Hydraulic Fracturing in Southern Florida: A Critical Analysis of Potential Environmental Impacts
- PDF / 5,273,101 Bytes
- 27 Pages / 595.276 x 790.866 pts Page_size
- 50 Downloads / 203 Views
Original Paper
Hydraulic Fracturing in Southern Florida: A Critical Analysis of Potential Environmental Impacts Thomas M. Missimer
1,3
and Robert G. Maliva2
Received 20 September 2019; accepted 9 January 2020
Use of hydraulic fracturing in the completion of oil and gas wells in tight geologic formations has revolutionized the petroleum industry by increasing production and the quantity of available reserves. The practice has been controversial because of real and perceived environmental impacts, particularly groundwater contamination. A detailed scientific analysis of the potential environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing of the Sunniland Formation in southern Florida was performed to assess the potential for environmental harm. The Sunniland Formation is located more than 3000 m below land surface and is confined by a series of low-permeability geologic units, which protect the shallower fresh groundwater resources from contamination. Freshwater aquifers occur primarily between land surface and a depth of 100 meters. Multiple well casings separated by cement grout also add a high degree of aquifer protection as required by Florida laws and rules for both oil and Class I and II injection wells. Collection, containment, and treatment of flowback fluids and produced water (saltwater containing residual hydrocarbons) are required by law and are monitored by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Produced water has been disposed of successfully in Class II injection wells for the past 60 years without recorded groundwater contamination. Based on a rigorous scientific assessment, the risk of groundwater contaminant and other environmental impacts is minimal. In southern Florida, there is no scientific basis for banning the hydraulic fracturing process on geologic units that contain oil and gas. KEY WORDS: Hydraulic fracturing, Oil and gas development, Groundwater quality protection.
INTRODUCTION Hydraulic fracturing used for the enhancement of oil and gas production is not a new technology. The first experimental procedure was performed in 1947 on a limestone reservoir in Kansas and com-
1
Emergent Technologies Institute, U. A. Whitaker College of Engineering, Florida Gulf Coast University, 16301 Innovation Lane, Fort Myers, FL 33913, USA. 2 WSP USA, Inc, 1567 Hayley Lane, Suite 202, Fort Myers, FL 33907, USA. 3 To whom correspondence should be addressed; e-mail: [email protected]
mercial acceptance of the technique was occurring by 1950 (API 2000; King 2012; Veatch et al. 2017). Veatch et al. (2017) formerly defined hydraulic fracturing as ‘‘A process for creating a ‘‘superhighway’’ for reservoir fluids to flow from the reservoir to the wellbore by using fluids to ‘‘hydraulically’’ overcome subsurface in situ forces, so as to create and open one or more fractures, and then using proppant particles to keep the created fractures from closing.’’ During the process, a slurry of fluid and proppant particles (commonly quartz sand) is pumped down a wellbore and through perforations in the casing an
Data Loading...
