Powered by Rock

1
Powered by Rock
Earth's Energy Systems
Dr Liam Herringshaw lgh865_at_hotmail.com
2
Class 3 Oil Gas
3
(No Transcript)
4
Origins

• Organic matter
• Burial generates hydrocarbons by 'cracking'
• Depth/temperature
• Oil window
• (60120 'C)
• Gas window
• (gt100 'C)

Methane CH4
5
Kerogens

• Type I Sapropelic
• Cyanobacteria, freshwater algae oil
• Type II Planktonic
• Mostly marine, mixed oil/gas
• Type III Humic
• Terrestrial plant matter, produces gas

6
Conventional hydrocarbons
7
UK Oil Gas - onshore
8
UK Oil Gas - offshore
Gas discoveries late 1960s Oilfields 1970s onwards
9
(No Transcript)
10
The case for oil gas

• Your arguments in favour
• (with reference/s)

11
The case against oil gas

• Your arguments in opposition
• (with reference/s)

12
The economics of oil
Increasingly expensive, increasingly imported
13
Unconventional hydrocarbons
14
(No Transcript)
15
Britain for shale?
(Figure from DECC report)
16
(No Transcript)
17
UK prospects?
18
UK targets
Carboniferous NW England Jurassic SE England
19
Carboniferous
(Image from BGS report)
20
Jurassic
(Image from BGS report)
BGS/DECC currently investigating resources
Durham/Newcastle new NERC catalyst grant
21
Fracking seismicity
22
Does fracking cause earthquakes?
Yes
Professor Pete Styles, Keele University
23
Should we be worried?
Not really
Professor Pete Styles, Keele University
24
Induced Seismicity
Redrawn from Davies et al. (2012)
25
Mitigation techniques

• Structural geology
• Understand tectonic history
• Avoid unidirectional weaknesses

26
Does fracking pollute aquifers?
From 'Gasland'
27
Fracture propagation
lt1 risk of vertical frack gt350m 600m minimum
safe separation distance
Redrawn from Davies et al. (2012)
28
Fracking fluids?
29
4000 holes in Blackpool Lancashire?
30
Well density

• Carboniferous
• Bowland Shale thicker than US shales
• 1300 Tcf resources?
• 5 recoverable 65 Tcf
• 2.5-5 Bcf per well
• 13,000-26,000 wells
• 10 wells per pad
• 1300-2600 pads
• But many uncertainties

31
Well integrity
Leakage rate? Is UK well-prepared?
32
24 Jan 2013
Consensus?
23 Jan 2013
33
Resources
www.refine.org.uk Research briefs Translations Vi
deos News
34
Next week Nuclear
FOR make an argument in favour of nuclear
power AGAINST make an argument against Is
nuclear part of our future energy mix?