Oil and Gas Flashcards
Why would the state of Ohio promote oil and gas exploration?
To decrease dependence on foreign oil sources
What is fracking?
A combination of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling in oil shale formations.
Which two formations are part of the current oil and gas production by fracking?
The Marcellus formation and the Utica Shale
What is porosity?
A measurement of the amount of space within a rock or around sediment.
What is permeability?
A measurement of the rate of fluid flow in rock or soil.
What is a hydrocarbon?
A substance made only from carbon and hydrogen?
What is a liquid form of hydrocarbons?
Petroleum or crude oil
What is a gas form of hydrocarbons?
Natural gas
What is a solid form of hydrocarbons?
Coal
What is hydraulic fracking fluid made from?
Water, sand, and chemicals that help fracture the shale and move the hydrocarbons to the surface.
Why is deep well injection of used fracking fluid a potential problem?
Deep well injection has been linked to seismic activity.
Why is the amount of water needed for fracking a potential problem?
The demand for water can make it unavailable for domestic and agricultural uses.
Why is fracking a potential source of groundwater contamination?
Fracking increases fractures in rock that could link to aquifers. Poor well construction and maintenance can allow oil or fracking fluid to enter groundwater or surface water.
Why is natural gas a potential environmental problem?
Methane is a greenhouse gas; it can vent to the atmosphere from wells.
What is a source rock?
A location where organic material can be stored until it undergoes heat and pressure to become a hydrocarbon. A layer in which the hydrocarbons form.
From what organic source does petroleum and natural gas form?
Microscopic marine plants and animals
From what organic source does coal form?
Terrestrial plants.
Many of Ohio’s conventional oil, gas and coal deposits formed during which geologic periods?
The Mississippian and Pennsylvanian periods of the Paleozoic Era
How do geologists search for oil and gas?
They use seismic surveys, gravitational surveys, and geologic mapping
What is an unconventional source of oil and gas?
Energy resources that are currently difficult or expensive to extract.
What are reservoir rocks?
Layers containing pores that can hold hydrocarbons
During what geologic period did Ohio’s oil shales form?
The Devonian period of the Paleozoic era.
What was the depositional environment of the Devonian period in Ohio?
The Appalachian basin was an enclosed shallow sea.
By what method is crude oil separated into different products
Fractional Distillation
What two properties of the substances in the crude oil allow them to be separated?
The length and type of hydrocarbon chains determine the boiling point of the substance. Distillation separates a liquid mixture using different boiling points.
