BRU website preparing for moratorium to be lifted... (it’s partly old info from 2015, but they have just started to update it over the last week) now why would they be doing that? Hydraulic Fracturing
Natural gas
Natural gas is mostly made up of methane (CH4) and is an important source of energy. It is also one of the cleanest fuels that we currently have available producing less than 1% of the sulphide emissions and half of the greenhouse gas emissions of coal. In recent years, the shale gas boom in the United States has led to an increase in the availability of natural gas on the US market. Many power stations have switched from coal to gas, leading to the US achieving a massive reduction in CO2 emissions of 450 million tonnes. This is equivalent to the energy used in 41 million homes. While viable and affordable renewable energy technologies are being developed, Buru Energy’s natural gas provides a clean, affordable and secure energy source for Western Australia.
A Local Project
Buru Energy is a small West Australian Company that is in the early stages of gas exploration and appraisal in the Canning Superbasin. Buru’s activities are generally on long established pastoral stations between Broome and Fitzroy Crossing, to the south of the Great Northern Highway. Buru Energy has identified what is potentially a large gas resource that could provide energy security to Western Australia for at least the next 50 years. We are supported in our gas exploration and appraisal program by our principal Joint Venture partner, Mitsubishi Corporation. Our 2015 program for the evaluation of the resource will involve the hydraulic fracturing stimulation (fraccing) of up to four wells to test the flow of gas. Should the exploration and appraisal process be successful, gas from the basin will be piped to the gas pipeline at Port Hedland where it will enter the domestic market under a State Agreement with the Western Australian Government. There is also the potential for the development of local industry in the Kimberley using gas from this program.
What are the opportunities for Traditional Owners and other local residents from the project?
The exploration and appraisal process for the tight gas resource is expected to occur over a period of 2-3 years. During this period of time, a series of tests will be carried out on existing well sites to test the flow rates and commercial potential of the resource. During this time, the Company will work with local people to identify work and business opportunities that match Company requirements. We will also partner with local training organisations such as KTI and KGT to develop training plans and deliver training. This model is focused on building capacity and linking training to employment opportunities on the potential project.
The project will also benefit local Kimberley businesses while having a low impact on the community. The infrastructure associated with onshore gas is relatively simple and located out of town on pastoral stations. The project will not require a large Fly In, Fly Out (FIFO) workforce but will complement and provide opportunities to existing businesses. The plan is to train a local workforce that can service the needs of the project, providing opportunities to local businesses and supporting the local economy.
Hydraulic Fracturing
Tight gas is natural gas that is released from rock formations deep underground by a process known as hydraulic fracturing (HF, fraccing, tight gas stimulation). Hydraulic fracturing is essentially the pumping of water and sand into a tight rock containing gas or oil to enhance the flow paths for the gas or oil to flow into the well bore and be recovered at commercially viable rates. Without fraccing, the hydrocarbons will not flow at rates that are high enough to make the process commercially viable. The HF operation lasts approximately 2 hours and creates hairline fractures in the target reservoir of less than 5 mm width. Once the pumping has finished, the pressure is reduced and the hydrocarbons (gas or oil) flow back up the well while the sand remains in the fractures to help provide a path for the hydrocarbons to flow to the well.
Buru’s tight gas stimulation programme is targeting the Laurel Formation reservoir. This is a series of ancient marine rocks which was formed approximately 380 million years ago, and in our area of interest is located between 2.0 km and 5.0 km underground. The upcoming programme will test wells that were drilled into the Laurel Formation between 2011 and 2013.
Hydraulic fracturing was first undertaken in Oklahoma in 1949 and has been used in Australia since 1958, when oil wells on Barrow Island were fracced. Hydraulic fracturing is a well understood, well developed oilfield practice. For example, in 2013 more than 300,000 hydraulic fractures were performed in deep shale reservoirs in North America, and 300 wells were fracced in the Cooper Basin in Australia.
Once a zone is hydraulically fractured, it will often produce hydrocarbons for more than 20 years.
Apart from the short hydraulic fracturing process, production from shale gas well is essentially the same as conventional gas production, which has been undertaken successfully in Australia since 1961, and globally since the 1850’s.
Chemicals
Chemicals are added to the frac fluid for a variety of reasons including to suspend sand in the fluid, to reduce friction in the well bore during pumping, to prevent corrosion of the equipment and piping, and protect hydrocarbons in the reservoir against introduced bacteria. Added chemicals are biodegradable and are quickly broken down in the reservoir. The fraccing fluid comprises 93.1% water, 5.00% sand and ~1.83% chemicals. These chemicals are dominated by salt and food acid (1.76%) with chemicals derived from common household items contributing the remaining 0.07%. Salt is an important constituent of the fluid as it acts as a clay stabiliser. Following our contractor assessment phase, an ecotoxicity assessment of the HF fluid was undertaken by Ecotox Services Australia. Results of the fluid system is 70 times lower than the acute national guidelines limit of very slightly toxic and 6,300 times lower than the chronic national guideline limit of very slightly toxic.
All of the ingredients in our HF fluid have been fully disclosed in accordance with DMP requirements.
* Figures shown in this table are percentage by weight. Other illustrations may show percentage by volume and are slightly different. These figures are typical averages and may vary slightly from well to well.[/toggle]
King GE, and King DE, (2013). Environmental risk arising from well construction failure: Difference between barrier and well failure, and estimates of failure frequency across common well types, locations and well age. Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE-166142).
ACOLA (2013). Australian Council of Learned Academies – “Engineering Energy: Unconventional Gas Production”
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