Fugitive Methane Caught in the Act of Raising GHG

Fugitive Methane Caught in the Act of Raising GHG by James Conca, July 15, 2012, Forbes
Fugitive losses include loss of methane from the well-head during flow-back return of the fluids, during drill-out following fracturing and during well-venting, plus losses from equipment leaks, losses during transport, storage, and distribution, processing losses and losses during liquid unloading. (Is methane coming out of your faucet fugitive?) … Escape of these fugitives is especially large for shale gas as it requires high-volume hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. Fracking forces large volumes of water under pressure into the shale to fracture and re-fracture the rock to increase gas flow. A large amount of this water returns to the surface as flow-back within the first weeks after injection, bringing back large quantities of methane. … Many think we are destined to become a natural gas nation because natural gas is considered a bridge fuel from oil and coal to the non-fossil fuels. Beware – this bridge may still get too hot before we reach the other side.