Some Thoughts On “Review & Outlook: The Facts About Fracking”
February 22, 2012 12:10 am BusinessPlease add to your thesis the fundamental basis of a formation suitable for fracking. This zone must be vertically impermeable to still contain hydrocarbons. HCs are lighter than water and will head up the water advice column. If there is any permeability the HCs will escape. If fracking creates permeability that allows HCs to escape up the column then they will not be able to produce the HCs and the exercise will be pointless and more importantly profitless. This of course is required in all HC reservoirs.
Also important is lateral permeability and this is what fracking is really about. It is to induce permeabilty within the reservoir to increase flow to the bore hole which has been drilled horizontally along the bed of the reservoir formation. The use of the word reservoir is a bit tenous here because traditionally low porosity low permeability rocks were not considered reservoirs but the act of fracking is actually creating a reservoir.
In summary the (mostly) shales that are being considered here have no fluid connection above them (if they did then they would be of no interest) and it is important that after fracking this cap remains so drilling programs are designed accordingly.
