The process of hydraulic fracturing has become a rapidly growing industry as the world’s desire for energy independence has pushed more people to discover novel ways of increasing their own countries all of the hydrocarbons and fossil fuels. Fracking is the most commonly used term for this process.
The process itself involves the injection of water and various chemicals into the crust of planet Earth. As they are injected into the planet’s crust the fluids will build up pressure which will lead to the creation of cracks or fissures or the enlargement of already existing cracks and fissures. As these new cracks and fissures are created natural gas, oil, and other hydrocarbons will be released into them. This makes it available for harvest so that I can be processed into usable fuel.
The process of fracking has actually been around for over 60 years you know you may not have heard about it until fairly recently. There is a lot of debate over the impact that has on the environment from various sides. One of the questions that have not been readily answered so far is what kind of chemicals are used during the fracking process that could potentially leak into the surrounding communities’ groundwater supply. So let’s go ahead and look at what industrial fracking blueprint is composed of.
The Composition of Industrial Fracking Lubricant
in general until recently unless you were a chemist that actually worked with one of these companies it is unlikely that you could find out what the composition of these chemicals was. Now there have been some legislative acts that have forced these companies to properly disclose the composition of the chemicals that they are using during this industrial process.
The vast majority of this industrial lubricant is simply water. Roughly 90% of it is made up of water. The next most common component is simple sand which composes roughly 9.5%. The final 0.5% of the lubricant is composed of various chemicals.
There are various acids that are used in the lubricant such as hydrochloric acid. They are present in the fluid because they can help to dissolve minerals that are present in the crust such as the rocks and sand below the ground. This helps to initiate the process of breaking the crust part.
Two other common types of chemicals that are present would be corrosion inhibitors and biocides. These are chemicals that are used to help prevent corrosion of the drilling equipment as well as eliminating bacteria that can be harmful to the project as well. These can include things like quaternary ammonium chloride and glutaraldehyde.
Phosphonic acid salt is also present in the lubricant. This is their simply to help prevent the development of scale inside of the pipes that are used to pump the fluids down into the ground as well as the oil and natural gas up out of it. Citric acid is used in order to help stop the precipitation of metal oxides from within the lubricant. Of course, polyacrylamide has been utilized to help lubricate the water and reduce friction. There are also chemicals that are present which help to stabilize the ground.
Each company that is operating within the fracking industry is likely to use different compounds. These can be specially formulated so that they are useful for the specific situation that the fracking project is situated in. Many of these chemicals are vital for the extraction of fuel. These can include surfactants such as ethanol and lauryl sulfate which helps to change the consistency of the fuel and to prevent it from freezing.
