The shale gas revolution: Barriers, sustainability, and emerging opportunities

TLDR

Shale gas and hydraulic fracturing have transformed the U.S. energy sector by lowering prices, boosting consumption, and reducing CO₂ emissions, yet environmental concerns and plateauing extraction efficiencies persist. The study aims to uncover key discoveries, lessons, and recommendations from 23 years of production data on 20,000 wells, and to test whether tail‑production can be enhanced with improved fracturing techniques and CO₂ working fluids to increase recovery and reduce environmental impacts. The authors performed extensive data mining and analysis of 23 years of production from 20,000 wells.

Abstract

Shale gas and hydraulic refracturing has revolutionized the US energy sector in terms of prices, consumption, and CO2 emissions. However, key questions remain including environmental concerns and extraction efficiencies that are leveling off. For the first time, we identify key discoveries, lessons learned, and recommendations from this shale gas revolution through extensive data mining and analysis of 23 years of production from 20,000 wells. Discoveries include identification of a learning-by-doing process where disruptive technology innovation led to a doubling in shale gas extraction, how refracturing with emerging technologies can transform existing wells, and how overall shale gas production is actually dominated by long-term tail production rather than the high-profile initial exponentially-declining production in the first 12 months. We hypothesize that tail production can be manipulated, through better fracturing techniques and alternative working fluids such as CO2, to increase shale gas recovery and minimize environmental impacts such as through carbon sequestration.