Geosynthetic Opportunities Associated With Shale ... - Geosynthetica

Geosynthetic OpportunitiesThis section of the White Paper describes some of the many geosynthetic solutions thatcan be applied to shale gas plays. The section is subdivided according to (i) the drillingoperations themselves, (ii) opportunities at permanent locations, and (iii) opportunities attemporary locations.Geosynthetics Associated with Drilling OperationsThe first, and quite obvious, opportunity is the use of geomembranes for fresh watercontainment and subsequent use in the well drilling operations. The design stages are wellknown and consist of the following sequential steps:geometry (length, width, depth)cross section materialsgeomembrane typegeomembrane thicknesssubgrade soil stabilitycover soil stabilityrunout and anchor trench detailsPerhaps the most overlooked design detail is the requirement of providing an underdrain systembeneath the geomembrane. Shown in Figure 6 are the all-to-common “whales” lifting up thegeomembrane via rising gases within the underlying soil subgrade. Various underdrain solutionsthat should be considered are the following:thick needlepunched nonwoven geotextilesdrainage geocomposites (complete or strips)interconnected perforated pipe systemgeotextiles with small perforated pipessand bedding layer (with pipe network)-9-