Geology Reference
In-Depth Information
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As mentioned in the introduction, hydrofracking is defined in different ways by dif-
ferent people. To those in the energy industry, it refers purely to the process of in-
jecting fluid—which consists of water and between 3 and 12 chemicals, including
hydrochloric acid, sodium chloride, methanol, and isopropyic ethanol, that serve
various functions—underground at high pressure to crack open shale rock, release
natural gas or oil trapped there, and allow the hydrocarbons to flow to the surface.
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Energy specialists will point out that hydrofracking and drilling are not the same
thing. First comes drilling of the wells, then comes the hydrofracking.
But such distinctions are lost on the public. To most people, hydrofracking and
drilling are simply two parts of one process. In this broader definition, “fracking”
is a shorthand way to describe all of the steps used to prepare a well, drill it ver-
tically and horizontally, inject the fluid, recover hydrocarbons, and remediate the
waste. For the sake of clarity and brevity, I have used the latter, broader definition
in this topic.
Fracking has emerged as a central issue in part because of the significant
changes we are seeing in today's energy landscape. According to the EIA, total en-
ergy consumption in 2008 by the global population of seven billion was 493 quad-
pands to nine billion by 2040, the demand for affordable, reliable, plentiful energy
supplies will increase exponentially. Daniel Yergin, a leading energy consultant
and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of topics such as
The Quest: Energy, Security,
and the Remaking of the Modern World
, predicts that global energy demand will
increase 35 to 40 percent in the next two decades alone. “Much of the infrastructure
