SusChEM: Geochemical Characterization and Evaluation of the Environmental Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing Fluids

SusChEM：水力压裂液的地球化学表征和环境影响评价

• 批准号: 1441497
• 负责人: Avner Vengosh
• 金额: $ 31.41万
• 依托单位: Duke University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-09-01 至 2018-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1441497&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SusChEM; Geochemical; Characterization; Evaluation; Environmental

Broader significance.The development of unconventional oil and gas resources through hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling has increased energy production in the USA and is expanding globally. Yet, this rapid development has triggered an intensive public debate over the environmental implications of this technology. One of the environmental risks associated with unconventional shale gas development is the contamination of water resources. Hydraulic fracturing fluids (HFFs) are highly saline and contain elevated levels of toxic elements such as barium along with high levels of naturally occurring radioactive materials. Yet the ability to directly identify hydraulic fracturing fluids and their release in the environment is not known. This NSF project seeks to develop novel and diagnostic geochemical tracers that are inherently connected to the hydraulic fracturing process. The environmental forensic approach will enable us to distinguish hydraulic fracturing fluids from other forms of contamination, including naturally occurring saline groundwater and the legacy of past conventional oil and gas exploration that can mask attempts to delineate water contamination sources and evaluate the net impact of shale gas development. The methodology developed in this NSF project could be applied universally to other unconventional reservoirs as hydraulic fracturing expands globally.Technical description.This study will use an extensive collection of flowback and produced waters from shale gas and conventional oil and gas exploration (total 80 samples) to establish a comprehensive geochemical database that includes major and trace elements, combined with multiple isotopic fingerprints (d18O,d2H, d13C-DIC, d11B, 87Sr/86Sr, d7Li, 206Pb/208Pb) and radionuclides (228Ra/226Ra, 210Pb/226Ra). Based on preliminary data, it is hypothesized that the novel multi-isotopes tracers will enable us to characterize and identify the geochemical fingerprints of HFFs, providing the basis for evaluation of their origin and possible impacts on the environment. It is proposed to investigate already collected HFFs? samples in addition to new collection of water resources in areas of shale gas development in WV and PA. In particular, the study aims to (1) integrate geochemical and isotopic data for reconstruction the origin and evolution of produced and flowback waters in shale formations as compared to produced waters from conventional oil and gas wells; (2) evaluate possible contamination of surface water by HFFs upon disposal of inadequately treated wastewater, spills, or leakage from HFFs? ponds; (3) simulate reactions of HFF with sediments and mixing with other water types through laboratory experiments and thermo-kinetic modeling; and (4) evaluate groundwater contamination in areas associated with shale gas development in WV.This project is being jointly supported by the NSF Geobiology and Low-Temperature Geochemistry program, the NSF Sustainable Chemistry, Engineering and Materials (SusChEM) initiative, and the NSF Environmental Sustainability program.

通过液压压裂和水平钻探的非常规石油和天然气资源的发展增加了美国的能源生产，并且在全球范围内正在扩大。然而，这种快速发展引发了关于该技术的环境影响的激烈公开辩论。与非常规页岩气体开发相关的环境风险之一是水资源的污染。液压压裂液（HFF）是高盐水，含有较高水平的有毒元素，例如钡以及高水平的天然放射性材料。然而，尚不清楚直接识别液压压裂液及其在环境中释放的能力。这个NSF项目旨在开发与液压破裂过程固有相关的新颖和诊断地球化学示踪剂。环境法医方法将使我们能够将水力压裂液与其他形式的污染区分开，包括天然存在的盐水地下水以及过去常规的石油和天然气勘探的遗产，可以掩盖试图掩盖水污染来源并评估面积天然气开发的净影响。该NSF项目中开发的方法可以普遍应用于其他非常规的储层，因为液压分裂在全球范围内扩展。技术描述。这项研究将使用大量的流动和生产的水域收集，并从页岩气和常规的油气勘探（总计80个样品）中与全面的iSert electoration（包括综合的iSertial extrions）组合，结合了综合的地球元素。 （D18O，D2H，D13C-DIC，D11B，87SR/86SR，D7LI，206pb/208pb）和放射性核素（228ra/226ra，210pb/226ra）。基于初步数据，假设新型的多同位素示踪剂将使我们能够表征和识别HFF的地球化学指纹，从而为评估其起源以及对环境的可能影响提供了基础。建议调查已经收集的HFF？除了在WV和PA的页岩气开发领域收集新的水资源外，样品。特别是，该研究的目的是（1）与经常的油气井产生的水域相比，整合重建的地球化学和同位素数据以重建页岩中生产和流动水的起源和进化； （2）在处理未充分处理过的废水，溢出物或HFF泄漏时，通过HFFS评估地表水的可能污染？池塘； （3）通过实验室实验和热运动建模模拟HFF与沉积物的反应，并与其他水类型混合； （4）评估WV中与页岩气发展相关的地区的地下水污染。该项目由NSF地球生物学和低温地球化学计划，NSF可持续化学，工程和材料（SUSCHEM）计划以及NSF环境可持续性计划共同支持。