IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i14p10795-d1190486.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Enhancing Water Management in Shale Gas Extraction through Rectangular Pulse Hydraulic Fracturing

Author

Listed:
  • Mohammed Ali Badjadi

    (School of Ocean & Energy Power Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430063, China)

  • Hanhua Zhu

    (School of Transportation and Logistics Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430063, China)

  • Cunquan Zhang

    (School of Transportation and Logistics Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430063, China)

  • Muhammad Hamza Naseem

    (School of Transportation and Logistics Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430063, China)

Abstract

Although conventional hydraulic fracturing techniques have revolutionized shale gas development, they have raised concerns regarding water management and environmental impacts. This research introduces an innovative step-rectangular pulse hydraulic fracturing method to optimize water usage and reduce environmental hazards in shale gas extraction. The method involves the application of lower-energy fluid in a step-rectangular pulse pattern, which results in higher pressures, more intricate fractures, and improved water management. A comprehensive analysis of the propagation and attenuation characteristics of this technique is conducted using a combination of a two-dimensional pulse transient flow equation with damping, software numerical simulations, and theoretical analysis. The study reveals that the step rectangular pulse hydraulic fracturing method offers superior pressurization and more complex fracture networks in shale reservoirs while lowering water consumption by 20% less than conventional methods and increasing shale gas production by 12%. Through identifying optimal pulse parameters, this research provides valuable guidance for field implementation, promoting efficient water management and environmental sustainability in hydraulic fracturing operations. This novel approach to hydraulic fracturing has the potential to significantly advance the industry’s efforts to address water management challenges and mitigate environmental risks associated with shale gas extraction.

Suggested Citation

  • Mohammed Ali Badjadi & Hanhua Zhu & Cunquan Zhang & Muhammad Hamza Naseem, 2023. "Enhancing Water Management in Shale Gas Extraction through Rectangular Pulse Hydraulic Fracturing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-19, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:14:p:10795-:d:1190486
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/14/10795/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/14/10795/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Eirini Aivazidou & Naoum Tsolakis, 2023. "Water Management and Environmental Engineering: Current Practices and Opportunities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-3, August.
    2. Camilo Andrés Guerrero-Martin & Alexandre Szklo, 2024. "Analysis of Potential Environmental Risks in the Hydraulic Fracturing Operation in the “La Luna” Formation in Colombia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-35, March.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:14:p:10795-:d:1190486. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.