The risks of hydraulic fracturing and the responsibilities of engineers

Abstract

One third of U.S. natural gas is extracted by injecting fluid at high pressure into shale formations, a process associated with a number of possible hazards and risks that have become the subject of intense public controversy. We develop a three-part schema to make sense of risks of hydraulic fracturing and the responsibilities of engineers: the lab, the field, and the forum. In the lab, researchers seek to answer basic questions about, for example, the behavior of shale under particular conditions; there uncertainty seems to arise at every turn. In the field, engineers and others work to implement technological processes, such as hydraulic fracturing and the subsequent extraction of oil and gas; hazards may arise as natural and social systems respond in sometimes surprising ways. In the forum, the public and their representatives deliberate about risk and acceptable risk, questions that are framed in ethical as well as technical terms. The difficulty of characterizing -and in living up to -the responsibilities of engineers lie in part in the apparent distance between the lab and the forum. We examine in turn uncertainties in the lab, hazards in the field, and deliberation in the forum, leading to the conclusion that scientists and engineers can and should help to inform public deliberation but that their research cannot, on its own, resolve all controversies. Scientists and engineers who seek to inform deliberation should be mindful of the scope and limits of their authority, clear and modest in communicating research findings to the public, and careful to avoid even apparent conflicts of interest wherever possible. We close by drawing from the lab-field-forum schema to suggest a direction for pedagogical innovations aimed at the formation of responsible engineers in the context of college-level degree programs. Keywords

Public Health and Unconventional Oil and Gas Extraction Including Fracking: Global Lessons from a Scottish Government Review

“…It presupposes the same evidence base is used by all parties and interpreted in the same ways. Scientists and engineers have recently put forward the view that they should help to inform public deliberations, be they local or national, on fracking risks but accept research “cannot, on its own, resolve all controversies” [ 8 ].…”

Feasible calcium carbonate polymorphs synthesis from natural corallines and their potential gelling role in hydraulic fracturing application

“…Along with the provided amount of water, we need to add a specific ratio of the gelling agent. This ratio is around 10-1000 mg per liter [46]. Like so, the required cost for these huge quantities of supplied water and gelling agent based on Xantham gum for example after a few calculations (1gal=3.78-liter, 1 ton of Xantham gum= 7k $) may exceed 130k $ per fracturing single job (For more details on the expected cost check Table 1 Supporting information).…”

“…Hydraulic fracturing fluids (HFF) are in great demand all over the world including the US particularly [46]. The selection and delivery of suitable hydraulic fracturing substances are crucial, therefore, the progress and evolution of this area of the application relies on scientists' and engineers' efforts at the most.…”

“…The HFF employment causes potential risks such as freshwater consumption and water pollution. Hitherto, the water consumed in vertical wells for low-volume hydraulic fracturing ranges from 20k-80k gallons [46]. Furthermore, these amounts reach 3M-5M gallons per well in the Marcellus shale for high-volume hydraulic fracturing and may exceed 7M gallons for a multi-stage process [46,47].…”

“…Hitherto, the water consumed in vertical wells for low-volume hydraulic fracturing ranges from 20k-80k gallons [46]. Furthermore, these amounts reach 3M-5M gallons per well in the Marcellus shale for high-volume hydraulic fracturing and may exceed 7M gallons for a multi-stage process [46,47]. Along with the provided amount of water, we need to add a specific ratio of the gelling agent.…”