1 / 39

Strumpshaw and District Association 30 th September 2014

This article explores the controversial practice of fracking in the UK, discussing its definitions, technical issues, impact on energy supply, economic considerations, environmental impacts, and other related issues.

newmanr
Download Presentation

Strumpshaw and District Association 30 th September 2014

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Fracking A solution to the UK Energy Problems or An unacceptable step too far? Keith Tovey (杜伟贤): MA, PhD, CEng, MICE, CEnv Reader Emeritus in Environmental Science, University of East Anglia Recipient of James Watt Gold Medal Strumpshaw and District Association 30th September 2014

  2. FRACKING Definitions • “ a method of mining in which cracks are created in subteranean rocks to obtain gas, oil, or other liquids”. • Hydraulic Fracturingusing high pressure liquids is usual way of creating cracks • Frackingis the slang term for Hydraulic Fracturing Tonight’s Talk • What is Fracking? Physical Resource and Definitions • Fracking – technical issues and examples • Impact of Fracking on UK Energy Supply • Where have conventional/unconventional wells been drilled in UK & Economic Issues • Fracking – Environmental Impacts [seismic etc] • Summary and other issues

  3. Fracking: Some Definitions • Conventional Gas: - predominantly methane with other hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, hydrogen sulphide etc, • Unconventional Gas: • Tight Gas: -found in relatively low permeability rocks such as sandstones and limestone. Some fracturing may be needed to enhance extraction Found trapped in relatively porous media capped by an impermeable stratum. Gas migrates upwards to a capped area. • Shale Gas: - found in ultra low permeability shales. Extensive hydro fracturing needed to extract gas

  4. Schematic geology of natural gas resources Land Surface Conventional Non-associated Gas Coal Bed Methane Conventional Associated Gas Sandstone Seal oil Tight Sand Gas Gas rich Shale Diagram based on US Energy Information Administration

  5. Fracking: Some Definitions • Dry Gas: - predominantly methane with little if any co-products such as ethane, propane etc. • Wet Gas: contains appreciable proportions co-products of hydrocarbon such as ethane, propane, and butane which may be in liquid or gaseous form. • Co-products may be liquefied as LPG or converted into petrol and add value to gas produced. • WET GAS is defined as having more than 0.1 US gal of condensate per 1000 cuft. • Reserve: Total Amount of gas in Reservoir: Three figures: Proven, Probable, Possible • Resource: Amount of gas which can Technically and/or Economically be extracted - typically 10-20% of Reserve

  6. Where Shales are located in UK Biological decay of organic at shallow depths Biogenic methane 1.5 – 2 km Organic matter “cooked” at depth and pressure Thermogenic methane in Shale Biogenic and Thermogenic methane can be distinguished by isotopic means

  7. Typical Fracking Installations • A single Fracking Well in Pennsylvania Large ponds (0.5 – 1ha) are needed to hold Flowback Water.

  8. Surface Equipment

  9. Schematic of a Shale Gas Well Aquifer Drilling through Aquifer & Rock Layers Cemented Steel Casing Aquifer Borehole Cement pumped through borehole to surround casing Horizontal Drilling Hydraulic Fracturing Shale Shale Formation

  10. Schematic of a Shale Gas Well High pressure fluid mixture creates numerous paper-thin fractures throughout shale. Small fractures free trapped gas which flows into perforated casing and up to surface. Fracturing fluids contain ~ 94% water, 5% sand and up to 1% of additives such as ACID, SCALE INHIBITORS, BIOCIDES, FRICTION REDUCERS AND SURFACTANTS. Fluid is injected under pressure to stimulate cracking of the Shale. The sand props the cracks open to promote gas flow. Diagrams based on Tyndall Report (2011b) and Royal Society Report (2012)

  11. Fracking in a Horizontal Well The casing has multiple annual rings some which can slide longitudinally to open valves for fracking.

  12. Well and Pad Configurations In US, typically up to 6 wells per Pad 1 – 2km Pad Cuadrilla are proposing up to 10 wells per Pad

  13. Output from a Single Shale Gas Well Output declines by 95% over first 3-4 years Total output over 20 years is equivalent to two 3 MW wind turbines

  14. Estimated Gas Production: Cuadrilla Scenarios for Bowland-Hodder Shale (2014–2040) Average household consumption of water ~ 180 m3/year Maximum Cumulative Production from Blackpool Area over the 25 years would be ~76 bcm or 10 months current UK supply From Tables 2.13 – 2.14 of Tyndall (2011b) Report

  15. Gas Production and demand in UK Impact of temporary switch to coal generation Import Gap Gas supply has become critical at times – e.g. at end of March 2013 – down to 6 hours supply following technical problems on Norwegian Pipeline.

  16. Impact of Ukraine Crisis RakteemKatakey: (Bloomberg Press) – The Ukrainian crisis is poised to reshape the politics of oil by accelerating Russia’s drive to send more barrels to China, leaving Europe with pricier imports and boosting U.S. dependence on fuel from the Middle East. China already has agreed to buy more than $350 billion of Russian crude in coming years. Such shifts will be hard to overcome: Europe, which gets about 30 percent of its natural gas from Russia, has few viable immediate alternatives. The U.S, even after the shale boom, must import 40 percent of its crude oil, 10.6 million barrels a day that leaves the country vulnerable to global markets.

  17. Estimates of Total UK Production of Fracked Gas • The most optimistic scenario data from above are used • Electricity Scenario assumes • similar split of gas use for electricity / non-electricity demand • 5% improvement in efficiency for CCGT generation plant • Maximum generation from Fracked gas = ~36.5 TWhby 2030 Based on Figure 3.1 in Tyndall (2011b) Report

  18. Impact of Fracked Gas on Electricity Generation up to 2030 Assumptions in Electricity Scenarios Assume Highest Projection for Fracked Gas Future Demand – Climate Change Committee (2011) estimates • Assumes significant growth in electricity for electric vehicles and heat pumps • Alternative demand – limited growth in electric vehicles and heat pumps. Fossil Fuel/Nuclear Generation • Existing Nuclear / Coal Stations close as published 09/09/2013 • New Nuclear completions at one reactor per year from 2021. • New Coal with CCS as demonstration schemes @ 300 MW per annum from 2020 & 1000 MW per annum from late 2020s • Gas including Fracked Gas will cover any shortfall between DEMAND and COAL + NUCLEAR + RENEWABLE GENERATION

  19. Impact of Fracked Gas on Electricity Generation up to 2030 Renewable Electricity Generation Futures [Load Factors based on weighted averages over last 5 years] Wind Other Renewables: Solar, Marine, Biomass, Hydro • Solar installation rate increases to 1 million houses a year from 2020 – 40% houses fitted by 2030 • Tidal and Wave – up to 2 GW by 2020 and significant expansion thereafter with Severn Barrage completed by 2025

  20. Wholesale Cost of Electricity UK no longer self sufficient in gas Oil reaches $130 a barrel Severe Cold Spells Langeled Line to Norway UK Government Projection in 2003 for 2020 wholesale prices updated to 4th March 2015 Weekly volume weighted average Wholesale Prices Wholesale prices are 2.2 times what they were in 2004 Less than10% of rise can be attributed to support for renewables

  21. Cost of Energy UK no longer self sufficient in gas Oil reaches $130 a barrel Severe Cold Spells Langeled Line to Norway UK Government Projection in 2003 for 2020 wholesale prices updated to 16th September 2014 Wholesale prices are over 2.5 times what they were in 2004 Domestic Prices have risen by ~ 100% over period Less than10% of rise can be attributed to support for renewables

  22. Our looming over-dependence on gas for electricity generation Version suitable for Office 2007 & 2010 • Limited electric cars or heat pumps Fracked Gas Imported Gas Oil UK Gas Offshore Wind Existing Coal Onshore Wind Oil Other Renewables Existing Nuclear Existing Coal New Coal ? Data for modelling derived from DECC & Climate Change Committee (2011) - allowing for significant deployment of electric vehicles and heat pumps by 2030. New Nuclear? Existing Nuclear Data for modelling derived from DECC & Climate Change Committee (2011) - allowing for significant deployment of electric vehicles and heat pumps by 2030. Data for demand derived from DECC & Climate Change Committee (2011) - allowing for significant deployment of electric vehicles and heat pumps by 2030. 22

  23. Fracking: Economic Issues • Viability of a Shale Gas Well – defined by EUR (Economic Ultimate Recovery). • According to recent research (Bloomberg Feb 2013) • “the cost of shale gas extraction in the UK is likely to be significantly higher than in the US”. • Cost of gas produced is reduced if high value co-products are present in “WET” gas. [Many (most?) wells in US are WET ]. This advantage is unlikely to be significant in UK where much of gas is likely to be “DRY”. Comments such as: "We will continue to drill to hold leases, and will continue to drill in the wet gas. But there will be little if any drilling in the dry gas areas“ are becoming increasingly common in US.

  24. Fracking: Economic Issues • Claims are made that Fracking will reduce cost of gas in UK - Evidence often cited from US. • BUT nowhere has the price of exactly how much Fracked Gas will cost been indicated. • How can claims be made that it will be cheaper if this information in is not forthcoming? • Even with most optimistic scenarios, Fracked Gas will NOT be significant until after 2030. • Over concentration on Fracking is diverting attention from the pressing issues of the Capacity Gap looming post 2015 11th May 2014: Financial Times: $1tn of new oil and gas projects ‘uneconomic’ “The cost of developing many new oil and gas assets is well over $100 per barrel”. “In the current environment many projects do not make sense from a cost perspective.” 29th September 2014 On Thursday evening, while media attention was gripped by parliament’s vote on going back to war in Iraq, the energy department slipped out the news that it was going to scrap people’s right to block fracking under their homes, despite overwhelming opposition.

  25. Fracking: Carbon Emissions • Climate Change issues • Fugitive emissions from shale gas exploitation will be higher than conventional gas extraction. • Direct use of gas • conventional - 199 – 207 g/kWh* • fracked gas - 200 – 253 g/kWh* depending on regulation • Electricity generation • Conventional gas using CCGT ~ 360 – 430 g/kWh • Shale gas using CCGT ~ 423 – 535 g/kWh * • Coal ~ 837 – 1130g/kWh * • Fracked gas would help in decarbonising electricity supply in comparison to coal. • BUT coal use in generation is set to decline significantly. • Fracked gas is worse than conventional gas and much worse than nuclear or renewables and increase in gas use would jeopardize decarbonisation of Energy Supply. • * Data from Mackay& Stone (DECC 9th September 2013).

  26. Fracking: Seismic Issues • Richter scale (ML) is a logarithmic scale • An increase by 1 indicates an energy increase of 10 times • Suggested UK Threshold level for reporting Fracking - 0.5 – i.e. ground movement associated with traffic. Some say threshold should be 1.0 • Fracking induced events in Lancashire caused earthquakes of magnitude 1.5 and 2.3 or 10 and 64 times the energy of the threshold • Christchurch earthquake was 640 thousand times larger • Fukushima earthquake was 400 million times larger • Threshold of 0.5 at depth would not be perceptible: 10 – 12 traffic incidents a day might trigger this limit. • Consequences of Lancashire incidents • Small events up to 0.5 occurred during Fracking. The 1.5 & 2.3 events occurred 10 hours after Fracking ceased - below level of the occasional earthquake in UK. • [some damage reported at base of well, but no damage to casing through aquifer].

  27. Perception of Seismic Events Seismic effects of Fracking usually have magnitude ~ 0.5 to 1.0. One Lancashire event reached 2.3

  28. Historic Seismicity in UK Magnitude Incidence of Earthquakes in UK 1382 – 2012 Red dots – Natural Blue dots – coal mining >5 4 – 5 3 - 4 2 – 3 <2 Royal Society Report (2012)

  29. Methane Contamination of Groundwater These are Peer Reviewed Journals The dramatic videos on You-Tube of tap water igniting were claimed to be caused by Fracking. Naturally occurring biogenic methane was the cause in most cases, and not FRACKING.

  30. Impact of Large Scale Development of Fracking If US model is followed UK may require several tens of thousands of wells to make a substantial contribution to Energy Supply. Distribution of Fracking Wells in Dallas – Fort Worth Area

  31. Aftermath of extensive drilling in Wyoming

  32. Summary of Key Issues (1) • There are significant Reserves of Shale Gas in UK But do not confuse Reserves with Resource • Most optimistic Resource extraction would potentially provide between 7.5 & 10% of electricity generation by 2030, although could be 2 – 2.5 times that figure by 2050 But there are more important issues in Energy Security, Climate Change and Affordability to address post 2015 • Developers are evasive in giving an actual maximum cost per GWh gas produced. Unless this is no more than current wholesale price, Statements such as “Fracking will result in cheaper Gas” cannot be justified and are extremely misleading. • Output from a single well drops by 80+% in first 2 years of operation. Large scale extraction in UK could lead to tens of thousands of wells in UK.

  33. Summary of Key Issues (2) • Seismic Risk is very small indeed • Contamination of ground water by methane / other chemicals might occur in a well failure or spillage for surface facilities. • Over dramatic videos of ignition of water from taps are misleading as these are often of biogenic methane • Adequate Regulation needed, but this will increase costs. • Large quantities of water are needed • Sand and Additives (some of which are toxins) are added. • Flowback Fluid ~ 50% of injected fluids contains contaminants as above and naturally occurring chemicals and naturally occurring Radioactive Material (NORM). • In Summary • Fracking could marginally help to improve Energy Security in UK • Questionable whether it would in fact be cheaper than at present • Climate Change Targets would be jeopardized if there were a consequential shift from Renewables and Nuclear

  34. The following slides were not used in the actual presentation, but have been in previous versions

  35. Imported Gas: Where does the UK gas come from? Exports go primarily to Belgium and Ireland Gas is traded on the international Market and prices have become significantly more volatile since UK became a net importer.

  36. Differences between Sandstone and Shale Sandstone Shale Large Pores Microscopic Pores From British Geological Survey Presentation

  37. Location of Wells drilled for Gas and Oil. Yellow dots show locations where gas has flowed

  38. Sources of information • DECC (2012) Shale Gas Briefing Note https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/48332/5057-background-note-on-shale-gas-and-hydraulic-fractur.pdf • DECC (2013) About shale gas and hydraulic fracturing (fracking) https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/226040/About_Shale_gas_and_hydraulic_fracking.pdf • EIA (2013) Annual Energy Outlook 2013 http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/aeo/ • Mackay DJC & Stone J (2013) Potential Greenhouse Gas Emissions Associated with Shale Gas Extraction and Use. DECC https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/237330/MacKay_Stone_shale_study_report_09092013.pdf • Royal Society (2012). Shale Gas Extraction in the UK http://royalsociety.org/policy/projects/shale-gas-extraction • Smith, N.; Turner, P.; Williams, G.. 2010 UK data and analysis for shale gas prospectivity. In: Vining, B.A.; Pickering, S.C., (eds.) Petroleum Geology : From Mature Basins to New Frontiers : Proceedings of the 7th Petroleum Geology Conference. Geological Society of London, 1087-1098. (see also http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/13090/) • Tyndall (2011a). Shale gas: a provisional assessment of climate change and environmental impacts. http://www.tyndall.ac.uk/sites/default/files/coop_shale_gas_report_final_200111.pdf • Tyndall (2011b). Shale gas: an updated assessment of environmental and climate change impacts http://www.cooperative.coop/Corporate/Fracking/Shale%20gas%20update%20-%20full%20report.pdf • UKOOG (2013) Community Engagement Charter: Oil and Gas from Unconventional Reservoirs https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/225851/Publication_UKOOG_communityengagementcharterversion6.pdf • Osborn, SG, A Vengosh, NR Warner, RB Jackson. (2011). Methane contamination of drinking water accompanying gas-well drilling and hydraulic fracturing. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, U.S.A. 108:8172-8176, dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1100682108. • Molofsky, LJ, Connor, JA, Albert S. Wylie, AS Tom Wagner, T & Farhat, SK (2013) Evaluation of Methane Sources in Groundwater in Northeastern Pennsylvania Vol. 51, No. 3–Groundwater: 51 (no 3): 333–349 DOI: 10.1111/gwat.12056 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gwat.12056/abstract

More Related