Table of Contents
What are the three main components of fracking fluid?
Fracturing Fluid Contents Generally speaking, most formulas consist of 0.5 to 2 percent chemical additives and 98 to 99 percent water and sand. Although there are hundreds of chemicals that may be used in hydraulic fracturing, the vast majority of fracture jobs use a relatively small number of these chemicals.
What liquid is injected during fracking?
Frac fluid (sometimes spelled as frack fluid), which is an abbreviation for fracturing fluid, is a combination of water, chemicals, and sand (or another type of proppant) that are injected into a crude oil or natural gas well to reduce friction pressure and create a fracture.
What types of additives are in fracking fluid?
The permitted additives for hydraulic fracturing fluid include polycrylamide, hydrochloric acid and a biocide.
What acids are used in fracking?
The most commonly used fluid in acid fracturing is 15% hydrochloric acid (HCl). To obtain more acid penetration and more etching, 28% HCl is sometimes used as the primary acid fluid.
What chemicals are added to fracking fluid and what are some examples of what they do?
Toxic Chemicals
| ADDITIVE TYPE | EXAMPLES OF CHEMICALS |
|---|---|
| Gelling Agent | Guar gum; petroleum distillate |
| Iron Control | Ammonium chloride; ethylene glycol; polyacrylate |
| Solvent | Various aromatic hydrocarbons |
| Surfactant | Methanol; isopropanol; ethoxylated alcohol |
How many chemicals are used in fracking?
1,084 different chemicals
Despite the fact that most fracking fluid chemicals are considered “proprietary” to the company responsible for the fracking, the EPA has identified 1,084 different chemicals reported as being used in these formulas.
Is fracking fluid toxic?
Fluid used by the oil and gas industry during hydraulic fracturing — also known as fracking — contains chemicals that are highly toxic to mammals, along with many compounds that are either undisclosed or have unknown health effects, according to two recent studies.
Is mercury used in fracking?
Hundreds of hazardous materials are used in fracking fluid, including lead, radium, uranium, methanol, mercury, hydrochloric acid, ethylene glycol and formaldehyde. Approximately 40,000 gallons of chemicals are used per fracturing.
What is slickwater used for in fracking?
Friction Reducing (Slickwater) Additives. The predominant fluids currently being used for fracture treatments in the gas shale plays are water-based fracturing fluids mixed with friction-reducing additives (called slickwater) [3].
What is the percentage of additives in slickwater?
Overall the concentration of additives in most slickwater fracturing fluids is a relatively consistent 0.5% to 2% with water making up 98% to 99.5%. If playback doesn’t begin shortly, try restarting your device.
What chemicals are used in hydraulic fracturing?
Hydraulic fracturing fluids: A wide variety of chemical additives are used in hydraulic fracturing fluids. They include: dilute acids, biocides, breakers, corrosion inhibitors, crosslinkers, friction reducers, gels, potassium chloride, oxygen scavengers, pH adjusting agents, scale inhibitors, and surfactants.
How do chemical additives work in slickwater fracture?
The most critical chemical additive for slickwater-fracture execution is the friction reducer (FR). The high pump rates for slickwater treatments (often 60-100 bbl/minute) necessitate the action of FR accitives to reduce friction pressure up to 70%; this effect helps to moderate the pumping pressure to a manageable level during proppant injection.