Spectrum Quantification of Radium Isotopes in Hydraulic Fracturing Wastes

Spectrum Quantification of Radium Isotopes in Hydraulic Fracturing Wastes

Exploration of oil and natural gas from shale deposits can bring to the surface radioactivity. Naturally occurring Uranium-238 and Thorium-232 as part of their decay chains can produce radium isotopes, which are themselves precursors of radon gas. Due to the solubility of radium and its contaminated impact on the environments and health concerns, regulations on the levels of Ra226 and Ra228 in ...

Radium and barium removal through blending hydraulic fracturing fluids with acid mine drainage.

Wastewaters generated during hydraulic fracturing of the Marcellus Shale typically contain high concentrations of salts, naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM), and metals, such as barium, that pose environmental and public health risks upon inadequate treatment and disposal. In addition, fresh water scarcity in dry regions or during periods of drought could limit shale gas development...

Hydraulic and Pneumatic Fracturing

Understanding the Radioactive Ingrowth and Decay of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials in the Environment: An Analysis of Produced Fluids from the Marcellus Shale

BACKGROUND The economic value of unconventional natural gas resources has stimulated rapid globalization of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. However, natural radioactivity found in the large volumes of "produced fluids" generated by these technologies is emerging as an international environmental health concern. Current assessments of the radioactivity concentration in liquid waste...

Energy Analysis of Hydraulic Fracturing

In this paper, numerical simulations of circular boreholes under internal hydraulic pressure are carried out to investigate the energy transferred to the surrounding rock and the breakdown pressure. The simulations are conducted by using a micromechanical continuum damage model proposed by Golshani et al. (2006). The simulation results suggest that the borehole breakdown pressure and the energy...