On October 20, 2015,
engineering researchers at the University of Vermont released a study
entitled “Potential of hydraulically induced fractures to communicate with
existing wellbores” published in the journal Water Resources Research. The
study estimates the likelihood for the upward migration of fracturing fluid or
gas if hydraulically fractured wells were to cut across unplugged or impaired
existing wells in southern New York.
At the present time,
there is no high-volume hydraulic fracturing taking place in New York state
because of a state moratorium dated June 28, 2015.
To calculate the
probability of intersections between unconventional and existing or abandoned
wells, the researchers considered the depth of a new hydraulically fractured
well, the vertical growth of induced fractures, and the depths and locations of
existing nearby wells. They observed that “certain regions of New York
underlain by the Marcellus Shale have probabilities on the order of 1-2% of
encountering existing wells, while the vast majority of regions have much lower
probabilities.”
The researchers,
however, pointed out that it is unlikely for fracturing fluid or gas to find
migration pathways through the rock because the distance between surface formations
and shallow groundwater in southern New York is large.
The researchers
concluded that “the probability of encountering a well is the first step in
assessing the risk of a hydraulically fractured well communicating with shallow
aquifers, and places an upper bound on that risk.”
Written by Chloe Marie - Research Fellow
10/28/2015
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