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Induced Seismicity Potential in Energy Technologies (2013)

Chapter: Appendix L: Estimated Injected Fluid Volumes

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Suggested Citation:"Appendix L: Estimated Injected Fluid Volumes." National Research Council. 2013. Induced Seismicity Potential in Energy Technologies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13355.
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APPENDIX L

Estimated Injected Fluid Volumes

Tables L.1L.5 contain the data used to create Figure 3.16.

TABLE L.1 Hydraulic Fracturing Volumes

Development Area Average Volume Water (gal) Volume Water Use Per Well (gal) Volume Water Use Per Well (m3)
Barnett 4,600,000 2,800,224 10,600
Eagle Ford 5,000,000 4,253,170 16,100
Haynesville 5,000,000 5,679,699 21,500
Marcellus 5,600,000 No data No data
Niobrara 3,000,000 No data No data
Average volume per well per day 4,640,000

NOTE: “Daily” hydraulic fracture volume plotted assumes the hydraulic fracturing procedure would take 2 days to complete; the 1-day volume plotted is half the total well volume estimated by King (2012). “Yearly” hydraulic fracture volume assumes 15 wells per year in the development area. Postfracturing flowback volume is assumed to be 20 percent of the total volume injected.
SOURCE: King (2012); Nicot and Scanlon (2012).

Suggested Citation:"Appendix L: Estimated Injected Fluid Volumes." National Research Council. 2013. Induced Seismicity Potential in Energy Technologies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13355.
×

TABLE L.2 Carbon Capture and Sequestration Volumes


43 lb/ft3

Density of liquid CO2 at 80°C (AIRCO value)

2000 lb

1 ton liquid CO2

47 ft3

1 ton liquid CO2 at 80°C

47,000,000 ft3

1 million tons liquid CO2 at 80°C per year

1,330,892 m3

1 million tons liquid CO2 at 80°C per year

351,355,488 gal

1 million tons liquid CO2 at 80°C per year


Result:

1.33 × 106 m3/year liquid CO2 at 80°C per year

3.65 × 103 m3/day liquid CO2 at 80°C per year

3.51 × 108 gal/year liquid CO2 at 80°C per year

9.63 × 105 gal/day liquid CO2 at 80°C per year

NOTE: Table assumes 1 million tons of liquid CO2 injection per year. The density/unit weight of liquid CO2 varies significantly with temperature; the density of supercritical (liquid) CO2 ranges from 0.60 to 0.75 g/cm3 (Sminchak and Gupta, 2003). If one assumes approximately 43 lb/ft3 (AIGA, 2009) for the unit weight of CO2 (approximately 0.64 g/cm3) at a subsurface temperature of 80°C (AIGA, 2009) then 1 ton of CO2 equates to 47 ft3, and 1 million tons/year equates to 47,000,000 ft3/year or 1,330,892 m3/year or 3646 m3/day.
SOURCE: Sminchak and Gupta (2003); AIGA (2009).

TABLE L.3 Water Disposal Well Volume Calculations


9,000

bbl/day

42

gal/barrel

378,000

gal/day

137,970,000

gal/year


NOTE: Reported average saltwater disposal (SWD) injection of 8,000–11,000 bbl/day. SWD injection volumes estimated from Texas Railroad Commission for SWD wells north of DFW airport. Frohlich et al. (2010) report a survey of SWD wells in Tarrant and Johnson counties that reported rates ranging from 100,000 to 500,000 barrels per month; 9,000 bbl/day was used for graph. Nicot and Scanlon (2012) state Texas is the top shale producer in the United States.
SOURCE: Frohlich et al. (2010).

Suggested Citation:"Appendix L: Estimated Injected Fluid Volumes." National Research Council. 2013. Induced Seismicity Potential in Energy Technologies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13355.
×

TABLE L.4 Geysers Geothermal Field Calculations


1,000,000,000

billion pounds steam/year

8

pounds steam/gallon

328,899

gal/day

120,048,019

gal/year


SOURCE: Smith et al. (2000).

TABLE L.5 Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) Main Stimulation Calculations


11,500

m3 water injected over 6 days

3,037,979

gallons water injected over 6 days

1,917

avg. m3/day

506,330

avg. gal/day


SOURCE: Asanuma et al. (2008).

REFERENCES

AIGA (Asia Industrial Gases Association). 2009. Carbon Dioxide, 7th ed. Singapore: AIGA 068/10. Available at www.asiaiga.org/docs/AIGA%20068_10%20Carbon%20Dioxide_reformated%20Jan%2012.pdf (accessed May 2012).

Asanuma, H., Y. Kumano, H. Niitsuma, U. Schanz, and M. Haring. 2008. Interpretation of reservoir structure from super-resolution mapping of microseismic multiplets from stimulation at Basel, Switzerland in 2006. GRC Transactions 32:65-70.

Frohlich, C., C. Hayward, B. Stump, and E. Potter. 2010. The Dallas-Fort Worth earthquake sequence: October 2008-May 2009. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 101(1):327-340.

King, G.E. 2012. Hydraulic Fracturing 101: What every representative, environmentalist, regulator, reporter, investor, university researcher, neighbor, and engineer should know about estimating frac risk and improving frac performance in unconventional gas and oil wells. Paper SPE 152596 presented to the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Hydraulic Fracturing Technology Conference, The Woodlands, TX, February 6-8.

Nicot, J.-P., and B.R. Scanlon. 2012. Water use for shale-gas production in Texas, U.S. Environmental Science and Technology 46:3580-3586.

Sminchak, J., and N. Gupta. 2003. Aspects of induced seismic activity and deep-well sequestration of carbon dioxide. Environmental Geosciences 10(2):81-89.

Smith, J.L.B., J.J. Beall, and M.A. Stark. 2000. Induced seismicity in the SE Geysers Field, California, USA. Presented at the World Geothermal Congress, Kyushu-Tohoku, Japan, May 28-June 10.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix L: Estimated Injected Fluid Volumes." National Research Council. 2013. Induced Seismicity Potential in Energy Technologies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13355.
×

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Suggested Citation:"Appendix L: Estimated Injected Fluid Volumes." National Research Council. 2013. Induced Seismicity Potential in Energy Technologies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13355.
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix L: Estimated Injected Fluid Volumes." National Research Council. 2013. Induced Seismicity Potential in Energy Technologies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13355.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Appendix L: Estimated Injected Fluid Volumes." National Research Council. 2013. Induced Seismicity Potential in Energy Technologies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13355.
×
Page 245
Suggested Citation:"Appendix L: Estimated Injected Fluid Volumes." National Research Council. 2013. Induced Seismicity Potential in Energy Technologies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13355.
×
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In the past several years, some energy technologies that inject or extract fluid from the Earth, such as oil and gas development and geothermal energy development, have been found or suspected to cause seismic events, drawing heightened public attention.

Although only a very small fraction of injection and extraction activities among the hundreds of thousands of energy development sites in the United States have induced seismicity at levels noticeable to the public, understanding the potential for inducing felt seismic events and for limiting their occurrence and impacts is desirable for state and federal agencies, industry, and the public at large. To better understand, limit, and respond to induced seismic events, work is needed to build robust prediction models, to assess potential hazards, and to help relevant agencies coordinate to address them.

Induced Seismicity Potential in Energy Technologies identifies gaps in knowledge and research needed to advance the understanding of induced seismicity; identify gaps in induced seismic hazard assessment methodologies and the research to close those gaps; and assess options for steps toward best practices with regard to energy development and induced seismicity potential.

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