Pump up the volume
2 Nov 2015
Pumps and valves technology will have to adapt if shale gas is ever to be extracted in the UK.
Estimates taken from a recent report published by the British Geological Survey suggest there could be as much as 2281 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of shale gas reserves beneath our feet.
Even the more realistic central estimate of 1329 tcf is astonishing.
Technology will undoubtedly play a huge part in the rapid expansion of the UK’s nascent shale oil and gas industry
Much of these immense reserves are located in the Bowland Shale – a region that stretches from Cheshire in the North West of England to Yorkshire in northern England.
Of course, the recoverable reserves are nowhere near 2281 or 1329 tcf. They are far closer to 20 tcf – which, most will agree, is still a formidable sum.
Extracting any of the shale gas we have discovered depends largely on two things, however: having the necessary legal consent to do so, and having the right tools.
Technology will undoubtedly play a huge part in the rapid expansion of the UK’s nascent shale oil and gas industry.
Our latest Pumps&Valves inProcess cover feature takes an in-depth look at some of the technologies that are likely to take centre stage as the UK moves towards a fracking future.
The feature also looks at some of the technologies already being used to extract shale oil and gas around the globe - particularly in countries such as the US where shale is already a fully-fledged industry.
However, as the feature also reveals, technologies used in the US may not necessarily be suitable on this side of the pond.
As we discover, one of the key differences between UK and US shale is geology, and specifically the geology of the shale oil and gas fields in question.
Therefore, the technologies and techniques pumps and valves manufacturers must employ to recover shale reserves in the UK will have to reflect this fact.
Question is: are they up for the job?
