Implementing the technology in the Bakken, a prominent region for fracking that covers parts of Montana, North Dakota, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, “will take time as operators adjust to the new methods and regulators respond with new permitting rules,” the report says.
The process of fracking typically involves shooting a highly pressurized mixture of water and sand or ceramics into an oil or gas reservoir several thousand feet underground, “often with the help of a small percentage of additives that aid in delivering that solution down the hatch,” explain officials from Halliburton, which drilled the first fracked well in the 1940s.
The force of the water fractures the rock, and the sand which is blasted into the cracks holds them open so the natural gas can escape. The operator then removes the water, which must then be treated or quarantined to avoid contaminating drinking water.
Forum notes that “the oil industry used about 5.5 billion gallons of fresh water in North Dakota in 2012, according to the North Dakota State Water Commission.” Usage statistics elsewhere are similar, but in some areas the fracking operation uses a relatively high percentage of the locally-available water.
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Reducing Fresh Water Usage By 25 Percent
Still, the industry is determined to do what it can to work toward sustainability. Halliburton “has set a goal of reducing the amount of fresh water the oil industry uses in North America by 25 percent by the end of 2014,” Forum says. Walter Dale, Halliburton’s strategic business manager for water management solutions, says that accomplishing that goal “depends on oil companies getting on board with the new technology,” the report notes.
Fracking uses such large quantities of water — it is “hydraulic” after all — that industry journal OilPrice wrote recently that “figuring out how to help companies recycle frack water is an emerging business opportunity that could be worth countless billions.” The journal concedes that “it still costs more to use recycled frack water in shale plays where water is plentiful and disposal wells numerous.” But the price gap is closing in arid areas.
Until recycling becomes part of the fracking process, environmental concerns about water management and wastewater treatment will grow, as noted by fellow ThomasNet News writer Al Bredenberg.
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This article was originally published on ThomasNet News Industry Market Trends and is reprinted in its entirety with permission from Thomas Industrial Network. For more stories like this please visit Industry Market Trends.