Hydraulic Fracturing, The Advantages And Disadvantages

Understanding Hydraulic Fracturing, The Advantages and Disadvantages Prepare By: Dennis Lacerte Submitted Date: December 3, 2014 Contact Information: djamesl@rams.colostate.edu Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2 INTRODUCTION 2 HYDRAULIC FRACTURING PROCESS 3 ENERGY CONVERSION AND PRODUCTION PROCESS 6 ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH EFFECTS OF HYDRAULIC FRACTURING 7 LAND AND RESOURCE EFFECTS 7 ATMOSPHERIC EFFECTS 8 WATER EFFECTS 8 HEALTH EFFECTS 9 HYDRAULIC FRACTURING ALTERNATIVES 9 REGULATIONS ALTERNATIVES 9 ALTERNATIVE PROCESSES 10 DISCUSSION 10 CONCLUSION 10 RECOMMENDATIONS 10 REFERENCES 11 APPENDIX 12 GLOSSARY 13 TABLE OF FIGURES FIGURE 1: VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL WELL CONFIGURATIONS 5 FIGURE 2: A GAS TURBINE 7 FIGURE A1: ENERGY RESOURCES CHART 12 FIGURE A2: BRAYTON CYCLE SCHEMATIC 12 FIGURE A3: FRACKING FLUID CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS CHART 13 Executive Summary Introduction Hydraulic Fracturing (fracking) is a widely misunderstood topic surrounded by multiple controversies and unknowns. Some controversies and unknowns include: fracking pollutes the water with gases that several people rely on to drink, causing health side-effects; fracking is a completely safe process and has been working for over 60 years; or the amount of water brought on-sight contributes to the negative environmental impact created for each well (Shukman). Fundamentally, fracking is a process developed to acquire energy resources such as oil and gas (fossil fuels) from unconventional sightsShow MoreRelatedAlternative Energy Sources1852 Words   |  7 Pagesof the energy source through the process of hydraulic fracturing. In this report the following topics will be discussed to get a better understanding of natural gas and the hydraulic fracturing process. An overview of natural gas will be discussed. A detail description of the hydraulic fracturing process will be provided. The adv antages and disadvantages of hydraulic fracturing will also be compared. 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