A Canadian company is experimenting in Texas with a drilling technique as a substitute for the enormous amount of water used in the hydraulic fracturing process.Ernie has sent this link with a bit more information regarding GasFrac and propane fracking.
Jadela Oil Corp., a Canadian exploration and production company, fractured its El Indio No. 1 horizontal well in Maverick County near Eagle Pass with more than 5,000 barrels of liquid propane and butane, a process known as gas fracking.
Traditional hydrofracking has created a boom in drilling in shale formations, including the Eagle Ford Shale across South Texas.
But it also has caused environmental concerns because of the amount of water used — a single well requires millions of gallons — and because the water used becomes contaminated and cannot be reused.
The method using a propane and butane jell hopefully will reduce production costs because, unlike water, the gas mixture can be recovered and reused or sold, Jadela CEO Greg Leia said. The secondary benefit, Leia said, is environmental.
The technology is so new that it has yet to catch the attention of U.S. environmentalists who track fracturing issues.Give them time.
I wonder if the EPA definition of "diesel" will include propane? As noted before, my hunch is anything with C and H in it, and if used in fracking, will be declared "diesel."
