Drilling The Barnett Shale, Fort Worth, Texas

Drilling for Natural Gas Reserves in the Barnett Shale

Unlike most natural gas formations which are found in sandstone or limestone, the Barnett holds its gas in shale. Finding a way to get the gas out of the shale has puzzled scientists for decades as traditional drilling methods fell short. Today that's all changed. Thanks to the recent advances in drilling technology described below, the Barnett Shale is now one of the largest producing natural gas fields in the United States.

Fracturing

Gas hides within microscopic pores of the Barnett Shale. The fracturing process helps get the gas out of the rock and lessens the chance of a "near miss".

Fracturing is a drilling innovation that allows for the expulsion of gas through the wellbore. During the process, water is pumped forcefully down the wellbore, and fractures, (or breaks-up) the rock. The more the rock is crunched, the more gas is liberated. Once the gas is released, it comes back up through the wellbore. The gas is then separated from the water, the water is hauled away, and the gas is sold.

Horizontal Drilling

Horizontal Drilling is ideal for exploring under a city. Since the gas reserves of the Barnett Shale are positioned beneath densely populated areas, the horizontal drilling method allows operators to drill under parks, schools or housing.

In Horizontal Drilling, the drilling rig can be erected in a vacant field, while the bit probes more than a mile beneath the surface. The operators drill down vertically, then the flexible drill pipe makes a 90 degree turn and continues horizontally for thousands of feet.