Future of Shale Gas in China and its Influence on the Global Markets for Natural Gas

Author(s):  
Yuri Yegorov ◽  
Jalal Dehnavi
Keyword(s):  
Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 3326
Author(s):  
M. S. Liew ◽  
Kamaluddeen Usman Danyaro ◽  
Noor Amila Wan Abdullah Zawawi

Hydraulic fracturing has made the production of gas more economical. Shale gas possesses the potential to arise as a main natural gas source worldwide. It has been assessed that the top 42 countries, including the U.S., are predicted to own 7299 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of technically recoverable shale gas resources. The main goal of this paper is to serve as a guide of different shale gas extraction methods. The significance of these methods and possible pros and cons are determined. Each technique was explained with the support of literature review. Specifically, this paper revealed that some fracking methods such as pulsed arc electrohydraulic discharges (PAED), plasma stimulation and fracturing technology (PSF), thermal (cryogenic) fracturing, enhanced bacterial methanogenesis, and heating of rock mass are at the concept stage for conventional and other unconventional resources. Thus, these found to be significant for stimulating natural gas wells, which provides very good production results. This paper also discovered that fracking remains the recommended technique used by the oil and gas industries.


2017 ◽  
Vol 139 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maxian B. Seales ◽  
Turgay Ertekin ◽  
John Yilin Wang

At the end of 2015 the U.S. held 5.6% or approximately 369 Tcf of worldwide conventional natural gas proved reserves (British Petroleum Company, 2016, “BP Statistical Review of World Energy June 2016,” British Petroleum Co., London). If unconventional gas sources are considered, natural gas reserves rise steeply to 2276 Tcf. Shale gas alone accounts for approximately 750 Tcf of the technically recoverable gas reserves in the U.S. (U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2011, “Review of Emerging Resources: U.S. Shale Gas and Shale Oil plays,” U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC). However, this represents only a very small fraction of the gas associated with shale formations and is indicative of current technological limits. This manuscript addresses the question of recovery efficiency/recovery factor (RF) in fractured gas shales. Predictions of gas RF in fractured shale gas reservoirs are presented as a function of operating conditions, non-Darcy flow, gas slippage, proppant crushing, and proppant diagenesis. Recovery factors are simulated using a fully implicit, three-dimensional, two-phase, dual-porosity finite difference model that was developed specifically for this purpose. The results presented in this article provide clear insight into the range of recovery factors one can expect from a fractured shale gas formation, the impact that operation procedures and other phenomena have on these recovery factors, and the efficiency or inefficiency of contemporary shale gas production technology.


2015 ◽  
Vol 737 ◽  
pp. 794-799
Author(s):  
Liang Yu Xia ◽  
Jing Yi Wen

Owing to the growing gap of natural gas between supply and demand in China, the unconventional natural gas, including coal-bed methane (CBM) and shale gas, has been considered as strategic energy sources. An assessment by China’s Ministry of Land and Resources (MLR) announced that China has potentially resources of 36.7 trillion cubic meters of CBM and 25 trillion cubic meters of shale gas, larger than those of the U.S. Controversial views about their commercial prospects and priorities in order are available. This research aims at exploring which is more economically viable and worth the priority. A cost-benefit analysis (CBA) based on average single well data is employed to carry out a comparative analysis between two typical fields, the coal-bed methane (CBM) fields in the Qinshui basin and the shale gas fields in Sichuan basin. The net present value (NPV), the internal rate of return (IRR) and the payback period are used as indicators in this analysis. The results indicate that CBM is superior to shale gas in viability under the current technological and economic conditions, and the future of the CBM industry is clearer than that of the shale gas industry, but the latter is still promising if the drilling costs can be reduced significantly with technical progress. We suggest that the CBM industry should be given the priority to, and the policy for shale gas should focus on promoting technical innovations.


Significance This drag on the economy stems mainly from the poor performance of the natural gas sector, as investment in new projects has been inadequate to compensate for the decline in output from mature fields. Impacts Natural gas might be a driver of growth, despite limited scope to increase oil production due to depleted reserves. Development of Algeria’s abundant reserves of shale gas may face strong local opposition. Increased gas production could facilitate progress on long-stalled plans to expand fertiliser and petrochemical industries.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document