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Waterless Fracking promises more energy, less trouble
wattsupwiththat.com ^ | November 7, 2014 | Anthony Watts

Posted on 11/07/2014 6:40:39 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach

Waterless Fracking may increase access to more energy, without the need to deal with the waste water.From the article:

Researchers at the Colorado School of Mines claim they have developed a method to unlock hydrocarbons trapped in shale with using any water at all. They are seeking to perfect Cryogenic fracturing, which replaces water with searing cold liquid nitrogen (or carbon dioxide). Used at temperatures below minus 321 Fahrenheit, it is pumped underground at high pressure. Once it comes into contact with the heated, pressurized shale, a reaction occurs which caused the shale to crack open and creates fissures through which the hydrocarbons can gush out. They liken it to pouring hot water onto a frozen car windshield, with the sharp and sudden temperature change causing the glass to crack.

There are several positive results from using this technique. First, the liquid nitrogen will evaporate underground eliminating the need for costly recovery and retreatment. Further, they claim it will form bigger fissures or canals through which hydrocarbons can be extracted, boosting oil and gas production. In theory, the below-freezing liquid should actually be more rather than less effective than water based methods.

Second, it may well solve problems with water-sensitive formations or those with an unwanted amount of clay. Slickwater fracking often causes water saturation around the fracture and clay swelling, hindering the ability to transport hydrocarbons from the fracture to the well bore. Some shale absorbs water very quickly and the entire formation may swell in size and hinder transport through the fissures we have created. Even in a best case scenario, using hydraulic fracturing results in a low recovery factor, caused largely by water trapping.

h/t to WUWT reader Ben in WUWT Tips and Notes

Source:

http://shaleforum.com/profiles/blogs/too-much-clay-chill-out-why-cryogenic-fracturing-may-be-the?xg_source=msg_mes_network


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Science
KEYWORDS: co2frac; cofrack; energy; fracking; opec; waterlessfracking
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To: beethovenfan

The enviro-whackos will undoubtedly freak out over the amount of nitrogen being released into the air.:=) it’ll doom the erf I tell you.


21 posted on 11/07/2014 7:15:46 PM PST by Bob (Violence in islam? That's not a bug; it's a feature.)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

GASFRAC uses gelled LPG, so I would imagine there would be other solutions as well.


22 posted on 11/07/2014 7:25:13 PM PST by Smokin' Joe (How often God must weep at humans' folly. Stand fast. God knows what He is doing.)
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To: Steely Tom

Where does the left think this nitrogen originates from, in the first place?


23 posted on 11/07/2014 7:43:52 PM PST by 353FMG
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

Nitrogen and co2 have been used in fracturing since the early ‘80’s that I’m aware of. Still not as good as water.


24 posted on 11/07/2014 7:45:02 PM PST by Quickgun (I got here kicking,screaming and covered in someone else's blood. I can go out that way if I have to)
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To: Sasparilla

Where are the enviro-wacko Baghdad Bobs who are always proclaiming we’ve reached peak oil? They’ve been fairly silent lately.


25 posted on 11/07/2014 7:47:55 PM PST by driftless2 (a)
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To: bunkerhill7
The water / sand mix prevents the fissures from coming back in on themselves keeping the surface stable.

Cracks alone could cause massive havoc that could telegraph hundreds of miles.

26 posted on 11/07/2014 7:51:32 PM PST by knarf (I say things that are true .. I have no proof .. but they're true.)
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To: TangoLimaSierra
problem I see is proppant mixing and transport with a -70 liquid.

Pretty sure there exist conventional industrial processes that use liquid CO2 to transport particulates. Similarly for liquid nitrogen. If I'm reading the phase diagrams and such right those are supercritical fluids at those pressures and temps which means it will seep right into everything (no surface tension to speak of) and act as a solvent for all sorts of weird stuff (eg metal nanoparticles and polymers).

If you take the pressure off properly at temperature it can flash into vapor faster than the speed of sound in the rock, AKA earth-shattering kaboom. Unlike conventional explosives you can do this over and over again.

All in theory, of course. But it's not so "out there".

27 posted on 11/07/2014 7:53:28 PM PST by no-s (when democracy is displaced by tyranny, the armed citizen still gets to vote)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

It sounds like it would be a lot more expensive to do it that way.


28 posted on 11/07/2014 8:13:50 PM PST by smokingfrog ( sleep with one eye open (<o> ---)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

All the more reason for libbies to oppose it.


29 posted on 11/07/2014 9:31:34 PM PST by TBP (Obama lies, Granny dies.)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

The commies would complain about the rocks cracking. There is no end to their whining.


30 posted on 11/07/2014 9:31:40 PM PST by minnesota_bound
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To: Lurkina.n.Learnin
That would be so cool.

Well said.

31 posted on 11/07/2014 9:49:12 PM PST by aposiopetic
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

My first encounter with a nitrogen frack job was about 1970, in South Louisiana. It “aint” nothing new but I am sure the engineering has become better and more specific to what kind of frac job is best for each particular formation.

What did amaze me is how fast we brought the well on line. After the frac job was done we were flaring gas and it was a lot of gas, within one hour.


32 posted on 11/07/2014 9:54:14 PM PST by cpdiii (DECKHAND, ROUGHNECK, GEOLOGIST, PILOT, PHARMACIST, LIBERTARIAN The Constitution is worth dying for.)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

My first encounter with a nitrogen frack job was about 1970, in South Louisiana. It “aint” nothing new but I am sure the engineering has become better and more specific to what kind of frac job is best for each particular formation.

What did amaze me is how fast we brought the well on line. After the frac job was done we were flaring gas and it was a lot of gas, within one hour.


33 posted on 11/07/2014 9:57:21 PM PST by cpdiii (DECKHAND, ROUGHNECK, GEOLOGIST, PILOT, PHARMACIST, LIBERTARIAN The Constitution is worth dying for.)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

Bump...of major interest to me.


34 posted on 11/07/2014 11:27:28 PM PST by Dexter Morgan (Everyone hides who they are.)
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To: Smokin' Joe
You need to keep the fractures open, too.

Exactly!

35 posted on 11/08/2014 4:12:52 AM PST by Antoninus II
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To: no-s

Thanks. Interesting.


36 posted on 11/08/2014 4:13:26 AM PST by TangoLimaSierra (To win the country back, we need to be as mean as the libs say we are.)
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To: cripplecreek

The CO2 does not remain underground when the process is complete.


37 posted on 11/08/2014 5:06:13 AM PST by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer.)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
Their was a great article in Forbes a year or so back on the Fracking Revolution. They interviewed a CEO of one of the major Oil Companies who bought into this game, since they didn't get into it @ square one. He had one line in the article saying in effect here is our return with the state of the art today or something to that effect. Which says to me, more Technologies such as this one mentioned ( yes I read the post that it may not be as cutting edge as the article states ) can Increase Yield, and No we have not seen the end of the Evolution of the series of technologies that fall under the umbrella of Fracking, it is not a fixed list of ingredients if you will like a cake recipe. It may in fact Evolve or have a additional Revolutions within itself.
38 posted on 11/08/2014 5:18:58 AM PST by taildragger (Not my Circus, Not my Monkey ( Boy does that apply to DC...))
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To: cripplecreek

“Pumping carbon dioxide into the ground is one method of sequestration.”

So, you will not be producing back the CO2 you just pumed into well?

How does that work?


39 posted on 11/08/2014 5:59:10 AM PST by bestintxas (Every time a RINO is defeated a Founding Father gets his wings.)
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To: bestintxas; thackney

According to thackney the CO2 doesn’t stay in the ground with this method.

I think they could but at the end of the day its still pointless because we’re talking about a harmless gas.


40 posted on 11/08/2014 6:27:22 AM PST by cripplecreek (You can't half ass conservatism.)
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