What Makes The For Fracking - 1506 Words

To Frack or Not To Frack Depending on the source, horizontal fracturing can be made out to sound like the next best American revolution, making scarce resources of oil into an abundance through safe and harmless extraction or fracking can be made out to sound like the sole contributor of respiratory, sensory, and neurological damages to the people that drink the groundwater water close the fracking wells. The â€Å"for fracking† arguments combats their side with explanations of what they are doing is not harming the environment. The additives to what is being pumped into the ground to get the oil is said to be used to reduce friction as oil is pulled out which reduces the air emissions that are pumped out from the diesel†¦show more content†¦Like many serious topics government policies and laws have to decide on, there is always two sides to the argument. Before an opinion can be shaped, the entire process of extracting nonrenewable energy from shale must be underst ood. First, there is a 2 directional, single pipeline. The vertical drilling line is drilled to reach the desirable depth in which natural gases can be extracted. Once drilled, a steel pipeline replaces the drilling pipeline and is externally covered by cement. The same process takes place for horizontal pipeline, that is responsible for collecting the natural gases. A perforating gun is placed down through the vertical section leading to the horizontal section where it blasts small explosives charges to break up the shale. Hydraulic fracturing takes place now. Water mixed with sand and chemical additives are sent through the underground pipe extending the cracks created by the perforating gun. The sand keeps the fractures open once the pressure used to extent them stops. A plug is sent down to compartmentalize sections of the horizontal pipe so the oil can be extracted at one time after all sections have been fractured and plugs have been drilled through. Now, natural gases are ex tracted along with the water and other materials used to fracture the rocks. Sources for fracking assure there are multiple layers around the pipelines, the pipes go so far deep they don t affect groundwater,