Special Section: Energy - Getting the Gas Out of the Ground | AIChE

Other Sites & Tools

Technical Groups

You are here

Special Section: Energy - Getting the Gas Out of the Ground

Special Section
August
2012
Stephen A. Holditch, P.E.
Download & Read This Article

Technologies developed in the oil and gas industry over the past 60+ years are now being used to produce shale gas. 

Until recently, most natural gas came from what are known as conventional reservoirs. This conventional gas is typically trapped in multiple, relatively small, porous zones in rock formations such as sandstones, silt-­stones, and carbonates. Such gas is relatively easy to recover.

Copyright Permissions 

Would you like to reuse content from CEP Magazine? It’s easy to request permission to reuse content. Simply click here to connect instantly to licensing services, where you can choose from a list of options regarding how you would like to reuse the desired content and complete the transaction.

Features

Special Section: Energy - Addressing the Challenges Along the Shale Gas Supply Chain

The production of natural gas from shale formations is one of the fastest-­growing segments of the U.S. oil and gas industry today.

Special Section: Energy - Demand Outlook: A Golden Age of Natural Gas

The shale gas boom in the U.S. is transforming the energy marketplace and a wide range of manufacturing industries that rely on natural gas.

Special Section: Energy - Getting the Gas Out of the Ground

Technologies developed in the oil and gas industry over the past 60+ years are now being used to produce shale gas.

Special Section: Energy - Expanding the Shale Gas Infrastructure

Development of U.S. shale gas resources will require expansion of infrastructure assets ranging from roads and rails to pipelines and seaports to power-generation plants and ethane crackers, and more.

Special Section: Energy - Environmental Considerations of Shale Gas Development

The impacts of shale gas development on land, air, and water resources can and must be managed through sustainable operating practices.

Special Section: Energy - Regulatory Programs Governing Shale Gas Development

The production of natural gas from shale is subject to environmental regulations, including a combination of requirements already followed by conventional gas developers, plus new ones specific to shale gas.

Choosing Process Vacuum Pumps

Vacuum pumps are an integral part of many industrial facilities. Both processing objectives and budget constraints must be considered when selecting a specific pump.

Spain's Chemical Industry from the 19th Century to the Present

In the wake of the mid-20th century emergence of the oil-based global chemical industry and the rise of Europe as an International market force, Spain's chemical industry has become modern and competitive.

Special Section: Energy - Shale Gas [Full Supplement]

The production of natural gas from shale formations is one of the fastest-growing segments of the U.S. oil and gas industry today.

Departments

CEP: Books

Books Include:Guidelines for Engineering Design for Process Safety, 2nd EditionCapitalizing on Nature: Ecosystems as Natural AssetsPipe Flow: A Practical and Comprehensive Guide 

CEP: Commentary - Take Advantage of Wireless Devices

Wireless instrumentation has not taken off in the chemical process industries (CPI), despite its availability since 2003 and its advantages over the wired alternatives. This is not to say that these devices are not used. In fact, thousands of wireless measurement instruments...

CEP: Editorial- AIChE's Path to Sustainability

Last month in this space, I wrote about some of the sustainability activities underway in and around Grand Canyon National Park, and how my vacation there got me thinking about AIChE’s sustainability efforts.    The most recent initiative is the formation of the International...

CEP: Institute News - President's Corner

Today's for-profit businesses and nonprofit organizations are faced withe the need to accomplish multiple strategic priorities to achieve their goals for revenue, membership involvement, and longevity. A concept underlying all these priorities is growth.  Without growth, any organization will...

CEP: Journal Highlight - ChemEs get Schooled in Sustainability

Sustainable design will be required if the world is to support a growing population with increasingly higher living standards.

CEP: Meeting Preview - Annual Meeting, Oct. 28- Nov. 2, Will Spotlight Energy and Water

This fall, Pittsburgh, PA- the city of bridges, and the site of AIChE's first Annual Meeting in 1908-will connect thousands of chemical enginners for an industry-spanning overview of the field's of hottest topics, when AIChE takes its Annual Meeting to that city's David L. Lawrence Convention...

CEP: What's New

CEP: News Update

Updates Include:The Natural Gas Debate ContinuesSmart Material Stays Cool in the HeatFirefly-Semiconductor Hybrid Lights UpIonic Liquid Improves Hydrogen-Producing CatalystOne-Pot Synthesis Yields Zeolites at Bargain PricesHigh-Carbon Diet Ramps Up Oil Production in AlgaeGet the Skinny on Solar...

CEP: Process Safety Beacon - Hot Work Hazards

A contract welder and a foreman were repairing an agitator support on top of an atmospheric-pressure storage tank. The tank contained a polyvinyl fluoride slurry with a flammable concentration if vinyl fluoride in the vapor space. An explosion killed the welder, injured the foreman, and blew most of...

CEP: Profile - Engineering Flavors and Bridging Cultures

As the winner of a February 2012 episode of the Food Network’s Cupcake Wars, Winnette McIntosh Ambrose, a National Institute of Health scientist specializing in vision research, demonstrated that inspired chemical engineers can succeed in any realm — when they bring the right ingredients to the...

CEP: Spotlight on Safety - Management of Change: It's Not Just for Work, but for Your Private Life as Well

CEP: Software

CEP: Product Digest - Solids & Handling

CEP: Showcase

CEP: Marketplace

CEP: Recruitment Classifieds

CEP: Chem Economics - New Chemical Activity Barometer Signals Future Economic Trends

In the study of economic fluctuations, many industries have been found to lead or lag the overall business cycle. When an industry (or some of its products) consistently leads the economy’s business cycle, a leading indicator can be developed from measures of that industry’s activity....