How much shale gas is in the UK?
Other areas of interest include County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland, and the much older Lower Palaeozoic rocks in Wales and central England. Estimates suggest that the amount of shale gas (regardless of the feasibility of extraction) lies between 2.8 and 39.9 trillion cubic metres (tcm).
How shale gas is produced?
Hydraulic fracturing – commonly known as fracking – is the process used to extract shale gas. Fracking fluids containing sand, water and chemicals are then pumped at high pressure into the drilled holes, to open up fractures in the rock, enabling the trapped gas to flow through the fractures into collection wells.
How shale gas is extracted and produced?
Shale gas or unconventional gas is extracted from the impermeable shale through a process called hydraulic fracturing (also known as hydrofracking or fracking). A crude form of this technique, involving nitroglycerine, was used for the first time around the 1860s to explore for oil and gas.
Where is shale gas used in the UK?
In the UK, four areas have been identified as potentially viable for the commercial extraction of shale gas: the Carboniferous Bowland–Hodder area in north-west England (Lancashire and the Midlands) the Carboniferous Midland Valley in Scotland. the Jurassic Weald Basin in south England.
What is shale gas composition?
Shale gas also includes condensates and water. The gaseous components of raw shale gas include sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, helium, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide. Mercury may also be found in smaller concentrations in most reservoirs where natural gas is obtained.
Is shale good or bad?
Is shale gas good or bad for climate change? Creating heat or electricity by burning natural gas produces less CO2 and other pollutants than using coal or oil. Hence the gas industry argues that shale gas is good news for the climate, as it could limit coal consumption while renewables and nuclear are scaling up.