miles
Each red line is a well
Each red dot is a pad
Almost complete
coverage
Patchwork, mostly ideal
units
One developer
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Summary of the Technology:
HVSFLL Is a Recently Developed Process
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From NYS SGEIS revised draft, page 5-5, 2011
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Fracing for gas development is a 60-year-old well-
proven technology.
Myth
12
Truth
Unconventional development of gas using high
volume, slickwater fracing from long laterals is NOT a
60-year-old well-proven technology; it is still being
developed.
Health Impact Insufficient time to conduct scientific investigations of
impacts due to process itself and inevitable accidents.
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Fluid Migration from Faulty Wells is a rare
phenomenon.
Unconventional Development of
Gas from Shale Formations:
Myths and Realities Related to Human Health Impacts
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Gas Is Supposed to Rise
Inside the Production Casing,
Not Outside
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VIDEO of
Methane Bubbling
At Well Head
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Bubbling in Muncy Creek, Lycoming County, PA:
Example of Migration of Hydrocarbons
Video Courtesy of Ralph Kisberg, Responsible Drilling Alliance 15
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Observation: What Does This All Look Like
Downhole?
Laboratory-Scale Experiment: A Block of Real Rock
Drill It, Right Down the Middle
Case It
Cement It
Perforate It
Frac It, with Red Dye in the Frac Fluid
Break Open the Block
See What Happened
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One Can See Perforations and Hydraulic Fractures
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4 in.
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FRESH WATER AQUIFER ZONE
SHALLOW PRODUCING ZONE
INTERMEDIATE PRODUCING ZONE
CONDUCTOR PIPE
SURFACE CASING
PRODUCTION CASING
GOOD MECHANICAL INTEGRITY
TARGET PRODUCING ZONE
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CEMENT CHANNELING
PRESSURE
BUILDS UP
CONDUCTOR PIPE
SURFACE CASING
PRODUCTION CASING
FRESH WATER AQUIFER ZONE
SHALLOW PRODUCING ZONE
INTERMEDIATE PRODUCING ZONE
TARGET PRODUCING ZONE
CASING
CEMENT
FORMATION
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LEAK THROUGH CASING
CONDUCTOR PIPE
SURFACE CASING
PRODUCTION CASING
FORMATIO
N
CASING
FRESH WATER AQUIFER ZONE
SHALLOW PRODUCING ZONE
INTERMEDIATE PRODUCING ZONE
TARGET PRODUCING ZONE
PRESSURE
BUILDS UP
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22From Watson, PAPER 2004-297Petroleum Societys 5th Canadian International Petroleum Conference
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Mechanisms of Gas Migration
Gas Migration Through Cement: percolation duringcuring
Cement Sheath Failure: high temp, high pressure,
perforation
Improper Cement Design and Placement: poor
chemistry, poor mud cleanup, low cement top
Casing Failure: Corrosion, joint failure, fracture
Cross Flow Between Adjacent Wells
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From Watson, PAPER 2004-297Petroleum Societys 5th Canadian International Petroleum Conference
h l ll ll d
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Since the earliest gas wells, uncontrolled
migration of hydrocarbons to the surface has
challenged the oil and gas industry
Brufatto et al., Oilfield Review, Schlumberger, Autumn, 2003
SCP=Sustained Casing Pressure.
Also called sustained annular
pressure in one or more of thecasing annuli.
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Sustained Casing Pressure and Gas
Migration Are Chronic Problems
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Watson and Bachu, SPE 106817, 2009.
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New Scientific Data on Methane Contamination of Water Wells
26www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1100682108
M h
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Fluid Migration from Faulty Wells is a rare
phenomenon
Myth
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Truth Fluid Migration from Faulty Wells is a well-
known, chronic problem with an expected rateof occurrence.
Health Impact Contamination of USDW with drilling fluid, frac fluid,
released hydrocarbons.
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The use of clustered, multi-well pads reduces
surface impacts.
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Unconventional Development of
Gas from Shale Formations:
Myths and Realities Related to Human Health Impacts
Example: Dallas/Fort Worth Airport Property
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Example: Dallas/Fort Worth Airport Property,
Barnett Shale Play
53 pads on 18,076 acres,30square miles
Each red dot is a pad
Each red line is a well
Almost complete
coverage
Patchwork, mostly ideal
units
One developer
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The Barnett Shale Play, Texas
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Dimock, Pennsylvania
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32
?????
Horn River Area NE British Columbia
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Horn River Area, NE British Columbia
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E S N ! Thi O I It
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Encana Says No! This One Is It
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417 million gallons of water
78,400 tons of sand
8 milllion gallons of fracing chemicals
500 frac intervals
10,000 foot laterals
40,000 hp for fracing pumps
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Notice NNW-SSE orientation of
non-square, about 256ha,
spacing unit. Geology and
leasing control.
Direction of max
horizontal stress
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36
An Industrial Ideal Pad/Well Buildout Scenario NS
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An Industrial-Ideal Pad/Well Buildout Scenario:NS
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Clustering of Pads in Tioga County, PA
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Myth
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The use ofmulti-well pads and cluster drilling
reduces surface impacts.
Myth
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The use ofmulti-well pads and cluster drilling
facilitates and prolongs intense industrialization
and leaves a larger, long-term footprint.
Truth
Health Impact
Long term noise, dust, light pollution; NOxemissions; higher spill probabilities of frac fluid;
venting and accidental emissions of produced
gases.
U ti l D l t f
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Natural Gas is a Clean Fossil Fuel.
40
Unconventional Development of
Gas from Shale Formations:
Myths and Realities Related to Human Health Impacts
CO Concentration in the Atmosphere
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CO2 Concentration in the Atmosphere
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Seasonal fluctuation
2 ppm increase per year450 ppm a tipping point
We have about 30 years
Methane Concentration in the Atmosphere:
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Methane Concentration in the Atmosphere:
Historical Record
42http://www.ecen.com/eee55/eee55e/growth_of%20methane_concentration_in_atmosphere.htm
Methane Is a Much More Potent Greenhouse Gas
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Methane Is a Much More Potent Greenhouse Gas
than Carbon Dioxide: 105 time more Potent over 20
years, 33 Times over 100 years.
It Is Vented and Leaked. During initial frac fluid flow-back period
Routinely and continuously at the well site
During liquid unloading
During gas processing
During transmission, storage, and distribution
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Marcellus Well Being Finished Outside Dimock Pa
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Marcellus Well Being Finished Outside Dimock, Pa
June, 2011: Major Source of Methane Emission
Photo and FLIR Methane-Tuned Video Courtesy Frank Finan 44
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Marcellus Well Being Finished Outside Dimock, Pa.
June, 2011: Major Source of Methane Emission
Video
Video courtesy of Frank Finan
Burn Offs at MarkWest Gas Processing Plant
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Burn-Offs at MarkWest Gas Processing Plant,
Houston, PA
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9/18/11
2:03pm
Photos courtesy of Robert Donnan
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Burn-Offs at MarkWest Gas Processing Plant,
Houston, PA
9/28/11
7:28pm
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The Literature on Methane Emissions from Shale
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The Literature on Methane Emissions from Shale
Gas Development (* = Peer Reviewed)
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1. Howarth R W, Santoro R & Ingraffea A. Clim. Change106, 679690 (2011).*
2. Skone T.
http://cce.cornell.edu/EnergyClimateChange/NaturalGasDev/Documents/PDFs/SKONE_
NG_LC_GHG_Profile_Cornell_12MAY11_Final.pdf
3. Hughes D. Post CarbonInstitute, 2011; http://go.nature.com/gkboqm
4. Osborn S G., Vengosh A, Warner NR & Jackson RB. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA, 108,81728176 (2011). *
5. Kumar S. WorldWatch Institute, http://www.worldwatch.org/despite-methane-
emissions-upstream-natural-gas-cleaner-coal-life-cycle-basi.s
5. JiangM, Griffin W M, Hendrickson C, Jaramillo P, VanBriesen J & Venkatesh A.
Environ. Res. Lett. 6: 034014 (2011).*
6. Wigley T.. Clim. Change(2011). DOI 10.1007/s10584-011-0217-3.*
Comparison of Modeling Assumptions and Key Results
http://cce.cornell.edu/EnergyClimateChange/NaturalGasDev/Documents/PDFs/SKONE_NG_LC_GHG_Profile_Cornell_12MAY11_Final.pdfhttp://cce.cornell.edu/EnergyClimateChange/NaturalGasDev/Documents/PDFs/SKONE_NG_LC_GHG_Profile_Cornell_12MAY11_Final.pdfhttp://go.nature.com/gkboqmhttp://go.nature.com/gkboqmhttp://cce.cornell.edu/EnergyClimateChange/NaturalGasDev/Documents/PDFs/SKONE_NG_LC_GHG_Profile_Cornell_12MAY11_Final.pdfhttp://cce.cornell.edu/EnergyClimateChange/NaturalGasDev/Documents/PDFs/SKONE_NG_LC_GHG_Profile_Cornell_12MAY11_Final.pdf -
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Time scale GWP heat/ Methane Methane
(years) electricity from gas from coal
(gC/MJ) (gC/MJ)
Howarth et al. 20 / 100 33 / 105 both 0.56 1.3 0.045 0.14
Hughes 20 / 100 33 / 105 both 0.56 1.3 0.045 0.14
Skone 100 25 electr. 0.34 0.17
Jiang et al. 100 25 electr. 0.40 Not reported
Worldwatch 100 25 electr. 0.34 0.094
Wigley 0 200 n/a electr. 0.34 1.4 0.107
U.S. EPA (2011) n/a n/a n/a 0.75 0.04
Comparison of Modeling Assumptions and Key Results
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Myth
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Natural Gas is a Clean Fossil Fuel.Myth
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Over its life-cycle, unconventional Natural Gas
is likely no cleaner than coal or petroleum,
and conventional gas is comparable to thoseother fossil fuels.
Truth
Health Impact
Exacerbation of global climate change.
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Why Is Slickwater, High-Volume Fracing from
Long Laterals a Higher Risk to Public Health?
Requires much higher well density, many wells per square
mile.
Requires much more industrial development over large areas,
heavy equipment operating 24/7/365.
Requires much higher volumes of fracing fluid, millions of
gallons per well.
Produces much higher volumes of waste fluids and solids
containing hazardous materials: frac fluid chemicals, heavymetals, NORMS, NOx, VOCs.
Produces higher volumes of fugitive emissions of methane.
52
Wh I Sli k Hi h V l i f
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As number of wells and volumes of waste increase,
probability of accidental releases of hazardous
materials into air and groundwater increases.
Cumulative effects on air and water and health fromthese and from purposeful emissions into the
atmosphere and releases into groundwater are
unknown.
Increased production, processing, storage,transportation and burning of natural gas and its liquid
companions (e.g. ethane, propane, butane) increases
emission of GHGs.53
Why Is Slickwater, High-Volume Fracing from
Long Laterals a Higher Risk to Public Health?
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http://www.psehealthyenergy.org/
Where Can You
Find Reliable
Information?
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55
Where Can You
Find Reliable
Information?
http://www.earthworksaction.org/oil_and_gas.cfm
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Thank You for Attending
and Participating Tonight
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The Barnett Shale Play Texas
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The Barnett Shale Play, Texas
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Di k P l i
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Dimock, Pennsylvania
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An Industrial-Ideal Pad/Well Buildout Scenario:Fredericton
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An Industrial-Ideal Pad/Well Buildout Scenario:NS
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An Industrial-Ideal Pad/Well Buildout Scenario: Mocton
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An Industrial-Ideal Pad/Well Buildout Scenario:Fredericton
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