Simple Solutions For Assessing Unconventional Gas Sites Focus Of Paper In Groundwater
A recently published scientific paper offers simple analytic solutions for providing preliminary assessments and insights of unconventional gas sites that are not site-specific.
The article was published in National Ground Water Association’s flagship technical journal, Groundwater®.
While there are sophisticated numerical modeling studies offering possible predictions of impacts to groundwater resources, these tend to be site-specific and expensive, and thus end up getting utilized sparingly.
However, the paper, “Predicting Water Resource Impacts of Unconventional Gas Using Simple Analytical Equations,” offers simple analytic solutions that are quick to implement and provide approximate predictions vital to researchers working on unconventional gas sites.
The equations provide insight into groundwater drawdowns due to horizontal wells in gas formations, the potential for upward transport of contaminants during hydraulic fracturing, and the potential downward leakage of water from shallow aquifers into gas-bearing formations during depressurization (gas mining).
The lead author is Peter Cook, Ph.D., from the National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training in the School of the Environment at Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia. His work was coauthored by Anthony Miller, Ph.D., Margaret Shanafield, Ph.D., and Craig Simmons, Ph.D., all of whom are also from Flinders University.
The paper will appear in the May-June 2017 issue of Groundwater available next month, but can be accessed now via Wiley Online Library, the database housing complete content information for the journal.
“While accurate site-specific predictions require sophisticated numerical modeling studies,”Groundwater Editor-in-Chief Hendrik Haitjema, Ph.D., says, “the simple analytic solutions offered in this paper allow quick, economic assessments of various environmental concerns surrounding unconventional gas development that are less site-specific, hence more broadly applicable.”
Since 1963, Groundwater has published a dynamic mix of papers on topics focused on groundwater such as flow and well hydraulics, hydrogeochemistry and contaminant hydrogeology, application of geophysics, management and policy, and the history of hydrology.
The National Ground Water Association is a not-for-profit professional society and trade association for the global groundwater industry. Our members around the world include leading public and private sector groundwater scientists, engineers, water well system professionals, manufacturers, and suppliers of groundwater-related products and services. The Association’s vision is to be the leading groundwater association advocating for responsible development, management, and use of water.
Source: National Ground Water Association