Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
3.1 Resource Requirements
In terms of resource requirements, Table 7 provides information on the
activities and resources required for development of shale gas pads in the
US, where the resources for the vertical bore are separated from the re-
sources associated with the horizontal bore and the hydraulic fracturing.
15
Based on the information from similar operations in the US shown in
Table 7 and using the commercialisation scenarios from Table 5, it is pos-
sible to estimate the resource requirement under Cuadrilla Resources'
various scenarios (see Table 8).
As can be seen from Table 6, the high scenario involving the development
of 810 wells will provide a cumulative volume of shale gas of 76.6 bcm over a
25-year timescale, with an annual production of 2.84 bcm. Therefore, to have
a significant impact on the annual gas consumption in the UK, significantly
more wells need to be developed in the UK as a whole.
To achieve a 10% production of UK annual gas consumption of 91 bcm
would require of the order of 250 wells to be in production at any one time
and, bearing in mind the productivity of individual wells over time decreases
Table 7 Summary of resources, pre-production.
46
Six well pads drilled
vertically to 2000 m
and laterally to 1200 m
Low
Activity
High
Construction
Well pad area (ha)
1.5
2
Drilling
Wells
6
Cuttings volume (m
3
)
827
Water volume (m
3
)
Hydraulic Fracturing
54 000
174 000
Flowback fluid volume (m
3
)
7920
137 280
Surface Activity
Total duration of surface activities
pre-production (days)
500
1500
Total truck visits
4315
6590
Water volume (m
3
)
Re-fracturing Process
Assuming an
average of 50% of
wells re-fractured
only once
27 000
87 000
Fracturing chemicals volume,
@2%(m
3
)
540
1740
Flowback fluid volume (m
3
)
3960
68 640
Total duration of surface activities
for re-fracturing (days)
200
490
Total truck visits for re-fracturing
2010
2975
Total for 50%
re-fracturing
Well pad area (ha)
1.5
2
Wells
6
Cuttings volume (m
3
)
827
Water volume (m
3
)
81 000
261 000
Fracturing chemicals volume,
@2%(m
3
)
1620
5220
Flowback fluid volume (m
3
)
11 880
205 920
Total duration of surface activities
pre production (days)
700
1990
Total truck visits
6325
9565
