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About
Shale Gas
One of
the biggest trends in the industry is shale gas, which is being called a “game
changer” in the U.S. energy market. It is quickly turning the country from a
dependency on imported natural gas and oil to a greater self-sufficiency as well
as creating a greater interest in natural gas as an energy source. Shale
gas is likely to be a game changer in the flowmeter market as well, as
manufacturers figure out how to deal with the challenges inherent in shale gas
recovery and measurement.
Capital investments and improvements in shale gas technologies have moved to
Canadian shale plays as well. The success of shale has piqued other countries’
interest in developing their own shale gas resource base. According to an EIA
report publicized in 2011, there is significant international potential
for shale gas that could play an increasingly important role in global natural
gas markets. Shale gas development appears most attractive in countries that are
highly dependent on natural gas imports and countries where the shale gas
resource estimate is large.
Shale gas is natural gas that is trapped within shale formations. The low
permeability of the shale inhibits the gas from migrating to more permeable
reservoir rocks. In contrast, conventional gas reservoirs are created when
natural gas migrates toward the earth's surface from a source formation into
permeable reservoir rock, where it is trapped by an overlying layer of
impermeable rock.
For
more information on natural gas, see www.GasFlows.com.
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