What is slate gas?
The
slate gas refers to natural gas mined from slate wells. A slate form with a rock rich in gas often occurs in layers in the ground. Although slate gas extraction was not very profitable in the past, recent technological breakthroughs have improved prospects for slate gas production. In particular, hydraulic cleavage and horizontal drilling techniques have largely solved some problems associated with obtaining access to slate gas. Some, however, criticized the mining of slate gas as harmful to the environment.
Slate is a type of sedimentary rock that contains clay and minerals such as quartz. It is commonly found in rocks of paleozoic and mesozoic era, which means that it is often between 500 and 700 million years. Slate is known to be rich in organic matter, including natural gas.
The first well -drilled natural gas extraction in the United States was slate gas. 1860, however, conventional natural gas deposits became knownCE Profituble than slate as a source of gas. In recent years, the new technological development has increased by yield from slate gas. Many countries are now looking at slate gas technology to suit their future energy needs, including the US and China.
Although slate gas holes are usually not permeable enough to allow easy natural gas extraction, the arrival of hydraulic cleavage has helped to circumvent this problem. Hydraulic cleavage involves drilling the well to the well and pumping in a liquid called fracture fluid. The fracture fluid serves to increase the pressure in the hole, leading to the formation of new fractures. A permeable mixture such as sand can be added to keep the fractures open and allow natural gas flow from the well. Hydraulic cleavage techniques have opened many slate gas holes as potential natural gas sources.
Other TKL TechnologyBoth caused the extraction of slate gas to be more economical, horizontal drilling. Horizontal drilling tries to adjust the borehole path to better penetrate the slate rich in gas. This technique is used because slate wells often stretch horizontally in layers that are not too strong in the vertical direction. However, in order to maximize the flow of natural gas, the surface area of the well must be maximized in contact with the well. Therefore, boreholes are horizontally drilled through a slate well to improve the gas flow.
natural gas mining from slate was subject to controversy. Natural gas is primarily methane, which is a strong greenhouse gas. Some critics argued that the amount of methane leakage from slate mining is higher than that of conventional gas sources. Hydraulic fracture was also criticized. Some say the chemicals used during hydraulic cleavage contaminate groundwater.