The Haynesville Shale is a subsurface rock formation located beneath the Northeast Texas/Northwest Louisiana border near Shreveport. This formation is estimated to contain very large recoverable reserves of natural gas, and during the two years since the drilling of the first highly productive wells in 2008, has been the focus of intensive leasing and exploration activity. The development of na...

The rapid rise of shale gas development through horizontal drilling and high volume hydraulic fracturing has expanded the extraction of hydrocarbon resources in the U.S. The rise of shale gas development has triggered an intense public debate regarding the potential environmental and human health effects from hydraulic fracturing. This paper provides a critical review of the potential risks tha...

In April 2011, we published the first comprehensive analysis of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from shale gas obtained by hydraulic fracturing, with a focus on methane emissions. Our analysis was challenged by Cathles et al. (2012). Here, we respond to those criticisms. We stand by our approach and findings. The latest EPA estimate for methane emissions from shale gas falls within the range of ...

The success of shale gas in North America has attracted increased interest in “unconventional” reservoirs. Two critical factors for shale-gas reservoirs are units amenable to hydrologic fracture stimulation and sufficient natural gas content. The effectiveness of hydrologic fracture stimulation is influenced by rock geomechanical properties, which are related to rock mineralogy. The natural gas...

N accessible shale deposits have dramatically increased global gas reserves and are touted as a bridge to a clean energy future. For example, in the U.S., where shale gas is projected to comprise 49% of national natural gas production by 2035, proponents argue that shale gas production can provide energy independence, create employment, and stimulate regional economies. Amidst this optimism, ho...

the sorkh shale formation (lower triassic) crops out in parts of tabas block. this formation is composed of limestone, dolomite, sandstone, shale and gypsum. its lower contact with the permian rocks and its upper contact with the shotori formation is marked by distinct erosional unconformity. to determine the depositional environments of the sorkh shale formation, stratigraphic sections of goda...

On the basis of microand mesoscale investigations, a new mathematical formulation is introduced in detail to investigate multiscale gas-transport phenomena in organic-rich-shale core samples. The formulation includes dual-porosity continua, where shale permeability is associated with inorganic matrix with relatively large irregularly shaped pores and fractures, whereas molecular phenomena (diff...

S hale resource systems have had a dramatic impact on the supply of oil and especially gas in North America, in fact, making United States energy independent in natural gas reserves. These shale resource systems are typically organic-rich mudstones that serve as both source and reservoir rock or source petroleum found in juxtaposed organic-lean facies. Success in producing gas and oil from thes...

The objectives of this study are to (a) evaluate the exergy and energy demand for constructing a hydrofractured shale gas well and determine its typical exergy and energy returns on investment (ExROI and EROI), and (b) compute the gas flow and intrinsic exergy analysis in the shale gas matrix and created fractures. An exergy system analysis of construction of a typical U.S. shale gas well, whic...