Water vs. Water-Less Options in Shale Gas Exploration and Production

I.A. Zainaddin¹

Abstract

Shale gas exploration and ultimately production is a target for so many nations now a days. The reasons are obvious, more people, more demand and as a result more energy is required. Shale gas resources are all over the globe and every country “at different stages” is trying their best to get out of the ground. Shale gas is natural gas that is found in trapped within shale formations. It requires unconventional technologies to be able produce it and hence that’s why it classified as unconventional resource. This type of technology is by far more complicated and more costly that traditional old ways of obtaining gas. One thing to note here is the fact that in order to have sustainable gas production , very large volume of close by wells have to be drilled.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90188 ©GEO-2014, 11th Middle East Geosciences Conference and Exhibition, 10-12 March 2014, Manama, Bahrain