The Fossil Fuel Revolution: Shale Gas and Tight Oil

The Fossil Fuel Revolution: Shale Gas and Tight Oil describes the remarkable new energy resources being obtained from shale gas and tight oil through a combination of directional drilling and staged hydraulic fracturing, opening up substantial new energy reserves for the 21st Century.  The book includes the history of shale gas development, the technology used to economically recover hydrocarbons, and descriptions of the ten primary shale gas resources of the United States. International shale resources, environmental concerns, and policy issues are also addressed.  This book is intended as a reference on shale gas and tight oil for industry members, undergraduate and graduate students, engineers and geoscientists.

Provides a cross-cutting view of shale gas and tight oil in the context of geology, petroleum engineering, and the practical aspects of productionIncludes a comprehensive description of productive and prospective shales in one book, allowing readers to compare and contrast production from different shale playsAddresses environmental and policy issues and compares alternative energy resources in terms of economics and sustainabilityFeatures an extensive resource list of peer-reviewed references, websites, and journals provided at the end of each chapter

PART I: GEOLOGY OF TIGHT OIL AND GAS SHALES 1. Petroleum geology concepts 2. Unconventional tight oil and shale gas resources 3. The revolutionary U.S. shale plays 4. The evolutionary U.S. shale plays 5. International shale plays

PART II. THE FUTURE OF FOSSIL FUELS 6. Environmental concerns 7. Energy economics

PART III. ENERGY POLICY 8. Energy security 9. The politics of energy