Things to know about shale gas
2
Unconventional
reservoir rock
– gas trapped in shale rock
One of the first drilling rigs in Poland
Conventional
reservoir rock
– free flow of gas
Production from conventional deposits is a process that
has been known since the 19th century and for a long
time now has not posed any technological problems
(in Poland, gas has been produced since 1853).
By the end of the 20th century, the technology for
producing gas from rock matrix had not been de-
veloped yet. Rock matrix was not even perceived as
a reservoir from which hydrocarbons (such as gas)
could be recovered. In recent decades, however,
the trend has reversed.
The technology of hydraulic fracturing, or using
high pressure and water mixed with sand to create
cracks in shale rock, has made the production of
shale gas possible and economically viable.
Shale rock after
fracturing
– the flow of gas
