Shale Gas Resources: Energy Potential and Associated Exploitation Challenges for Coupled Geomechanics and Transport Characteristics

摘要

Natural-gas systems are of great value in terms of providing clean energy solution to the growing energy demand in the world. From the statistical analysis carried out by the US National Petroleum Council, Department of Energy in 2009, both natural gas and coal will meet around 25% of the energy demands of the world by the year 2030. Such sharp increase in demands especially from fast growing economies many influences the geopolitical scenario of the world. To maintain a level play field for sustainment of the world economies, it is necessary to look into unconventional resources that are available in plenty on the earth in almost all the continents and may offset the energy dependence of countries on outer sources. Natural gas from unconventional resources like Coal Bed Methane (CBM), Tight Gas Sands, and Shale Gas has been identified to be economically exploitable. From the speculative studies carried out by Energy information Agency that looked into 48 basins in 32 countries totaling around 70 shale formations was an exhaustive study and provides a lot of new information about the resource potential of these shales in term of the extent, maturation, generation and technical recoverability of the gas from these basins. However, there are certain environmental issues associated with development of natural gas from these unconventional resources like contamination of natural resources. Shale gas resource potentials in USA and the rest of the world are studied in this paper. Shale gas development history and technology together with the identified possible challenges associated with exploitation of these resources have been addressed.