Fracking oil involves injecting a special fluid under high pressure into underground rock formations to create pathways for the oil to flow out.
Understanding the Oil Fracking Process
The technique used to extract oil and other hydrocarbons from deep underground rock formations is known as hydraulic fracturing, commonly referred to as "fracking." Based on the provided reference, the core of this process for accessing petroleum involves a specific high-pressure injection.
Here's how it works:
- Wellbore Creation: A well is drilled down into the target rock formation where the oil is trapped.
- High-Pressure Injection: The crucial step is the high-pressure injection of a substance called "fracking fluid" directly into a wellbore.
- Fracking Fluid Composition: This fluid is primarily water. It also contains materials known as proppants (like sand or other small, solid particles). These proppants are kept suspended within the water with the aid of thickening agents.
- Creating Cracks: The immense pressure from the injected fluid is sufficient to create cracks within the deep, dense rock formations underground.
- Allowing Flow: These newly created cracks act as pathways. The proppants hold these cracks open after the pressure is reduced. This allows trapped substances – including natural gas, petroleum (oil), and brine – to flow more freely out of the rock and up the wellbore to the surface for collection.
In essence, fracking provides artificial channels within tight rock formations, enabling the economic recovery of oil and other hydrocarbons that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to extract.
