Report quantifies hydraulic fluid spills

A new report from a project conducted by researchers from Duke University has quantified the spills of fluids used for the hydraulic fracturing of oil and gas wells in Colorado, New Mexico, North Dakota and Pennsylvania between 2005 and 2014. The report, published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, presents spill data from all phases of hydraulic fracturing operations, including the storage of fluids and the transportation of fluids through flowlines. By taking this broad approach, the researchers determined larger spill volumes than those reported by the Environmental Protection Agency at the end of last year.

The new report found that 50 percent of the spills related to the storage and movement of fluids.

Median spill volumes ranged from 0.5 cubic meters in Pennsylvania to 4.9 cubic meters in New Mexico, with the largest spills exceeding 100 cubic meters. Between 75 percent and 94 percent of the spills happened within the first three years of a well’s life, at a time when wells were being drilled and completed, and when production rates were at their highest, the report says.

The report suggests that improved, standardized regulatory requirements for reporting spills could help more quickly analyze spill risks and hence mitigate those risks.

On the basis that transparency in spill data sharing and analysis will become increasingly important in an era of increased unconventional oil and gas development, the researchers have designed an interactive spill data visualization tool.

- ALAN BAILEY