www.chevron.

ro/
Facem aceste aprecieri avnd n vedere beneficiile pe scar larg realizate din proiectele
de exploatare a gazelor din ist n Statele Unite. La ora actual, Europa import cca. 60% din
gazele pe care le consum (sursa: Agenia Internaional pentru Energie). Se estimeaz c
importurile vor crete la 83% pn n anul 2030, datorit cererii tot mai mari, legislaiei de mediu
tot mai exigente i declinului produciei din zcmintele de gaze existente.
Fracturarea Hidraulic
Dezvoltarea condiiilor de exploatare necesit o tehnic de fracturare hidraulic, o tehnologie
consacrat, sigur i cu bune rezultate utilizat n peste 1 milion de sonde , nc din 1960.
Procesul implic pomparea unui amestec de fracturare compus din ap, nisip i mici cantiti de
aditivi printr-o sond, care ptrund n strat prin perforaiile coloanei de foraj, crend fisuri.
Aceste fisuri sunt umplute cu nisip pentru a determina gazele s ias la suprafa. Aditivii care se
utilizeaz n acest proces sunt aceeai care se folosesc n operaiunile convenionale i sunt
reglementai n statele membre UE. Descoperirile pot fi evaluate, n faza de exploatare
experimental, prin fracturarea a mici zone de testare cu sonde verticale i prin monitorizarea
debitului de gaze. Dup trecerea la exploatarea comercial, companiile foreaz sonde orizontale
n roca purttoare de gaze i fractureaz istul pe ntrega arie de dezvoltare a acestuia.
Protecia apelor
Chevron protejeaz acviferele subterane de fluidele de fracturare i de gaze prin cptuirea sau
"cmuirea" sondelor cu straturi multiple de oel i ciment. Testate pentru rezistena la presiune,
coloanele rezist pe toat durata de via a sondei. Fluidele de fracturare hidraulic sunt de obicei
utilizate la adncimi de peste 2 sau 3 kilometri sub nivelul acviferului, fiind separate de acesta
prin straturi multiple de roc impermeabil.
Dup fracturare, apa uzat care iese la suprafa este evacuat n mod adecvat printr-o instalaie
certificat, este tratat i reutilizat sau, n unele cazuri, este reinjectat n straturi de roc mai
adnci.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:EIA_World_Shale_Gas_Map.png

Illustration of shale gas compared to other types of gas deposits

What is Hydraulic Fracturing?

Hydraulic fracturing is a procedure that can increase the flow of oil or gas from a well. It is done by pumping liquids down a well into subsurface rock units under pressures that
are high enough to fracture the rock. The goal is to create a network of interconnected fractures that will serve as pore spaces for the movement of oil and natural gas to the well
bore.
Hydraulic fracturing combined with horizontal drilling has turned previously unproductive organic-rich shales into the largest natural gas fields in the world. The Marcellus Shale,
Barnett Shale and Bakken Formation are examples of previously unproductive rock units that have been converted into fantastic gas or oil fields by hydraulic fracturing.

http://geology.com/articles/hydraulic-fracturing/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/apr/20/shale-gasfracking-question-answer
So what chemicals are used?
Reports in the US have found hundreds of chemicals in use, some of them potentially toxic,
including methanol, naphthalene, benzene and lead. In the UK, shale gas company Cuadrilla
Resources uses only three, including a lubricant commonly found in cosmetics, hydrochloric
acid, and a biocide commonly used to purify drinking water.

Why is it controversial?
Many shale deposits are buried under aquifers, and if the cement casing around the wellhole is
not adequate, then the process of drilling and fracking can release the chemicals into the aquifer.
Leaks of methane can occur, leading potentially to fires or explosions.
The water-chemical mixture pumped in gradually returns to the surface, where it can
contaminate land and water. It can also be highly saline and contain solids, such as flakes of
rock. Some companies have been accused of poor disposal of the sludge waste that results from
fracking. In addition, the vast quantities of water used can lead to problems by depleting local
ecosystems. There is also concern about the seismic activity involved in fracking.
These issues have prompted an outcry around the world, and some places are considering a ban
such as Pittsburgh, in the US, while New York called a halt to it pending a review. A bill to ban
fracking in France has widespread popular support.
In the US, legal loopholes mean the fracking industry is poorly regulated, as large parts of it
were taken out of the control of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by President Bush,
and companies do not have to disclose what chemicals they use.

What is fracking?
The process of hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" involves drilling a hole deep into the dense
shale rocks that contain natural gas, then pumping in at very high pressure vast quantities of
water mixed with sand and chemicals. This opens up tiny fissures in the rock, through which the
trapped gas can then escape. It bubbles out and is captured in well that brings it to the surface,
where it can be piped off.

Ce susin reprezentanii Chevron despre tehnicile pe care le utilizeaz

Reprezentanii Chevron susin c metodele folosite de ei n cadrul proceselor de explorare i de

exploatare sunt unele sigure pentru mediul nconjurtor.
"Chevron protejeaz acviferele subterane de fluidele de fracturare i de gaze prin cptuirea sau
<<cmuirea>> sondelor cu straturi multiple de oel i ciment", se arat n raportul gigantului
american ce vizeaz activitile desfurate n Europa.

http://www.gandul.info/financiar/scandalul-pungilor-de-bogatie-de-sub-unul-dintre-cele-maisarace-judete-din-tara-ce-cauta-americanii-la-barlad-9431545

Dup spusele lor (Chevron), fluidele folosite n cadrul procedeului de fracturare hidraulic sunt
utilizate la adncimi chiar de peste 2 - 3 kilometri fa de nivelul acviferului, fapt ce l separ de
el prin intermediul mai multor straturi de roc impermeabil.
"Dup fracturare, sondele care produc gaze de ist debiteaz i cantiti reduse de ape de
zcmnt cu mineralizaie crescut, care fie sunt deversate la staii autorizate de tratare, conform
reglementrile legale, fie sunt tratate i reutilizate sau reinjectate n straturile de roc mai adnci,
n sonde de injecie", se mai arat n cadrul documentelor companiei.
Reprezentanii Chevron susin, de asemenea, c n scopul protejrii mediului nconjurtor
realizeaz o serie de studii cu privire la impactul asupra mediului nconjurtor i asupra sntii.
n ce const metoda fracturrii hidraulice

Tehnologia fracturrii hidraulice este utilizat nc din anul 1960 de peste un milion de sonde.
Pentru realizarea ei se pompeaz un amestec compus din ap, nisip i cantiti mici de aditivi
printr-o sond, conform datelor oficiale cu privire la activitile Chevron n Europa.
Amestecul ptrunde apoi prin "perforaturile colanei de foraj" i creeaz fisuri ce sunt umplute cu
nisip pentru a face gazele s curg. Reprezentanii Chevron susin c aditivii utilizai n cadrul
fracturrii hidraulice sunt folosii i n operaiunile convenionale i sunt reglementai de ctre
statele membre ale Uniunii Europene.
Extragerea gazelor de ist
Urmtoarea etap a procedeului reprezint evaluarea descoperirilor fcute n cadrul fazei de
exploatare experimental, care este realizat prin fracturarea unor zone mici de testare cu
ajutorul unor sonde verticale i prin monitorizarea debitului de gaze obinut.
Odat cu trecerea la exploatarea comercial a gazelor de ist roca este forat cu o serie de sonde
orizontale i este fracturat istul pe toat suprafaa lui.

Chemical Use In Hydraulic Fracturing

http://fracfocus.org/water-protection/drilling-usage
Chemicals serve many functions in hydraulic fracturing. From limiting the growth of bacteria to preventing corrosion of the well casing, chemicals are
needed to insure that the fracturing job is effective and efficient.
The number of chemical additives used in a typical fracture treatment depends on the conditions of the specific well being fractured. A typical fracture
treatment will use very low concentrations of between 3 and 12 additive chemicals, depending on the characteristics of the water and the shale
formation being fractured. Each component serves a specific, engineered purpose. For example, the predominant fluids currently being used for
fracture treatments in the gas shale plays are waterbased fracturing fluids mixed with frictionreducing additives (called slickwater). The addition of
friction reducers allows fracturing fluids and sand, or other solid materials called proppants, to be pumped to the target zone at a higher rate and
reduced pressure than if water alone were used. In addition to friction reducers, other additives include: biocides to prevent microorganism growth and
to reduce biofouling of the fractures; oxygen scavengers and other stabilizers to prevent corrosion of metal pipes; and acids that are used to remove
drilling mud damage within the nearwellbore area.
Fluids are used to create the fractures in the formation and to carry a propping agent (typically silica sand) which is deposited in the induced fractures
to keep them from closing up. The chart below taken from Modern Shale Gas Development in the United States: A Primer demonstrates the volumetric
percentages of additives that were used for a ninestage hydraulic fracturing treatment of a Fayetteville Shale horizontal well.

The makeup of fracturing fluid varies from one geologic basin or formation to another.
Evaluating the relative volumes of the components of a fracturing fluid reveals the relatively small volume of additives that are present. The additives
depicted on the right side of the pie chart represent less than 0.5% of the total fluid volume. Overall the concentration of additives in most slickwater
fracturing fluids is a relatively consistent 0.5% to 2% with water making up 98% to 99.5%.
Because the makeup of each fracturing fluid varies to meet the specific needs of each area, there is no onesizefitsall formula for the volumes
for each additive. In classifying fracturing fluids and their additives it is important to realize that service companies that provide these additives have
developed a number of compounds with similar functional properties to be used for the same purpose in different well environments. The difference
between additive formulations may be as small as a change in concentration of a specific compound.
Although the hydraulic fracturing industry may have a number of compounds that can be used in a hydraulic fracturing fluid, any single fracturing job
would only use a few of the available additives. For example, the chart shown above, represents 12 additives used, covering the range of possible
functions that could be built into a fracturing fluid.

Marcellus shale fragments. Photograph: Daniel Acker/Getty Images

Shale gas is natural gas formed from being trapped within shale formations[1]. Shale gas has
become an increasingly important source of natural gas in the United States over the past decade,
and interest has spread to potential gas shales in the rest of the world. One analyst expects shale
gas to supply as much as half the natural gas production in North America by 2020.[2][dead link]
6

Some analysts expect that shale gas will greatly expand worldwide energy supply.[3] A study by
the Baker Institute of Public Policy at Rice University concluded that increased shale gas
production in the US and Canada could help prevent Russia and Persian Gulf countries from
dictating higher prices for the gas it exports to European countries.[4] The Obama administration
believes that increased shale gas development will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.[5]
Some studies have alleged that the extraction and use of shale gas may result in the release of
more greenhouse gases than conventional natural gas,[6][7], although other studies [8] have
criticized one of these for relying on implausibly high leakage rates and misstating the global
warming potential of methane.[9] Other recent studies point to high decline rates of some shale
gas wells as an indication that shale gas production may ultimately be much lower than is
currently projected.[10