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68-535: Responsibility for the mineral rights of the UKCS rests with the Oil and Gas Authority part of Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), which awards licences to oil companies to produce hydrocarbons from specific areas and regulates how much they can produce over what period. The UKCS is divided into numbered rectangular Quadrants, each one degree of latitude by one degree of longitude. Each Quadrant

136-585: A House of Commons debate on 29 March 2022, Caroline Lucas accused the government of greenwashing over the change of name. Following this, on 31 March 2022, Greg Hands , Minister for Energy, Clean Growth and Climate Change, said in a written statement to the House of Commons that "[t]he new name better represents the breadth of work it now undertakes and its pivotal role in supporting the UK upstream oil and gas industry to achieve net zero emissions." Under Part 1 of

204-724: A non-departmental public body of the then Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (now the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero ), on 1 October 2016 the Oil and Gas Authority was incorporated, with the then Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (now the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero), the sole shareholder and headquartered in Aberdeen with another office in London, which

272-554: A catalyst for breaking down the gel. Sometimes pH modifiers are used to break down the crosslink at the end of a hydraulic fracturing job, since many require a pH buffer system to stay viscous. At the end of the job, the well is commonly flushed with water under pressure (sometimes blended with a friction reducing chemical.) Some (but not all) injected fluid is recovered. This fluid is managed by several methods, including underground injection control, treatment, discharge, recycling, and temporary storage in pits or containers. New technology

340-702: A low-permeability zone that sometimes forms at the rock-borehole interface. In such cases the fracturing may extend only a few feet from the borehole. In the Soviet Union , the first hydraulic proppant fracturing was carried out in 1952. Other countries in Europe and Northern Africa subsequently employed hydraulic fracturing techniques including Norway, Poland, Czechoslovakia (before 1989), Yugoslavia (before 1991), Hungary, Austria, France, Italy, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, Tunisia, and Algeria. Massive hydraulic fracturing (also known as high-volume hydraulic fracturing)

408-453: A monitoring unit. Associated equipment includes fracturing tanks, one or more units for storage and handling of proppant, high-pressure treating iron , a chemical additive unit (used to accurately monitor chemical addition), fracking hose (low-pressure flexible hoses), and many gauges and meters for flow rate, fluid density, and treating pressure. Chemical additives are typically 0.5% of the total fluid volume. Fracturing equipment operates over

476-740: A patent for an " exploding torpedo ". It was employed in Pennsylvania , New York , Kentucky , and West Virginia using liquid and also, later, solidified nitroglycerin . Later still the same method was applied to water and gas wells. Stimulation of wells with acid, instead of explosive fluids, was introduced in the 1930s. Due to acid etching , fractures would not close completely resulting in further productivity increase. Harold Hamm , Aubrey McClendon , Tom Ward and George P. Mitchell are each considered to have pioneered hydraulic fracturing innovations toward practical applications. The relationship between well performance and treatment pressures

544-564: A propped fracture. Injection of radioactive tracers along with the fracturing fluid is sometimes used to determine the injection profile and location of created fractures. Radiotracers are selected to have the readily detectable radiation, appropriate chemical properties, and a half life and toxicity level that will minimize initial and residual contamination. Radioactive isotopes chemically bonded to glass (sand) and/or resin beads may also be injected to track fractures. For example, plastic pellets coated with 10 GBq of Ag-110mm may be added to

612-528: A range of pressures and injection rates, and can reach up to 100 megapascals (15,000 psi) and 265 litres per second (9.4 cu ft/s; 133 US bbl/min). A distinction can be made between conventional, low-volume hydraulic fracturing, used to stimulate high-permeability reservoirs for a single well, and unconventional, high-volume hydraulic fracturing, used in the completion of tight gas and shale gas wells. High-volume hydraulic fracturing usually requires higher pressures than low-volume fracturing;

680-567: A report from the Oil and Gas Authority, the government called a halt to all fracking in the UK "with immediate effect" and warned shale gas companies that it would not support future projects. On 1 July 2015, Oil and Gas Authority Limited was incorporated as a private limited company in England and Wales under the Companies Act 2006 , although following incorporation it remained dormant for financial year 2015-2016. Pursuant to

748-530: Is a technique first applied by Pan American Petroleum in Stephens County, Oklahoma , US in 1968. The definition of massive hydraulic fracturing varies, but generally refers to treatments injecting over 150 short tons, or approximately 300,000 pounds (136 metric tonnes), of proppant. American geologists gradually became aware that there were huge volumes of gas-saturated sandstones with permeability too low (generally less than 0.1 millidarcy ) to recover

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816-628: Is also its registered company address. As of the 22 October 2024, Liz Ditchburn is the chair. In June 2013, the UK government asked Sir Ian Wood of Wood Group to conduct a review to maximise the recovery of oil and gas from the UK Continental Shelf . One of the recommendations of the Wood Review was the creation of an independent economic regulator for the sector. Subsequently the OGA

884-426: Is called waterless fracturing . When propane is used it is turned into vapor by the high pressure and high temperature. The propane vapor and natural gas both return to the surface and can be collected, making it easier to reuse and/or resale. None of the chemicals used will return to the surface. Only the propane used will return from what was used in the process. The proppant is a granular material that prevents

952-466: Is continually developing to better handle waste water and improve re-usability. Measurements of the pressure and rate during the growth of a hydraulic fracture, with knowledge of fluid properties and proppant being injected into the well, provides the most common and simplest method of monitoring a hydraulic fracture treatment. This data along with knowledge of the underground geology can be used to model information such as length, width and conductivity of

1020-558: Is further subdivided into 30 numbered Blocks (each 10 minutes latitude by 12 minutes longitude, thus each Quadrant has 5 blocks East-West by 6 blocks North-South), as shown below. This numbering system then forms the identification for a particular oil or gas development. For example, the Harding oilfield , which is located in a fairly northern position, is in Quadrant 9, Block 23, denoted "9/23" (9/23b specifically to differentiate it from

1088-414: Is improved by sensors placed in multiple azimuths from the monitored borehole. In a downhole array location, accuracy of events is improved by being close to the monitored borehole (high signal-to-noise ratio). Monitoring of microseismic events induced by reservoir stimulation has become a key aspect in evaluation of hydraulic fractures, and their optimization. The main goal of hydraulic fracture monitoring

1156-410: Is particularly significant in "tensile" ( Mode 1 ) fractures which require the walls of the fracture to move against this pressure. Fracturing occurs when effective stress is overcome by the pressure of fluids within the rock. The minimum principal stress becomes tensile and exceeds the tensile strength of the material. Fractures formed in this way are generally oriented in a plane perpendicular to

1224-511: Is particularly useful in shale formations which do not have sufficient permeability to produce economically with a vertical well. Such wells, when drilled onshore, are now usually hydraulically fractured in a number of stages, especially in North America. The type of wellbore completion is used to determine how many times a formation is fractured, and at what locations along the horizontal section. In North America, shale reservoirs such as

1292-502: Is permeable enough to allow the flow of gas, oil, salt water and hydraulic fracturing fluids to the well. During the process, fracturing fluid leakoff (loss of fracturing fluid from the fracture channel into the surrounding permeable rock) occurs. If not controlled, it can exceed 70% of the injected volume. This may result in formation matrix damage, adverse formation fluid interaction, and altered fracture geometry, thereby decreasing efficiency. The location of one or more fractures along

1360-575: Is referred to as "seismic pumping". Minor intrusions in the upper part of the crust , such as dikes, propagate in the form of fluid-filled cracks. In such cases, the fluid is magma . In sedimentary rocks with a significant water content, fluid at fracture tip will be steam. Fracturing as a method to stimulate shallow, hard rock oil wells dates back to the 1860s. Dynamite or nitroglycerin detonations were used to increase oil and natural gas production from petroleum bearing formations. On 24 April 1865, US Civil War veteran Col. Edward A. L. Roberts received

1428-576: Is silica sand, though proppants of uniform size and shape, such as a ceramic proppant, are believed to be more effective. The fracturing fluid varies depending on fracturing type desired, and the conditions of specific wells being fractured, and water characteristics. The fluid can be gel, foam, or slickwater-based. Fluid choices are tradeoffs: more viscous fluids, such as gels, are better at keeping proppant in suspension; while less-viscous and lower-friction fluids, such as slickwater, allow fluid to be pumped at higher rates, to create fractures farther out from

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1496-500: Is sometimes used to estimate the size and orientation of induced fractures. Microseismic activity is measured by placing an array of geophones in a nearby wellbore. By mapping the location of any small seismic events associated with the growing fracture, the approximate geometry of the fracture is inferred. Tiltmeter arrays deployed on the surface or down a well provide another technology for monitoring strain Microseismic mapping

1564-399: Is to completely characterize the induced fracture structure, and distribution of conductivity within a formation. Geomechanical analysis, such as understanding a formations material properties, in-situ conditions, and geometries, helps monitoring by providing a better definition of the environment in which the fracture network propagates. The next task is to know the location of proppant within

1632-539: Is uncertain, and there is some evidence that leakage may cancel out any greenhouse gas emissions benefit of natural gas relative to other fossil fuels . Increases in seismic activity following hydraulic fracturing along dormant or previously unknown faults are sometimes caused by the deep-injection disposal of hydraulic fracturing flowback (a byproduct of hydraulically fractured wells), and produced formation brine (a byproduct of both fractured and non-fractured oil and gas wells). For these reasons, hydraulic fracturing

1700-399: Is under international scrutiny, restricted in some countries, and banned altogether in others. The European Union is drafting regulations that would permit the controlled application of hydraulic fracturing. Fracturing rocks at great depth frequently become suppressed by pressure due to the weight of the overlying rock strata and the cementation of the formation. This suppression process

1768-570: Is very similar geophysically to seismology . In earthquake seismology, seismometers scattered on or near the surface of the earth record S-waves and P-waves that are released during an earthquake event. This allows for motion along the fault plane to be estimated and its location in the Earth's subsurface mapped. Hydraulic fracturing, an increase in formation stress proportional to the net fracturing pressure, as well as an increase in pore pressure due to leakoff. Tensile stresses are generated ahead of

1836-512: The Bakken formation in North Dakota. In contrast, a vertical well only accesses the thickness of the rock layer, typically 50–300 feet (15–91 m). Horizontal drilling reduces surface disruptions as fewer wells are required to access the same volume of rock. Drilling often plugs up the pore spaces at the wellbore wall, reducing permeability at and near the wellbore. This reduces flow into

1904-613: The Barnett Shale of north Texas. In 1998, the new technique proved to be successful when the first 90 days gas production from the well called S.H. Griffin No. 3 exceeded production of any of the company's previous wells. This new completion technique made gas extraction widely economical in the Barnett Shale , and was later applied to other shales, including the Eagle Ford and Bakken Shale . George P. Mitchell has been called

1972-676: The Energy Act 2016 , Oil and Gas Authority Limited was renamed Oil and Gas Authority on 12 July 2016 . Under the Companies Act 2006, private limited companies are required to include the word "limited" in their names unless exempted; the Energy Act 2016 provided for such an exemption, which came into force on 12 July 2016. On 21 March 2022, the Oil and Gas Authority adopted the trading name of North Sea Transition Authority , although its legal name remains unchanged. In

2040-633: The Gryphon oilfield ). The numbering of Quadrants follows several series: 1-58 (the original North Sea sequence); 71-75, 82-89, 91-113 (south-west of the UK and bordering France and the Republic of Ireland); 124-135, 137-144, 147-155, 157-166, 168-176 (the Atlantic west of Scotland); 204-225 (the North Sea north of Shetland and bordering Norway); 337-339, 341-349, 351-359 and 362-369 (the Atlantic west of

2108-659: The Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero . It is responsible for maximising the economic recovery of oil from the North Sea . It is empowered to license and regulate activity in relation to oil and gas in the United Kingdom , including oil and gas exploration , carbon capture and storage , and offshore gas storage . The NSTA ’s role is to take the steps necessary to: Established in April 2015 as

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2176-530: The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), hydraulic fracturing is a process to stimulate a natural gas, oil, or geothermal well to maximize extraction. The EPA defines the broader process to include acquisition of source water, well construction, well stimulation, and waste disposal. A hydraulic fracture is formed by pumping fracturing fluid into a wellbore at a rate sufficient to increase pressure at

2244-626: The "father of fracking" because of his role in applying it in shales. The first horizontal well in the Barnett Shale was drilled in 1991, but was not widely done in the Barnett until it was demonstrated that gas could be economically extracted from vertical wells in the Barnett. As of 2013, massive hydraulic fracturing is being applied on a commercial scale to shales in the United States, Canada, and China. Several additional countries are planning to use hydraulic fracturing . According to

2312-505: The 124-176 sequence). While the depth of the UK Continental Shelf varies significantly, the shallowness of the North Sea at an average depth of 95m has facilitated the development of offshore oil drilling and wind farms . Oil and Gas Authority The North Sea Transition Authority ( NSTA ), known as the Oil and Gas Authority ( OGA ) until March 2022, is a private company limited by shares wholly owned by

2380-626: The Big Sandy gas field of eastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia started hydraulically fracturing the Ohio Shale and Cleveland Shale , using relatively small fracs. The frac jobs generally increased production, especially from lower-yielding wells. In 1976, the United States government started the Eastern Gas Shales Project , which included numerous public-private hydraulic fracturing demonstration projects. During

2448-482: The Energy Act 2016, the function, powers, and property of the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero may be transferred to the Oil and Gas Authority by way of a statutory instrument . Part 1 of the Energy Act also provides for the Secretary of State to transfer staff working for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero to the Oil and Gas Authority. From 2015 until December 2022, Andy Samuel

2516-514: The U.S. Such treatment is generally necessary to achieve adequate flow rates in shale gas , tight gas , tight oil , and coal seam gas wells. Some hydraulic fractures can form naturally in certain veins or dikes . Drilling and hydraulic fracturing have made the United States a major crude oil exporter as of 2019, but leakage of methane , a potent greenhouse gas , has dramatically increased. Increased oil and gas production from

2584-464: The United Kingdom or its constituent countries is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Fracking Hydraulic fracturing is a well stimulation technique involving the fracturing of formations in bedrock by a pressurized liquid. The process involves the high-pressure injection of "fracking fluid" (primarily water, containing sand or other proppants suspended with

2652-581: The aid of thickening agents ) into a wellbore to create cracks in the deep rock formations through which natural gas , petroleum , and brine will flow more freely. When the hydraulic pressure is removed from the well, small grains of hydraulic fracturing proppants (either sand or aluminium oxide ) hold the fractures open. Hydraulic fracturing began as an experiment in 1947, and the first commercially successful application followed in 1949. As of 2012, 2.5 million "frac jobs" had been performed worldwide on oil and gas wells, over one million of those within

2720-802: The benefits of energy independence . Opponents of fracking argue that these are outweighed by the environmental impacts , which include groundwater and surface water contamination, noise and air pollution , the triggering of earthquakes , and the resulting hazards to public health and the environment. Research has found adverse health effects in populations living near hydraulic fracturing sites, including confirmation of chemical, physical, and psychosocial hazards such as pregnancy and birth outcomes, migraine headaches, chronic rhinosinusitis , severe fatigue, asthma exacerbations and psychological stress. Adherence to regulation and safety procedures are required to avoid further negative impacts. The scale of methane leakage associated with hydraulic fracturing

2788-695: The borehole from the surrounding rock formation, and partially seals off the borehole from the surrounding rock. Low-volume hydraulic fracturing can be used to restore permeability. The main purposes of fracturing fluid are to extend fractures, add lubrication, change gel strength, and to carry proppant into the formation. There are two methods of transporting proppant in the fluid – high-rate and high- viscosity . High-viscosity fracturing tends to cause large dominant fractures, while high-rate (slickwater) fracturing causes small spread-out micro-fractures. Water-soluble gelling agents (such as guar gum ) increase viscosity and efficiently deliver proppant into

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2856-462: The casing. Using the fiber optics, temperatures can be measured every foot along the well – even while the wells are being fracked and pumped. By monitoring the temperature of the well, engineers can determine how much hydraulic fracturing fluid different parts of the well use as well as how much natural gas or oil they collect, during hydraulic fracturing operation and when the well is producing. For more advanced applications, microseismic monitoring

2924-439: The created fractures from closing after the fracturing treatment. Types of proppant include silica sand , resin-coated sand, bauxite , and man-made ceramics. The choice of proppant depends on the type of permeability or grain strength needed. In some formations, where the pressure is great enough to crush grains of natural silica sand, higher-strength proppants such as bauxite or ceramics may be used. The most commonly used proppant

2992-468: The decade-long fracking boom has led to lower prices for consumers, with near-record lows of the share of household income going to energy expenditures. Hydraulic fracturing is highly controversial. Its proponents highlight the economic benefits of more extensively accessible hydrocarbons (such as petroleum and natural gas ), the benefits of replacing coal with natural gas , which burns more cleanly and emits less carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), and

3060-471: The first two commercial hydraulic fracturing treatments in Stephens County, Oklahoma , and Archer County, Texas . Since then, hydraulic fracturing has been used to stimulate approximately one million oil and gas wells in various geologic regimes with good success. In contrast with large-scale hydraulic fracturing used in low-permeability formations, small hydraulic fracturing treatments are commonly used in high-permeability formations to remedy "skin damage",

3128-402: The following: The most common chemical used for hydraulic fracturing in the United States in 2005–2009 was methanol , while some other most widely used chemicals were isopropyl alcohol , 2-butoxyethanol , and ethylene glycol . Typical fluid types are: For slickwater fluids the use of sweeps is common. Sweeps are temporary reductions in the proppant concentration, which help ensure that

3196-473: The formation process of mineral vein systems is particularly evident in "crack-seal" veins, where the vein material is part of a series of discrete fracturing events, and extra vein material is deposited on each occasion. One example of long-term repeated natural fracturing is in the effects of seismic activity. Stress levels rise and fall episodically, and earthquakes can cause large volumes of connate water to be expelled from fluid-filled fractures. This process

3264-425: The formation. Fluid is typically a slurry of water, proppant, and chemical additives . Additionally, gels, foams, and compressed gases, including nitrogen , carbon dioxide and air can be injected. Typically, 90% of the fluid is water and 9.5% is sand with chemical additives accounting to about 0.5%. However, fracturing fluids have been developed using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and propane. This process

3332-432: The fracture and the distribution of fracture conductivity. This can be monitored using multiple types of techniques to finally develop a reservoir model than accurately predicts well performance. Since the early 2000s, advances in drilling and completion technology have made horizontal wellbores much more economical. Horizontal wellbores allow far greater exposure to a formation than conventional vertical wellbores. This

3400-469: The fracture's tip, generating large amounts of shear stress . The increases in pore water pressure and in formation stress combine and affect weaknesses near the hydraulic fracture, like natural fractures, joints, and bedding planes. Different methods have different location errors and advantages. Accuracy of microseismic event mapping is dependent on the signal-to-noise ratio and the distribution of sensors. Accuracy of events located by seismic inversion

3468-838: The gas economically. Starting in 1973, massive hydraulic fracturing was used in thousands of gas wells in the San Juan Basin , Denver Basin , the Piceance Basin , and the Green River Basin , and in other hard rock formations of the western US. Other tight sandstone wells in the US made economically viable by massive hydraulic fracturing were in the Clinton-Medina Sandstone (Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York), and Cotton Valley Sandstone (Texas and Louisiana). Massive hydraulic fracturing quickly spread in

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3536-523: The gas-producing limestone formation at 2,400 feet (730 m). The experiment was not very successful as the deliverability of the well did not change appreciably. The process was further described by J.B. Clark of Stanolind in his paper published in 1948. A patent on this process was issued in 1949 and an exclusive license was granted to the Halliburton Oil Well Cementing Company. On 17 March 1949, Halliburton performed

3604-500: The higher pressures are needed to push out larger volumes of fluid and proppant that extend farther from the borehole. Horizontal drilling involves wellbores with a terminal drillhole completed as a "lateral" that extends parallel with the rock layer containing the substance to be extracted. For example, laterals extend 1,500 to 5,000 feet (460 to 1,520 m) in the Barnett Shale basin in Texas, and up to 10,000 feet (3,000 m) in

3672-554: The late 1970s to western Canada, Rotliegend and Carboniferous gas-bearing sandstones in Germany, Netherlands (onshore and offshore gas fields), and the United Kingdom in the North Sea . Horizontal oil or gas wells were unusual until the late 1980s. Then, operators in Texas began completing thousands of oil wells by drilling horizontally in the Austin Chalk , and giving massive slickwater hydraulic fracturing treatments to

3740-486: The length of the borehole is strictly controlled by various methods that create or seal holes in the side of the wellbore. Hydraulic fracturing is performed in cased wellbores, and the zones to be fractured are accessed by perforating the casing at those locations. Hydraulic-fracturing equipment used in oil and natural gas fields usually consists of a slurry blender, one or more high-pressure, high-volume fracturing pumps (typically powerful triplex or quintuplex pumps) and

3808-438: The minimum principal stress, and for this reason, hydraulic fractures in wellbores can be used to determine the orientation of stresses. In natural examples, such as dikes or vein-filled fractures, the orientations can be used to infer past states of stress . Most mineral vein systems are a result of repeated natural fracturing during periods of relatively high pore fluid pressure . The effect of high pore fluid pressure on

3876-507: The proppant, or sand may be labelled with Ir-192, so that the proppant's progress can be monitored. Radiotracers such as Tc-99m and I-131 are also used to measure flow rates. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission publishes guidelines which list a wide range of radioactive materials in solid, liquid and gaseous forms that may be used as tracers and limit the amount that may be used per injection and per well of each radionuclide. A new technique in well-monitoring involves fiber-optic cables outside

3944-583: The rate of frictional loss, which is relative to the distance from the well. Operators typically try to maintain "fracture width", or slow its decline following treatment, by introducing a proppant into the injected fluid – a material such as grains of sand, ceramic, or other particulate, thus preventing the fractures from closing when injection is stopped and pressure removed. Consideration of proppant strength and prevention of proppant failure becomes more important at greater depths where pressure and stresses on fractures are higher. The propped fracture

4012-647: The same period, the Gas Research Institute , a gas industry research consortium, received approval for research and funding from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission . In 1997, Nick Steinsberger, an engineer of Mitchell Energy (now part of Devon Energy ), applied the slickwater fracturing technique, using more water and higher pump pressure than previous fracturing techniques, which was used in East Texas in

4080-431: The sole shareholder. The Energy Act 2016 also provided the OGA with new regulatory powers, including the ability to participate in meetings with operators, to have access to data, provide dispute resolution and introduce a range of sanctions such as enforcement notices and fines of up to £1 million. On 6 March 2019, Frances Morris-Jones was replaced by Tim Eggar as the chairman of the authority. On 1 November 2019, following

4148-480: The target depth (determined by the location of the well casing perforations), to exceed that of the fracture gradient (pressure gradient) of the rock. The fracture gradient is defined as pressure increase per unit of depth relative to density, and is usually measured in pounds per square inch, per foot (psi/ft). The rock cracks, and the fracture fluid permeates the rock extending the crack further, and further, and so on. Fractures are localized as pressure drops off with

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4216-408: The well is not overwhelmed with proppant. As the fracturing process proceeds, viscosity-reducing agents such as oxidizers and enzyme breakers are sometimes added to the fracturing fluid to deactivate the gelling agents and encourage flowback. Such oxidizers react with and break down the gel, reducing the fluid's viscosity and ensuring that no proppant is pulled from the formation. An enzyme acts as

4284-455: The wellbore. Important material properties of the fluid include viscosity , pH , various rheological factors , and others. Water is mixed with sand and chemicals to create hydraulic fracturing fluid. Approximately 40,000 gallons of chemicals are used per fracturing. A typical fracture treatment uses between 3 and 12 additive chemicals. Although there may be unconventional fracturing fluids, typical chemical additives can include one or more of

4352-515: The wellbores. Horizontal wells proved much more effective than vertical wells in producing oil from tight chalk; sedimentary beds are usually nearly horizontal, so horizontal wells have much larger contact areas with the target formation. Hydraulic fracturing operations have grown exponentially since the mid-1990s, when technologic advances and increases in the price of natural gas made this technique economically viable. Hydraulic fracturing of shales goes back at least to 1965, when some operators in

4420-531: Was chief executive , being replaced by Stuart Payne in January 2023, and since 2019 Tim Eggar has been chairman of the board . In September 2021 Greenpeace reported that eight OGA's 13 board members and senior managers had previously worked in the industry, and three held sizeable shareholdings in oil firms. The OGA said their knowledge was vital in helping to regulate the sector. Oil and Gas Authority has one ordinary share , which from 2016 until 2023

4488-491: Was launched on 1 April 2015 as an executive agency of the Department of Energy and Climate Change . The Energy Act 2016, which received Royal Assent in May 2016, created the legislative framework to formally establish the OGA as a government company, limited by shares under the Companies Act 2006, with the then Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (now the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero)

4556-402: Was owned by the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. Its owner remained unchanged, with each subsequent confirmation statement showing no shareholder changes, until 3 May 2023 when it was transferred to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero by order in council upon the incorporation of that office. This article related to government in

4624-593: Was studied by Floyd Farris of Stanolind Oil and Gas Corporation . This study was the basis of the first hydraulic fracturing experiment, conducted in 1947 at the Hugoton gas field in Grant County of southwestern Kansas by Stanolind. For the well treatment, 1,000 US gallons (3,800 L; 830 imp gal) of gelled gasoline (essentially napalm ) and sand from the Arkansas River was injected into

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