Pore Structure Characteristics and Adsorption and Desorption Capacity of Coal Rock after Exposure to Clean Fracturing Fluid.

In the hydraulic fracturing process, fracturing fluid contacts coal rock and physical and chemical reactions occur, which inevitably damage the pore structure of the coal rock and affect the adsorption and desorption capacity of the coal rock. In this paper, a low-temperature N adsorption method and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to characterize coal samples. Using gas adsorption/desorption tests, high-, medium-, and low-rank coal samples before and after the clean fracturing fluid treatment were systematically studied.

Liquid nitrogen waterless fracking for the environmental protection of arid areas during unconventional resource extraction.

Many arid and semi-arid regions are rich in shale gas or coalbed methane. However, hydraulic-fracturing, commonly used for reservoir stimulation, has serious environmental impacts such as the consumption of large quantities of water, damage of residual organic compounds and the disposal of process water. This paper presents liquid nitrogen (LN) as an environmentally friendly, waterless fracking technology, which could potentially replace hydraulic fracturing.