Water Availability Assessment of Shale Gas Production in the Weiyuan Play, China

Xia Wu, Jun Xia, Baoshan Guan, Xinming Yan, Lei Zou, Ping Liu, Lifeng Yang, Si Hong and Sheng Hu
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Xia Wu: Key Laboratory of Water Cycle & Related Land Surface Processes, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Jun Xia: Key Laboratory of Water Cycle & Related Land Surface Processes, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Baoshan Guan: PetroChina Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, Beijing 100083, China
Xinming Yan: PetroChina Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, Beijing 100083, China
Lei Zou: Key Laboratory of Water Cycle & Related Land Surface Processes, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Ping Liu: PetroChina Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, Beijing 100083, China
Lifeng Yang: PetroChina Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, Beijing 100083, China
Si Hong: State Key Laboratory of Water Resources & Hydropower Engineering Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430000, China
Sheng Hu: Key Laboratory of Water Cycle & Related Land Surface Processes, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 3, 1-22

Abstract: Innovations and improvements in hydraulic fracturing and horizontal well technologies have contributed to the success of the shale gas industry; however, the industry is also challenged by freshwater use and environmental health issues, and this makes precise quantification of water consumption important. The objective of this study was to better understand water sustainability and availability of the projected shale gas from 2018 to 2030 in the Weiyuan play, China. The water footprint framework was used to quantify the potential water use and environmental impacts on different time scales. The results showed that the water use per well ranged from 11,300 to 60,660 m 3 , with a median of 36,014 m 3 , totaling ~ 3.44 Mm 3 for 97 wells. Yearly evaluation results showed that the gray water footprint was the main contributor and accounted for 83.82% to 96.76%, which was dependent on the different treatment percentage scenario. The monthly environmental impact results indicated that the annual streamflow statistics were more likely to prevent water withdrawal. Water quality issues may be alleviated through recycling and retreatment measures that improve current waste water management strategies. Resource regulators should manage their water resources by matching water demand to water availability or replenishment.

Keywords: water availability; shale gas; water sustainability; Weiyuan play (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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