Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory Approach to Water and Waste Studies

Abstract

The Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory (MSEEL) is the first comprehensive field study coupling same site environmental baseline, completion and production monitoring with environmental outcomes. One year into the program, the water and solid waste component of MSEEL has systematically sampled flowback and produced water volumes, hydraulic fracturing fluid, flowback, produced water, drilling muds, drill cuttings and characterized their inorganic, organic and radio chemistries. In addition, surface water in the nearby Monongahela River is being monitored upstream and downstream of the MSEEL drill pad. Toxicity testing per EPA method 1311 (TCLP) was conducted on drill cuttings in both the vertical and horizontal (Marcellus) sections.

The MSEEL wells used green completion strategy including a water based drilling fluid. All drill cutting samples fell below TCLP thresholds indicating that they are non-hazardous per the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Maximum isotopic activity was recorded for 40 K which was 28.32 pCi/g. Gross alpha accounted the highest reading at 60 pCi/g. Neither of these levels are considered hazardous.

The composition of the HF fluids in both wells are similar to the makeup water which was drawn from the Monongahela River. Its chemistry is typical of Monongahela River water. This is true of inorganics, organics and radiologicals. Organic surrogate recoveries were in the range of 90 to 104% indicating good quality control at the analytical laboratory. There was no evidence that Monongahela River quality was influenced by the MSEEL activities.

Concentrations of all parameters increased through the flowback/produced water cycle. 226 Ra and gross alpha reached 5,200 and 7,000 pCi/L by flowback day 83 indicating an important trend that will be carefully assessed in ongoing monitoring.

AAPG Datapages/Search and Discovery Article #90258 © 2016 AAPG Eastern Section Meeting, Lexington, Kentucky, September 25-27, 2016