An integrated assessment of UK Shale resource distribution based on fundamental analyses of shale mechanical & fluid properties.

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The research carried out in the proposed project will address to fundamental questions related to UK Shale gas. Namely: How much gas and where is it located? Stakeholder interest in accessing new, scientifically calibrated estimates of resources and reserves will be of immense scientific, industry and public interest. Government will also use these outcomes to inform energy policy in the UK for potentially the next 20 years. Regular communication with the other Challenges in this call and industrial partners will take place at a minimum of 6 month intervals. There will also be formal reporting requirements to the funding bodies.BeneficiariesIndustryDepending on which current shale gas resource estimates we take (BGS: Andrews 2014) or Urgano (2017) and the recovery factor applied (nominally 10%) the UK would appear to have between 10 and 50 years of potential gas supply from the northern England Carboniferous basins. Assuming UK gas consumption continues at the current rate of approximately 2.7tcf/year. The value of narrowing the range on this estimate cannot be understated. Working with industry partners we can critically test current and evolving academic models of pore and fracture systems in shales against new data acquired by industry. The models will be re-calibrated with real well bore and test data to provide revised models of pore and fracture behaviour. The key to industry and the country is more efficient exploration and exploitation activities. Fewer wells, fewer pads equals less disruption, less emissions and consequently minimised environmental impact.GovernmentHaving a scientifically supported range of resource estimates for UK shale gas and its location is of immense value to government in terms of framing UK energy policy going forward. CO2 emission commitments require a cleaner energy policy based on gas rather than coal and oil and a resource that is indigenous from either the North and Irish seas and potentially onshore UK. This mitigates emissions related to transportation and the valid criticism that imported gas is just shifting the problem onto someone else.General PublicOne of the key roles we have to play as an informed group is in explaining to the general public from a scientific expert point of view the key pluses and minuses associated with shale gas and the impact of fracking and a potentially large resource might have on industrialisation and environment in the areas we identify that may contain the gas resources.