In the past few years, a lot of discussions around the term ‘Fracking’ have been gaining ground. While some groups and proponents swear by the advantages of fracking, others believe it is an environmental and health risk.

Countries like the United States, Russia, China, and parts of the Middle East all use fracking to help them in the extraction process of oil and natural gas. The recent fracking boom has pushed American oil tycoons and companies into the stratosphere and allowed them to maximize extraction and drilling processes for fossil fuels.

In this article, we are going to look at some of the major communications around fracking. We are also going to shed light on its advantages and controversies and understand why this process requires the best oil and gas tools.

Fracking: Meaning and Definition

To be honest, the term fracking is a slang that emerged from two words- Hydraulic Fracturing. As the name suggests, fracturing refers to the breaking open of the Earth’s surface located hundreds of feet below.

The process of fracking is instrumental in helping release all the pressurized and trapped fossil fuels like crude oil and natural gas. Fracking involves the use of using a high-pressure water gun that is mixed with certain chemicals that are blasted into the earth’s deep surface.

This is done at a tremendous force as the purpose is to break open the hard stones. According to experts, fracking can take place both vertically as well as horizontally. It can help drillers reach tough surfaces within the Earth’s surface to extract the oil and gas.

Fracking has become one of the most popular strategies for extraction only in the last two decades. Countries like the United States that have pioneered fracking have become an oil and gas powerhouse thanks to being one of the earliest proponents of fracking.

Some Major Advantages of Fracking in the Oil and Gas Drilling Process

In this section, we are going to look at some of the major advantages of fracking-

  • Fracking allows for access to sources of fuel that are trapped in difficult areas below the Earth’s surface. This means that mining and drilling operations can become more successful and efficient.
  • Using fracking to gain access to natural gas allows the world to lose dependency on coal. As you know coal is one of the deadliest pollutants on the planet. In many ways, fracking helps us to utilize cleaner forms of fuel than coal.
  • Fracking in the oil and gas industry has led to the direct and indirect creation of millions of jobs. If data is to be believed, in the US alone, fracking has helped create more than 1.7 million employment opportunities for the local population.

Additionally, proponents of fracking point out that fracking has resulted in the entire process becoming less dangerous as compared to earlier times. People also say that as compared to other forms of energy generation like nuclear, fracking consumes 1/10th of the water.

Why Fracking is considered Controversial by some quarters?

In the last few years, a number of environmental groups have come up in arms against fracking. They say that fracking has an adverse impact on the groundwater wherever it has been done. They say that the immense pressure results in the puncturing of aquifers leading to the contamination of groundwater with dangerous impurities and contaminations.

Many advocacy groups point out that fracking increases our reliance on fossil fuels and encourages us to keep drilling our planet. They also point out that irresponsible fracking has been a major contributor to the release of methane in our atmosphere.

Apart from the above dangers, fracking has also been controversially associated with causing earthquakes and putting dangerous chemicals into the ground. However, both these accusations have not been backed by any proof.

The Final Word

There is a reason why fracking or hydraulic fracturing is being considered by almost all major governments. At a time when every country is trying to become energy independent, fracking can help them achieve their energy sufficiency in safe and doable ways. If you have any other questions that you would like answers to, let us know in the comments section below.