What's Fracking? 4 Things You Should Know About Fracking And Shale Gas

If you pay attention to information about energy consumption around the world, you've probably heard about fracking. You might have even heard people claiming that it's bad for the environment and trying to stop the process. However, you might not be aware of what the process actually is. Here are some answers that will help you understand a little bit more about fracking.

This Is What Fracking Is

Unlike oil that can be found in large liquid deposits deep inside the earth, shale oil is found inside shale – which is a hard sedimentary rock. In order to squeeze oil and natural gas out of the shale, a procedure known as fracking is performed. Fracking involves the drilling of a deep well, which allows workers greater access to the shale formations.

Once the well is dug, crews bring in high-pressure hoses that shoot heated water and chemicals directly into the shale. The heated water creates fissures that allow the natural gas and oil to ooze out of the shale where it can be collected and contained for refinement.

Fracking is Used For More Than Just Obtaining Shale Gas

While fracking is used primarily for obtaining natural gas and oil, it is also used for other purposes as well. For instance, fracking can be used to increase the flow of water from deep reservoirs and it can also be used to create geothermal wells for commercial use. Another benefit of fracking is that it can be used to clean up toxic sites that have been contaminated by landfills and illegal dumping of hazardous materials.

Shale Gas Is the Same As Natural Gas

Sometimes you might hear about shale gas and other times you might hear about natural gas. The truth is shale gas is natural gas. The only difference is that shale gas comes from shale formations, while other natural gases come from rock formations such as sandstone and limestone.

Shale Gas Burns Cleaner Than Coal

There's actually a lot of talk about whether or not shale gas burns dirtier than coal. The fact is that natural gas obtained from shale doesn't burn dirtier than coal. In fact, it's actually a cleaner burning fuel. One study shows that while fracking does release methane gas, it will only stay in the atmosphere for about 12 years. Whereas, carbon dioxide, the gas released by burning coal, can remain in the atmosphere for up to 10,000 years. So, when going by those statistics, shale gas is better for the environment than coal.

The process of fracking provides increased opportunities to obtain an abundant supply of natural gas for consumer, commercial and industrial use. The information provided here will help you understand what shale gas is and how it's collected. Contact a business, such as G-Force Industries, for more information.