Gas Fracking- A sustainable alternative

Hydraulic Fracking also known as fracking is a well stimulation technique of creating fractures in the hydrocarbon reservoir for increased flow of oil & gas from the reservoir. But issues like water scarcity and government regulation on water usage for frack operation has questioned the sustainability of future frack operations in shale resources. This article tends to analyze the different gas alternatives that can be effective replacement of water in fracking operations. Fracturing is performed by specially formulated chemical fluids which when pumped at high pressure and high flow rate into the reservoir causes vertical fracture. The grains of sand of particular size are mixed with the specially engineered fluid to keep the fracture open.Though fracking operations have improved well flow over the years, the technique has grown up all these days with issues and controversies. Several countries across the world and local states in countries have put a series of regulations in using water for fracking. �France, Bulgaria, Ireland went a step ahead to ban the frack operations entirely. In United States, state of New York, state of Vermont has banned fracking citing the issues of ground water contamination, environmental impacts caused by fracking.   Author: Anand Vaidyanathan