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0:35

How Does Fracking Work and Why

1:04

Horizontal Drilling

2:46

Disposing of Used Fracking Water

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TED

TED-Ed

TED Education

TED Ed

Mia Nacamulli

Sharon Colman

fracking

hydraulic fracturing

natural gas

coal

renewable energy

climate change

water

well

power plant

energy

power

acid

slickwater

earthquake

00:00:08

Deep underground lies stores of once inaccessible natural gas.

00:00:14

This gas was likely formed over millions of years

00:00:17

as layers of decaying organisms were exposed to intense heat and pressure

00:00:22

under the Earth's crust.

00:00:25

There's a technology called hydraulic fracturing,

00:00:28

or fracking,

00:00:29

that can extract this natural gas,

00:00:32

potentially powering us for decades to come.

00:00:36

So how does fracking work,

00:00:38

and why it is a source of such heated controversy?

00:00:42

A fracking site can be anywhere with natural gas,

00:00:45

from a remote desert

00:00:46

to several hundred feet from your backyard.

00:00:50

It starts out with a long vertical hole known as a wellbore

00:00:54

drilled down through layers of sediment.

00:00:57

When the well reaches 2500 - 3000 meters, it's at its kickoff point

00:01:03

where it can begin the process of horizontal drilling.

00:01:07

It turns 90 degrees and extends horizontally for about 1.5 kilometers

00:01:13

through a compressed black layer called the shale rock formation.

00:01:18

A specialized perforating gun is then lowered and fired,

00:01:23

creating a series of small, inch-long holes

00:01:25

that burst through the well's casing into the rock layer.

00:01:30

About three to four months after the initial drilling,

00:01:33

the well is ready for fracking to begin.

00:01:37

Fracking fluid is pumped down into the well at a pressure so high,

00:01:41

it cracks the shale rock,

00:01:43

creating fractures through which the trapped gas and oil can escape.

00:01:48

The fluid itself is more than 90% water.

00:01:52

The rest is made up of concentrated chemical additives.

00:01:55

These vary depending on the specific characteristics of the fracking site,

00:02:00

but usually fall into three categories:

00:02:02

acids for clearing debris and dissolving minerals,

00:02:06

friction-reducing compounds to create

00:02:08

a slippery form of water known as slickwater,

00:02:12

and disinfectant to prevent bacteria growth.

00:02:15

Sand or clay is also mixed into the water to prop open the fissures

00:02:20

so the gas and oil can keep leaking out, even after the pressure is released.

00:02:26

It's estimated that all of fracking's intense pumping and flushing

00:02:30

uses an average of 3-6 million gallons of water per well.

00:02:35

That's actually not a lot compared to agriculture,

00:02:38

power plants,

00:02:40

or even golf course maintenance,

00:02:42

but it can have a notable impact on local water supply.

00:02:47

And disposing of used fracking water is also an issue.

00:02:50

Along with the trapped gas that's pumped up to the surface,

00:02:53

millions of gallons of flow-back liquid come gushing up.

00:02:58

This liquid containing contaminants like radioactive material,

00:03:02

salts,

00:03:03

heavy metals,

00:03:04

and hydrocarbons,

00:03:05

needs to be stored and disposed of.

00:03:08

That's usually done in pits on-site in deep wells

00:03:11

or off-site at water treatment facilities.

00:03:15

Another option is to recycle the flow-back liquid,

00:03:19

but the recycling process can actually increase levels of contamination

00:03:23

since the water is more toxic with each use.

00:03:27

Wells are typically encased in steel and cement

00:03:30

to prevent contaminants from leaking into groundwater.

00:03:33

But any negligence or fracking-related accidents

00:03:36

can have devastating effects.

00:03:38

Fracturing directly into underground water

00:03:41

hazardous underground seepage and leakage,

00:03:43

and inadequate treatment and disposal of highly-toxic waste water

00:03:48

can potentially contaminate drinking water around a fracking site.

00:03:52

There's also concern about the threat of earthquakes

00:03:55

and damaged infrastructure

00:03:57

from pressure and waste water injection.

00:04:00

Links between fracking and increased seismic activity

00:04:03

leave unresolved questions about long-term pressure imbalances

00:04:08

that might be happening deep beneath our feet.

00:04:11

Fracking's biggest controversy, though, is happening above the ground.

00:04:15

The general consensus is that burning natural gas is better for the environment

00:04:19

than burning coal

00:04:21

since the gas collected from fracking

00:04:23

emits only half the carbon dioxide as coal

00:04:26

per unit of energy.

00:04:28

The pollution caused by the fracking itself, though,

00:04:31

isn't negligible.

00:04:33

Methane that leaks out during the drilling and pumping process

00:04:36

is many times more potent than carbon dioxide

00:04:39

as a greenhouse gas.

00:04:41

Some scientists argue that methane eventually dissipates,

00:04:44

so has a relatively low long-term impact.

00:04:48

But a greater question hangs in the air.

00:04:51

Does fracking take time, money, and research

00:04:53

away from the development of cleaner renewable energy sources?

00:04:58

Natural gas is non-renewable,

00:05:00

and the short-run economic interests supporting fracking

00:05:04

may fall short in the face of global climate change.

00:05:07

Experts are still examining fracking's overarching effects.

00:05:11

Although modern fracking has been around since the 1940s,

00:05:15

it's boomed in the last few decades.

00:05:17

As other sources of natural gas decrease, the costs of non-renewable energies rise,

00:05:22

and cutting-edge technologies make it so accessible.

00:05:26

But many countries and regions have already banned fracking

00:05:29

in response to environmental concerns.

00:05:32

It's undeniable that fracking has reshaped the energy landscape around the world,

00:05:37

but for what long-term benefit and at what cost?

Description:

View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-does-fracking-work-mia-nacamulli Deep underground lie stores of once-inaccessible natural gas. There’s a technology, called hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” that can extract this natural gas, potentially powering us for decades to come. So how does fracking work and why is it a source of such heated controversy? Mia Nacamulli explains the ins and outs of fracking. Lesson by Mia Nacamulli, directed by Sharon Colman.

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