FrackingUsing earthquake research to refine fracking methods

Researchers at Oklahoma State University (OSU) are using historical earthquake data to make oil and natural gas drilling more efficient.

As theOklahoman reports, members of the university research team found that hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a process in which water and sand are blasted at high pressure into rock to remove oil, can cause an effect similar to earthquakes. Data gleaned from historical earthquake experiences have told scientists much about what happens to the rock during such events – and the knowledge may allow oil companies to understand how to extract gas without also removing groundwater.

“When companies shatter rock deep below ground to boost oil production, the nearby rock can become resistant to fracking for some time. In some cases, the plastic-like rock can open just enough to let water through to the well bore, but not enough for larger oil molecules,” said Priuank Jaiswal, the assistant professor of seismology at OSU’s Boone Pickens School of Geology.

Jaiswal’s hope is that through this research, oil drillers will make less of an impact on the environment, especially the spacing between fracking operations.

“The most important thing we’ve learned so far is that fractured spacing cannot be uniform, as is the normal practice of the industry. It may be that the first and second fracture need only be spaced 30 feet apart and the next two might need 90 feet. But it is definitely not uniform,” he added.

If the fractures are too close, which often happens, then they counteract one another and become very inefficient.

Jaiswal is also hoping that the new research could allow companies to refrack existing sites. His research shows that it is possible that the rock changes from a plastic-like consistency at the time of fracking (and earthquakes) to a harder density shortly after, thus implying that the site could be reused.

Jaiswal speculates that once the rock has returned to its more brittle and consistent form, the crust is again normal.

The OSU project includes multiple graduate students, and was first funded by the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology. Currently, the team is looking to partner with an oil company for the second phase of the project.

“The technology of hydraulic fracturing is amazing, but there is still a whole lot to learn about whether we are wasting our resources or utilizing them in the best possible way,” Jaiswal said.