1 / 21

Some ideas….

Some ideas…. . Petroleum Geologist. Mining, minerals & resources. Extract minerals from the Earth Gold, coal, metals, salts, more… Opportunities globally. Use geology and geophysics to locate hydrocarbons Work on drilling platforms to extract oil and gas

nile
Download Presentation

Some ideas….

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. Some ideas…. Petroleum Geologist Mining, minerals & resources • Extract minerals from the Earth • Gold, coal, metals, salts, more… • Opportunities globally • Use geology and geophysics to locate hydrocarbons • Work on drilling platforms to extract oil and gas • Work all over the world, on-and off-shore

  2. More ideas… Environmental Geologist/Geochemist Volcanologist • Understand and witness nature’s most violent events • Travel: Iceland, Japan, USA and more… • Work to predict eruptions avoid disasters • Study how humans affect our environment • Understand the changing climate • Prevent and mitigate environmental damage

  3. My time line summer jobs….whatever paid (brick factory, mcvities, boots, etcetc) summer job in oil industry experience summer job in oil industry experience Cardiff U Snr. Lect Durham Professor 1986 1990 1995 Mobil oil 2003 2006 5 month temp geology job in Venezuela 2014 Maths; Physics; Geog PhD Geology - Edinburgh South Africa with Anglo America (Mining Engineer) Degree in Geology - Reading

  4. Electricity and Gas Where does our electricity come from? How do we use gas?

  5. Shale Gas and Fracking Prof. Richard Davies

  6. Questions: • What does the term “Fracking” mean to you? • What words come to mind when you think of Fracking? • Do you think fracking should take place in the UK?

  7. Some UK shales: Edale

  8. Some UK shales: Craster

  9. What is Shale? • Fine grained, organic rich mudstones: • 4 main components: • Clay • Quartz silt • Organic matter (dead plants and animals) • Calcium carbonate (shells of dead sea creatures) • Most common rock type on Earth • Gas forms in small holes (pore spaces) in the shale www.oceanexplorer.noaa.gov

  10. What is Fracking? • Shales are impermeable, trapped gas can’t flow out by itself • Rocks must be cracked (fractured) to let gas escape • Horizontal drilling is used to reach more rock • Water used to crack the shale, sand holds cracks open • Process is new to Europe, but well established in USA

  11. What is Fracking? • Wells drilled vertically up to 3 km (length of around 30 football pitches) and then drilled horizontally • Drilling and fracking takes about 1 month. A well will produce for years. Preese Hall, Lancashire. 1st and only well fracked in UK. Photo: BBC News Lancashire

  12. Fracking is controversial: why?

  13. Is It safe? Or

  14. Earthquakes • Fracking can cause minor earthquakes (tremors) • Fractures and fluids reactivate old geological faults • Very few cases recorded • Less severe than other man-made earthquakes • Q: Is this a serious risk?

  15. Water Pollution • Claims that fracking will contaminate aquifers (the rocks that contain drinking water) • Many reports of methane and chemical pollution in USA • But • Fractures not large enough to reach aquifers • In USA leak due to natural processes and well integrity

  16. Can Wells Leak? • During production (most of the time) well head (christmas tree) in place. • Abandonment – well head cut and welded shut • Well Pad • Well Head • Casing and Cement • Abandoned Welded Well Head • Watson and Bachu 2009

  17. Can Wells Leak? • Gas/fluids can reach surface through wellbores • Wells are sealed with metal casing and cement – but this degrades over time • Many older wells have poor protection • In Pennsylvania (USA), >6% wells have integrity or barrier failures • Abandoned wells not currently monitored in UK

  18. Why could shale gas be important? • UK imports ~60% of the gas we use • UK relies on energy imports • Shale could help UK become less dependent on imports • Lower energy prices? • However: • Little known about UK resources • Much public opposition/gaps in scientific knowledge • UK would require many 1000s wells

  19. Summary • Fracking itself very unlikely cause of aquifer contamination. • 100,000s of fracking operations and 3 cases of felt seismicity but important to avoid critically stressed faults. • Databases and publications show that well leak is possible. Monitoring will be important. • Uncertain what effect shale gas would have on UK.

  20. Questions: • Do you think fracking should take place in the UK?

More Related