Prospects of Shale gas in India verses Global Scenario and Future of Plasma Pulse Technology

Abstract

Conventional sources are expensive, polluting and limited by its reserves so, it will not be able to meet the demand of a country which is increasing continuously. This concern triggered the scramble to secure long term oil supplies and shown their reliance on the unconventional resources. Shale gas is natural gas trapped in the shale formation with organic rich content of methane. Huge reserves have been found in United States, Poland and Canada. On the other side, India, although having the enough reserves of shale gas to fulfill the energy demand (97tcf) has not yet initiated much work in this domain. Technically, the advancement in the horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing are employed for extraction but this technique uses the fracturing fluid for fracturing the formations of shale gas, because of the expense of massive hydraulic fracturing required and also seems to have raised concerns over its contribution to global warming which is not reliable to environment. Henceforth, a new novel stimulation technique has recently been developed known as Plasma Pulse Technology (PPT) which creates vibrations, or generates plasma impulses electrically. These vibrations/impulses reduce viscosity and increase permeability to gas phase to improve its flow for extraction. The technology is designed to improve production cost without resorting to hydro-fracturing, oxidization or other non-ecofriendly processes as we are in the initial stages of exploration, this paper would illustrate the efforts which were made to understand the gas and its implications in geological preparation, extraction, handling and usage, the challenges in its findings and economic implications as a replacement of conventional domestic needs. Moreover, this paper is also aimed at highlighting the environmental implications of hydraulic fracturing, LPG based fracturing and simultaneously predicting the future of PPT.

Keywords: Unconventional, Shale gas, Production, Plasma pulse technology, Hydro-fracturing