ABSTRACT
Shale oil and gas have recently launched an energy boom in the United States and it will continue to lead the growth of fossil fuel production in the near future. Six shale oil and gas plays accounted for nearly 90% of domestic oil production growth and virtually all domestic natural gas production growth since 2012 [1]. According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) Energy Outlook [2,3], shale oil
7.1 Shale Oil and Gas ......................................................................................... 175 7.2 Wastewater Generation ................................................................................. 176 7.3 Environmental Protection Laws and Regulations ........................................ 178 7.4 Water Management ....................................................................................... 179
7.4.1 Source Acquisition ............................................................................ 180 7.4.1.1 Brackish Aquifer ................................................................ 180 7.4.1.2 Non-Water-Based Fluid ..................................................... 180 7.4.1.3 Volume ............................................................................... 182
7.4.2 Storage .............................................................................................. 183 7.4.2.1 Storage Tanks ..................................................................... 183 7.4.2.2 Storage Pits ........................................................................ 184
7.4.3 Transportation ................................................................................... 184 7.4.3.1 Logistics and Cost .............................................................. 184 7.4.3.2 Road Transportation .......................................................... 186 7.4.3.3 Pipeline .............................................................................. 186
7.4.4 Reuse or Recycle ............................................................................... 187 7.4.4.1 Options ............................................................................... 187 7.4.4.2 Economics .......................................................................... 187
7.4.5 Discharge or Disposal ....................................................................... 189 7.4.5.1 Underground Injection Control .......................................... 189 7.4.5.2 Cost of Disposal ................................................................. 191
References .............................................................................................................. 192
(or tight oil) production currently has a rapid annual growth of 0.8 million barrels per day (MMbbl/day) and it will hit a historical high at 9.5 MMbbl/day in 2016, and then slowly decline after 2020. On the other hand, shale gas production (trillion cubic feet or Tcf) is anticipated to grow steadily. It accounted for less than 5% of the total US natural gas production in 2000 (19.1 Tcf), and went up to 23% (5.0 Tcf) in 2010, and now is projected to reach 55% (19.6 Tcf) in 2040 in the reference case, contributing to 64% of the total growth of the US natural gas production from 2010 (21.6 Tcf) to 2040 (35.5 Tcf) (Figure 7.1 [1]). Globally, North America accounts for nearly all shale gas supply currently and it will continue to occupy 75% by 2035 when shale gas production in other parts of the world becomes commercial [4]. Also, shale gas production grows much faster (3.3 times) than conventional gas and has been estimated to take a third of the increase in global natural gas supply through 2035. Despite the political and economic uncertainties, there are plenty of reasons to believe that shale oil and gas will continue to reshape the energy supplies and rejuvenate the fossil fuel producers.
