The Cons of Drilling for Gas by Hydraulic Fracturing - Essay Example

College The Cons of Drilling for Gas by Hydraulic Fracturing Hydraulic fracturing, also described as hydrofracking is anindustrial process which is water intensive and is used to collect gas natural gas that is held in shale formations by drillers. The fluid that is used in fracturing contains industrial chemicals, sand, water and salt. This fluid is pumped deep into the earth’s crust by use of high pressure and the gas is forced up by the force of the fluid upwards for collection. The water that comes out after the collection of the gas is known as produced water. Produced water is highly polluted and can cause harm to anyone who takes it. The process of hydrofracking is also not good for the environment and it leads to unbalancing of the lower rocks and the upper rock structure. This study is very important in knowing the effects of hydrofracking and the possible solutions that can be made from these problems. We also get to know of various alternatives of hydrofracking and how it can be stopped or reduced. With examples of multiple basins, the papers will the environmental implications of hydrofracking in shale gas reservoirs (Anthony 89). Shale has been the source of natural gas for many years. Before man could reach the lower part of the crust, shallow wells were dug so as to get the gas. Hydrofracking is the latest method of extracting the gas and it has led to a lot of problems. First the gases that come out are very poisonous and harmful to human consumption. The ecological imbalance that comes with the drilling process is also very harmful to nature and can lead to the imbalance of nature and all its recourses. Shale gas is the gas that is produced by the shale and there are two functions of the shale. It functions as the reservoir and as the source rock for the natural gas. Due to hydrofracking, many of the shale rocks are known to fracture and this leads to a cause of imbalance in the ecosystem. Hydrofracking involves a lot of pressure that is used so as to bring the gas upwards. The high pressure is of importance and causes the gas to flow upwards, however the high pressure also has a lot of environmental impacts. It weakens the rocks that are underground when this happens; the result is a weak underground rock structure which cannot support the overlying rocks above it. This can cause it to sink and hence lead to an earthquake. Research method Research design The main question that we are trying to answer is the effect of hydrofracking on the environment. The data that was used in this study was collected through the internet through simple sampling procedures, after it had been collected, the data was analyzed and a report was made. The data is mainly from articles that were written in the past and stored in the internet. To collect the search procedure was used to know which type of data to be collected and used in thee sampling process (McGraw 265). Sample selection and procedure for human selection Data that was collected was sampled through random sampling but it was specified to a certain amount of groups. The data had to have a certain number of groups of people so as to satisfy the necessary conditions needed. Measure that were taken to ensure that the data collected was efficient include the use of appropriate sampling procedure as well as the use of various research methods to come up with the best results that are to be used. The findings of the research show that many people are affected by the drilling process and this has led to many diseases as well as environmental conditions that are not favorable for human existence. It was found that apart from its pollution effect, the byproducts of hydrofracking may lead to loss of life as well as cancer. This means that it can lead to diseases that may not be cured. Global warming is also an issue that coming into effect due to the large number of gases that are deposited into the environment. As a result of these gases, the atmosphere is not able to hold the energy that it gets from the sun and this leads to global warming. The main question is well answered here by stating that yes there are effects of hydrofracking on the environment. The effects range from those that affect man directly to those that affect him indirectly such as the effects on the environment. There is also the effect of ecological imbalance which leads to the earth not being able to support the upper crust due to the effects of hydrofracking. From this the only solution to the problem is the use of other drilling processes that do not involve going so deep into the earth’s crust to get the gas (Berg 90). Discussions Hydrofracking is very important to the economy but it really harms the environment. Therefore the best thing that can be done is to look for another way to drill the gas that is different from the process of hydrofracking. This involves extraction of the gas that is not so deep but which is just above the shale. This prevents unbalancing of the ecosystem. The main limitation of the study is that the data collected here was from secondary sources and not from primary sources. Therefore it makes assumption from previous research and not from the research that one has done alone. For future research to be more successful, what is really needed is time to go to the field to collect the data alone and do the follow up activities without fully relying on secondary dat. When this is done, then the results would be more useful and would be successful. In conclusion it is right to say that hydrofracking is one of the drilling processes that is harmful to the environment and which has always made man to suffer a lot. It therefore calls for people to work hard and try to come up with various solutions that extract gas by other processes other than hydrofracking. Work cited Ngraffea, Anthony, and Wilton Vought. The Marcellus Gas Shale Play: Information for an Informed Citizenry. s.l..: Essential Dissent, 2010. McGraw, Seamus. The End of Country. New York: Random House, 2011. Print. Berg, Weston. Local Newspapers, Drinking Water Pathways, and Dimensions of Knowledge: Public Awareness Amid the Hydrofracking Debate. , 2010. Print. Read More