• Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Mail
  • Call Me Back
  • About
  • Knowledge
📞 Call us on 0330 223 31 31
  • 0Shopping Cart
Water Treatment Services
  • Home
  • Water
    • Applications
      • Boiler Water Treatment
      • Cooling Water Treatment
      • Closed Loop Water Treatment
      • Legionella Control
    • Services
      • Cooling Tower Cleaning
      • Cooling Tower Maintenance
      • Chlorine Dioxide Water Treatment
      • Commercial Water Softeners
      • Pre-Commission Cleaning
      • Tank Reline & Repair
      • TMV Servicing
      • Water Chlorination & Disinfection
      • Water Leak Detection
      • Water Testing
        • Drinking Water Testing
        • Metals Testing
        • Pool Water Testing
        • BSRIA Closed System Testing
        • SDI Testing & Analysis
        • Trade Effluent Testing
    • Training
      • Water Treatment Training
      • Basic Chemistry of Water
      • Industrial Treatment
      • Pre-Treatment
      • Boiler Treatment
      • Cooling Systems
      • Closed Systems
      • Wastewater Training
      • Advanced Treatments
      • Training Dates 2021
  • Wastewater
    • Metals Testing
    • Trade Effluent Testing
    • Wastewater Training
  • Air
    • Ductwork Cleaning
    • Indoor Air Quality
    • Local Exhaust Ventilation
    • Mould Testing
  • Energy
  • Legionella
    • Legionella Risk Assessment
    • Legionella Training Courses
      • Legionella Awareness Training
      • Responsible Person Training
      • Water Hygiene Awareness
      • Pseudomonas Training
      • Training Dates 2021
    • Legionella Testing
  • Contact
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
You are here: Home1 / Knowledge2 / Energy3 / What is Fracking? Hydraulic Fracturing for Shale Gas & Oil
What is Fracking for Shale Gas?

What is Fracking? Hydraulic Fracturing for Shale Gas & Oil

The following video answers the question… what is fracking? It looks at sources of energy in the UK including shale gas and oil, the location of deposits, and the hydraulic fracturing and extraction process, otherwise known as fracking.

What is Fracking?

Natural gas provides1/3 of all the energy consumed in the UK – it is used by industry for cooking and heating homes and by power stations for the generation of electricity. Currently half that gas has to be imported and forecasts suggest that figure will rise to more than 60 percent by 2025.

Where are the UK’s Shale Gas & Oil Deposits?

One domestic option is shale gas and oil; deposits are known to exist in the north of England – the weald basin in Sussex and Surrey and the southwest and central belt of Scotland.

Underground Extraction Process

Shale gas and oil occur naturally in a layer of impermeable rock around a mile underground. Extracting the gas and oil involves a four stage process and at every stage potential operators must get consent from independent regulators and public consultation must take place.

Exploration Stage

Potential operators in the UK are currently at the first stage – exploration. Once companies have consent they are allowed to explore supplies at approved sites to find out how much gas and oil could be extracted commercially.

A typical exploration site starts with construction of a well pad it may contain porta-cabins for staff living quarters., offices, water and waste storage and processing facilities. During drilling – there will also be a drilling rig.

The entire site is around one to two hectares, the size of 1 to 2 football pitches. Operators use the process of hydraulic fracturing also known as fracking to help the extraction of the gas and oil supplies deep underground. Otherwise operations are similar to other on-shore oil and gas extraction.

The Process of Hydraulic Fracturing or Fracking

Fracking is a nickname, a shortened name for hydraulic fracturing. What you basically do is drill a hole into the shell vertical for a while going down and then it becomes horizontal far below the surface and you pump high pressure fluid – a mixture of water and some chemicals into the shell cracking the rock. These fractures are opened up by the high pressure and what you do is you put tiny particles, usually sand in these holes or these cracks and that is known and proppant and that sand keeps the cracks open. So the gas flows out of the cracks into the well.

Of course what first comes out isn’t generally gas – it’s the fluid that you have pumped down the well and then the gas starts coming out.

Pre-Production Stage

If exploration is successful operators can then apply to begin the pre production stage – during pre production more wells will be drilled on the same site and more equipment, water and chemicals are transferred to and from the site.

Production Stage

Operators then apply for the next stage, production. During this stage the oil is sent into a binary and the gas can be connected to pipelines or tankered away.

Decommissioning

The final stage of the process is decommissioning. Operators make the well safe for abandonment and must restore the site to its original condition.

What is shale gas? – Department of Energy & Climate Change

World-Class Energy Efficient Solutions for Industry

Contact Water Treatment Services today to discuss your energy and resource optimisation requirements. We can provide expert energy efficiency solutions to help you reduce energy costs, improve efficiencies, optimise waste management processes and improve your environmental performance.

With offices in London serving the South and South East England, Manchester (North West), Birmingham (Midlands), Bristol (South East England and Wales), Leeds (North and North East) and Glasgow (Scotland), supported by regional teams of process engineers, in-field specialists and technical experts we can offer innovative energy optimisation solutions to organisations throughout the UK and Ireland.

Contact us now for more information.

Contact Us Today

Further Reading…

More information about fracking and the process of hydraulic fracturing for shale gas and oil … here →

Tags: Energy, energy efficiency, Fracking for Shale Gas, Hydraulic Fracturing, Hydraulic Fracturing for Shale Gas, Industrial wastewater treatment, Wastewater treatment, water reuse, What is Fracking
You might also like
Generating renewable energy for the UK Generating Renewable Energy – Creating the UK’s Low Carbon Economy
Guide to the UK's carbon economy Guide to the UK’s Low Carbon Economy
UK Renewable Energy for Business Case Study UK Renewable Energy for Business Case Study
What is biological wastewater treatment? Biological Wastewater Treatment – What Is It & How Does It Work?
What are the challenges facing wastewater treatment plant operators? What Challenges Face Wastewater Treatment Plant Operators?
Water Efficiency in the Food and Drink Sector Improving Water Efficiency in the Food & Drink Sector
Pollution prevention control for UK business Pollution Prevention & Control for UK Business
10 causes of industrial equipment-failure 10 Causes of Industrial Plant and Equipment Failure

Search…

What’s New

  • Health Effects of Drinking Softened Water

    Health Effects of Drinking Softened Water

    This article looks at the potential health effects of …
  • How to Stop Pipes Freezing

    How to Stop Pipes Freezing

    Whether plumbing systems are used at home or at …
  • What is Trade Effluent?

    What is Trade Effluent?

    Trade effluent is defined as any liquid waste which …
  • Troubleshooting Problematic Closed Water Systems

    Troubleshooting Problematic Closed Water Systems

    This technical troubleshooting guide looks at closed water systems, …
  • District Heating – Heat Distribution Networks Explained

    District Heating – Heat Distribution Networks Explained

    This technical guide explains the concept of district heating …
  • Legionella Guidance for Landlords

    Legionella Guidance for Landlords

    In the UK landlords have a legal responsibility to …

REVIEWS

4.8
Rated 4.8 out of 5
Water Treatment Services is rated 4.8 out of 5 stars (based on 94 reviews)
Read our reviews

Free Newsletter

Receive exciting features, news, latest research and special offers! Just add your email address and we'll do the rest.

Contact us

Water Treatment Services

[email protected]

Tel: 0330 223 31 31

© Copyright 2021 - EDG Ltd. Operating as Water Treatment Services
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Mail
  • Home
  • About
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • Environment
  • Reviews
  • Sitemap
All About Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Indoor air quality Legionellosis Outbreaks: Interpreting an Environmental Assessment Legionellosis Outbreaks – Interpreting an Environmental Assessment
Scroll to top

WTS response to Covid-19. As a responsible organisation we have robust Business Continuity Plans in place to ensure business as usual whatever the circumstance. In response to Covid-19, our aim is to ensure continued operations whilst protecting both our people and our clients. To this end we have initiated a number of practical measures that will allow us to continue to support our clients in the most appropriate way. Rest assured that we are making every effort to prevent or minimise any impact on our services during this public health challenge.

OK

Cookie and Privacy Settings



How we use cookies

We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.

Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.

Essential Website Cookies

These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.

Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refuseing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.

We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.

We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.

Google Analytics Cookies

These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience.

If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here:

Other external services

We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.

Google Webfont Settings:

Google Map Settings:

Google reCaptcha Settings:

Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:

Other cookies

The following cookies are also needed - You can choose if you want to allow them:

Privacy Policy

You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page.

Privacy
Accept settingsHide notification only