Replies to This Discussion

Oil/Gas ProPermalink Reply by PA roughneck on August 30, 2010 at 1:49pm

Here are links to a Scale Inhibitor and Gelling Agents.
Scale Inhibitor-http://www.aquaclear-inc.com/scale-inhibitor-control/
Phosphate (a scale inhibitor)-http://www.aquaclear-inc.com/scale-inhibitor-control/
The gelling agent is simply something the thicken the water-more than likely, guar gum or xanthan gum see-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thickening_agent
Both pretty much innocuous as far as I can tell.

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Oil/Gas ProPermalink Reply by PA roughneck on August 30, 2010 at 1:52pm

Sorry, wrong link to phosphonate-correct one is-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosphonate

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LandownerPermalink Reply by Keith Mauck (Site Publisher) on August 31, 2010 at 3:26am

Thanks Ross. Phew, I was not a good chemistry student...I think I get the idea though. This is part of the problem, alot this is above the heads of most citizens so it's easy to feed misinformation to an uneducated populace

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Oil/Gas ProPermalink Reply by PA roughneck on August 31, 2010 at 1:28pm

So true Keith,
Call something a TOXIC BIOCIDE and people become alarmed, newspapers sell and Josh has more disposable income!. State simply it's called glutaraldehyde, and explain it's the most common disinfectant used in health care and water treatment industries and your nothing but a gas co. troll. (Not referring to this site of course!)
I think we've got a bit of an uphill battle with the NIMBY's but if we keep our statements true and are willing to reach out to people at their level, those of us in favor of drilling can help educate the undecided.
If you've got any questions, feel free to ask. I've 6 years exp. on the drilling side of things and know a number of people in the other areas.

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Permalink Reply by Carolyn on September 1, 2010 at 10:26am

Sorry you are misinformed. A biocide is just what it says; a biological agent that kills. Tuolene, benezene, diesel derivative are only three of the dozens of carcinogenic, yes that means cancer causing chemicals, that are used in hydrofracking. Cement casings wear out over time. Maybe not in your lifetime but your children's. And guess what? I am a NIMBY! I already have drill rigs, compressor stations, noise so loud I have to shut my window,s ruined roads, endless truck traffic and stinking air: AND I DIDN;T EVEN LEASE! Yes I am a landowner in Dimock. Come on out for yourself and see what gas drilling really means. While you are at it, stop and see my neighbors on Carter R d who have toxic water in their homes. Hey if you want to ruin your property, I suppose that is your right. But mine gets ruined at the same time. If you are smart you''ll wait till the gas companies pay $10,000 an acre. I have experience too now; experience in how gas companies ruin your property and your life.

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Oil/Gas ProPermalink Reply by PA roughneck on September 1, 2010 at 3:50pm

I may have been misinformed, as I was only replying to the list of chemicals that EQT released. Yes biocides are toxic. They are also a very necessary chemical that our modern way of life could not do without. They are used as disinfectants in hospitals, they prevent the discharge of algae into water supplies in water treatment plants, they are sprayed on seed in the agricultural industry to prevent fungal growth. In the gas field they are used to kill the organisms that feed upon the gelling agents (the same ones found in a great deal of the edible foodstuffs found in your local market.)
I reread the list Kieth posted from EQT and did not find Toluene or Benzene listed. If you have some information on the chemicals in the above list, please share with us which ones contain Toluene and Benzene. I'm sure we would all be most interested.
Regarding the cement casing wearing out; I'm not sure what you mean by 'cement casing'- to me that means the cement squeezed between the steel casing and the wall of the well.
All I can offer for that is this- take a look at the the Nicholson Bridge. This feat of engineering was built during not my lifetime, nor my parents lifetime but the year my grandmother was born. Built of cement, steel and aggregate (rock). Subject to constant assault by the elements, the freeze thaw cycles of winter and the tremendous weight of fully loaded freight trains, it still stands. Safely used for it's intended purpose nearly 100 years later. A testament to the skills of engineers and the workers who built it.
The same holds true for well casing and cement, although this cement is not subject to the elements, nor the stresses imparted by moving trains, nor the freezes and thaws of winter. In the case of the tainted wells in Dimock-it was not the engineering that failed, rather the workmanship of the cement job that caused your neighbors gas migration problems. Hydraulic fracturing had NOTHING to do with the water issues on Carter Rd. Such issues as poor cement jobs could be remedied if PADEP required operators to perform a Cement Bond Log on all casing strings passing through the aquifer.
In response to your other issues- the traffic, noise and smells- for that I am sorry, all these however are the price one pays when living near a source of fuel for the country's power and heat. As you live in Dimock, I know better than to ask if you heat with natural gas. But do you use propane? Is your home power provided by a utility company or do you use solar or wind? Unless you are heating and lighting your home by solar, wind or geothermal I pose you the following questions.
Fuel to provide power for your needs must come from someones back yard, if not yours, whose?
Second, what makes that person more deserving of the inconveniences you're experiencing for fulfilling the same needs as you have?
I await your answers to these and any of your solutions to this dilemma.

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Permalink Reply by Nate on September 1, 2010 at 5:27pm

Ross you're too harsh on Carolyn, it's much easier to spout off egregious charges than to come to a table with facts.

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