Workshop: Identification of Fundamental Interfacial and Transport Phenomena for the Sustainable Deployment of Hydraulic Shale Fracturing - Role of Chemical..., May 2012, Wash, DC

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1229931-Striolo Intellectual Merit:Natural gas, an abundant resource in the United States, offers significant advantages compared to other fossil fuels in terms of both environmental impact and economic security. The technology of hydraulic fracturing, pioneered in the 1940?s, has been recently transformed, leading to the economical production of stranded natural gas. An economical and reliable source of natural gas is essential for the energy sector as well as the chemical industry. Unfortunately, the public opinion is concerned about the possibility of environmental issues that might be traced back to the unregulated practice of hydraulic fracturing. This proposal requests support to organize a two-day workshop in Washington, D.C. to identify fundamental research needs of hydraulic fracturing in the general areas of interfacial and transport phenomena that could potentially enable the sustainable deployment of shale gas extraction. Researchers from academia, industry, and government will address this topic in an open forum and provide recommendations on how to employ current and future research capabilities. Topics include: a) General observations (details concerning the fracture technology, current and future utilization of natural gas, seismic technologies to probe shale formations, the effect of carbon dioxide on rock formations, water quality where hydraulic fracturing is practiced)b) Methane hydratesc) Transport in dual-permeability mediad) Role and fate of the fracture fluids chemicalse) Thermodynamic properties of compounds used in fracture fluids, including complex mixtures containing water, natural gas, and carbon dioxidef) Water usage and disposalg) Simultaneous natural gas extraction and carbon dioxide sequestrationBroader Impacts:The primary outcomes expected from the proposed workshop are recommendations for future research needs that will benefit the economical and environmentally-benign extraction of natural gas from shale formations. This workshop will bring together scientists from industry, academia, and the government. The PI will broadcast recommendations to the community via one review article that will be submitted for publication in a scientific journal. A summary of the workshop discussion will be published on the World Wide Web. An executive report will be submitted to NSF within two months of the workshop. A detailed report will be submitted to NSF within six months from the end of the workshop.