Amidst the ever increasing price of imported petroleum, a new ray of hope has been found in the Marcellus shale, which is now being considered as a possible answer for the country's unquenchable thirst for energy.
Septic trucks are normally used for removing waste from various types of waste containers; however, the discovery of a huge supply of natural gas in the State of Pennsylvania with the Marcellus shale mines could possibly change all of that.
These vehicles now have a new important role to play in the extraction of this natural gas.
Extraction Process Extracting gas from many layers of hard rocks is no ordinary feat.
Tough rocks must somehow be penetrated; in addition, there is a layer of earth a mile thick that must also be permeated in order to get to such wonderful buried treasure.
In order to properly accomplish such a task, a new type of horizontal drilling technology had to be used to allow workers to create a horizontal well that would be able to tap into the gas shale.
Conventional drilling methods have produced very unsatisfactory results as well as a low production rate, so engineers had to come up with another way to get better results.
Marcellus shale requires horizontal drilling and a type of fracturing technology due to the vertical fractures and low permeability of the shale.
Fractures are cracks that allow the gas to flow through the rocks and into the well.
Horizontal drilling ensures that the well will intercept the gas flowing out from such cracks.
Another method that is used for drilling through the Marcellus shale is called hydraulic fracturing.
Because fractures serve as the passage way for gas to pass through the rocks, having more of these cracks in the shale will result in a stronger gas flow.
The fracturing technology involves creating man-made fractures in the rocks.
The method for accomplishing this involves high pressure water or gel that is pumped through the well; the high pressure will create the fracture in the rocks.
Once these cracks are opened, sand is then pumped in to keep the cracks from closing again.
Significance The drilling and fracturing technology used to tap into an underground gas source requires having a huge amount of water transported to the job site continuously throughout the drilling process; septic trucks are the best equipment for the delivery of this liquid cargo.
In 2007, there were only 27 wells dug at the Marcellus shale; however, in 2010 there were 1,386 wells dug in the area.
This increase in the number of wells being dug has also translated into an increase in the demand for septic trucks to transport water to the drilling sites.
Various contractors from across the State of Pennsylvania are buying septic trucks in multiple numbers for water hauling purposes in order to keep up with the demand, as the number of wells being dug continues to increase.
There is no guarantee as to how long this golden opportunity for pumpers will continue; however, the number of wells being dug is still growing and the need for septic trucks continues to increase.
Many of these companies are finding there is a lot of money to be made by jumping on the hauling band wagon.
In summary, septic trucks are not just being used for removing unwanted waste material.
The increase in the number of natural gas wells being dug in the Marcellus shale and the drilling and fracturing system used in the area relies heavily on water.
These vehicles serve as the best type of equipment for this purpose.
Hopefully this article has provided helpful information regarding the importance of septic trucks in the extraction of natural gas!