Anti-fracking protesters rally at US Embassy in Bangkok

[Nobb]

No threat to new government. Well done!

[ChrisY1]

I doubt the PM has ever heard of fracking.......let alone whether it is practiced here.

There's huge revolt in Australia over this issue and the damage it creates.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[mikemac]

They have very poor taste if they can't appreciate the rebooted Battlestar Galactica....

Ahem.

Anyway, it's OK because it's not a Political gathering of five or more red shirt sympathizers.

Yes, you are right.

It is ok because these protesters are not "on the nose" like red shirt sympathizers and don't carry petrol, bombs, grenades and guns.

[ezzra]

And not one word in protests of Thai farmers using banned chemicals and pesticides to way, way,

over spray their crops, endangering virtually every person and animals in the vicinity and people

who consume this products, and what about the burning of the corn fields that engulf the region

with obnoxious smoke and fumes making live stock and people sick huh/,,,,, and they worried

about fracking....

[impulse]

Slightly off topic, but can someone explain the difference between hydraulic fracking, and using explosives down the hole to fracture the rock structure and allow the oil to flow ?? Thanks.

Using explosives down hole was a predecessor to modern fracking. It's still useful in some reservoirs, but the benefits are mostly very near the wellbore.

In hydraulic fracturing, sand or another proppant is suspended in a gelled fluid and pumped into the well at high rates and pressures to create and propagate a fracture in the reservoir rock. When the well goes onto production, the proppant in the fracture holds the reservoir rock apart and provides a high permeability path for the reservoir fluids to move toward the wellbore. The length of the fracture can be in the 1000's of feet, depending on the reservoir and the amount of fluids and proppant pumped in.

Using just the explosives, the penetration is measured in feet or 10's of feet, and the reservoir rock would typically just collapse back together with no flow channel to the wellbore, especially in a "softer" rock reservoir. That's very useful if the drilling process plugged up the permeability near the wellbore, but not much benefit in oil shales with very low permeability throughout the reservoir.

Edited April 21, 2015 by impulse

[Thai at Heart]

Apico is a Thai company 51:49 isn't it?

[bkkjames]

Apico is a Thai company 51:49 isn't it?

Maybe they only protest against the 49.

[Absolut]

Wow! If only these people protested because of FACTS. Here are some facts from prominent and reputable sources. The government people are all Obama appointees:

Ernest Moniz, Secretary of U.S. Dept. of Energy: To my knowledge, I still have not seen any evidence of fracking per se contaminating groundwater. (Aug. 2013)

U.S. Geological Survey: This new study is important in terms of finding no significant effects on groundwater quality from shale gas development within the area of sampling. (January 2013)

U.S. Govt. Accountability Office (GAO): [R]egulatory officials we met with from eight states Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Texas told us that, based on state investigations, the hydraulic fracturing process has not been identified as a cause of groundwater contamination within their states. (September 2012)

Lisa Jackson, former EPA Administrator: In no case have we made a definitive determination that [hydraulic fracturing] has caused chemicals to enter groundwater. (

)

Dr. Stephen Holditch, Dept. of Petroleum Engineering, Texas A&M University; member of DOEs (US Dept. of Energy) SEAB Shale Gas Production Subcommittee: I have been working in hydraulic fracturing for 40+ years and there is absolutely no evidence hydraulic fractures can grow from miles below the surface to the fresh water aquifers. (

)

Dr. Mark Zoback, Professor of Geophysics, Stanford University; member of DOEs SEAB Shale Gas Production Subcommittee: Fracturing fluids have not contaminated any water supply and with that much distance to an aquifer, it is very unlikely they could. (August 2011)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology: In the studies surveyed, no incidents are reported which conclusively demonstrate contamination of shallow water zones with fracture fluids. (2010)

And the list goes on and on. http://energyindepth.org/national/how-anti-fracking-activists-deny-science-water-contamination/

Zinc Oxide is sometimes referred to as the only safe sun protection available in a tube. It protects from the full spectrum of UVA and UVB rays, incredibly effectively, all by itself, making it truly the best natural sunscreen ingredient available http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2010/07/20/natural-sunscreen-review-do-mineral-based-sunblocks-work-2/

A little ignorance goes a long way. These people remind me of the anti-vaccine movement that's causing the resurgence of diseases once thought eradicated. Certainly, the last thing these folks want is for Thailand to be less dependent on foreign imports of petroleum products. Luddites!

Looks like something the tobacco industry would post back in the 60's & 70's and we all know how that turned out.

[ratcatcher]

OK,

Clean water.

Clear air.

Healthy land.

No fracking problem.

[phoenixdoglover]

I have a real affection for solving environmental problems. It's the basis for my career in engineering.

I'm also happy to see a small but vocal group protesting about a possible environmental problem in Thailand. This country needs a much larger environmental movement. The post above, with pictures, proves that.

However...

Environmental groups are often driven by people with political and social interests, and their science capabilities can be limited. This makes them noisy, but unconvincing. The most effective groups really do their homework, so as to make a strong case and avoid embarrassment.

For example, the most likely explanation for Zinc Oxide at a drilling site is for its use as a scavenger for sulfides (H2S) in the drilling "mud", and not for fracking. Besides, Zinc Oxide is not especially toxic, so it's not clear why this group got fixated on it.

[thaibeachlovers]

Fracking? never heard of that word.

Did you never watch Battlestar Galactica ?

[thaibeachlovers]

"In America, land owners become rich - very rich from the gas and oil taken from deep under their land - royalties."

Thanks to smallpox, the original land owners are now selling moccasins and blankets near the interstate.

They were mere users of the land, ownership require a title deed and that is a white man's invention. Do they pay rent on those road side stands?

Erm, wouldn't a treaty confer land ownership?

Of course despicable US governments reneged on ?most of the treaties they made with the Indians. They still won't give the Black Hills back, despite the Supreme Court saying it belongs to them. And they have the gall to try and tell the world how they should behave .

[thaibeachlovers]

I bet all those loons used fossil fuel to get to the protest site.

[sandmike]

Slightly off topic, but can someone explain the difference between hydraulic fracking, and using explosives down the hole to fracture the rock structure and allow the oil to flow ?? Thanks.

Using explosives down hole was a predecessor to modern fracking. It's still useful in some reservoirs, but the benefits are mostly very near the wellbore ....... /snip/

Impulse, many thanks for your explanation.

regards, SM

[pattayasnowman]

“There’s never been one case -documented case – of groundwater contamination in the history of the thousands and thousands of hydraulic fracturing [wells]” – That claim, from Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe, is false, according to Popular Mechanics magazine.

Pavillion ,Wyo - high levels of chemicals linked to fracking have been found on ground water supplies, Pavillion aquifer sits much closer then aquifers in other gas fields. As a consequence drillers may be forced to abandon shallow deposits.

In the past 2 years a series of surface spills , including 2 blowouts at wells operated by Chesapeake Energy and EOG Resources and a spill of 8000 galls of fracking fluid at a site in Dimock. PA ,have contaminated ground water in the Marcellus shale region.

In other words Fracking is a high risk and dangerous process. Thats not to say it should be banned, but it does need to be tightly regulated.

Frankly Thailand history of corruption and poor regulation raises grave concerns over their competence to oversee the Fracking industry.

[eeeya]

3/4 of Thailand's electricity comes from Gas fired plants..

they cant find gas fast enough to keep up with domestic demand therefore fracking is a viable option...

Source.. currently sitting on platform drilling for gas

[Chicog]

"He also stated that the embassy claimed it would take definite action against the companies if they were found guilty of lawbreaking."

I think the youngsters would say:

O RLY?

[tullynagardy]

Pass it on to the U.S. congress?

That's amusing.

Do they know who controls the U.S. congress?

Exactly. They should have just gone to the Israeli embassy and cut out the middle man.

[Jingthing]

Pass it on to the U.S. congress?

That's amusing.

Do they know who controls the U.S. congress?

Exactly. They should have just gone to the Israeli embassy and cut out the middle man.

Wow. Didn't think this one could be blamed on the Jews but congratulations ... you managed.

Sent from my Lenovo S820_ROW using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[rametindallas]

Fracking is not a good thing. Please show us you care about thais and ban it Mr Prayut

Hydraulic fracturing is the best thing ever and I have actually done about 500 fracs around the world, but hey if you want $100 oil, be my guest. We could also make it an even $200 just for you.

I lived 10 years in the county in Texas where Fracking was invented ... Wise County - north of Fort Worth Texas. There were 4000 gas and some oil wells in my county when I left in 2014... Same for Tarrant County (Fort Worth) and again same for the combined counties of Johnson and Parker. Problems are minor with 12,000 wells ... many in a urban environment.

Fracking is hated because of exaggerated and embellished HYPE mostly done by the greenies. The movie on that subject was pure fabrication ... a total lie. I am not in the gas and oil business and receive not one BAHT from it.

Done correctly Fracking does not intrude on anyone... And this technology has made America almost energy independent. Thailand could become the richest S.E.A Nation eclipsing Singapore at some point But false propaganda is what it is...

In America, land owners become rich - very rich from the gas and oil taken from deep under their land - royalties. The main source of false complaints came from - guess who - those who didn't own land ...they wanted by lawsuit a piece of the pie. So they made up preposterous stories to try to get to civil court. And told lies to the movie makers.

Dick Cheney likes it. That is more than enough to put me right off.

Dick Cheney also like to breathe, eat, and sleep. I guess you are put off by those now. Your hate runs deep for a man who really had no power except what the 'press' attributed to him without any evidence. Do you also believe that Obama is controlled by Valerie Jarrett?

[rametindallas]

Slightly off topic, but can someone explain the difference between hydraulic fracking, and using explosives down the hole to fracture the rock structure and allow the oil to flow ?? Thanks.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

Yes. Go to your favorite search engine and type in the words "hydraulic fracking" and hundreds of people will explain in great detail. I, personally, just don't have the time.

[rametindallas]

I doubt the PM has ever heard of fracking.......let alone whether it is practiced here.

There's huge revolt in Australia over this issue and the damage it creates.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

and the damage it creates.

Proof, please.

[rametindallas]

Wow! If only these people protested because of FACTS. Here are some facts from prominent and reputable sources. The government people are all Obama appointees:

Ernest Moniz, Secretary of U.S. Dept. of Energy: To my knowledge, I still have not seen any evidence of fracking per se contaminating groundwater. (Aug. 2013)

U.S. Geological Survey: This new study is important in terms of finding no significant effects on groundwater quality from shale gas development within the area of sampling. (January 2013)

U.S. Govt. Accountability Office (GAO): [R]egulatory officials we met with from eight states Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Texas told us that, based on state investigations, the hydraulic fracturing process has not been identified as a cause of groundwater contamination within their states. (September 2012)

Lisa Jackson, former EPA Administrator: In no case have we made a definitive determination that [hydraulic fracturing] has caused chemicals to enter groundwater. (

)

Dr. Stephen Holditch, Dept. of Petroleum Engineering, Texas A&M University; member of DOEs (US Dept. of Energy) SEAB Shale Gas Production Subcommittee: I have been working in hydraulic fracturing for 40+ years and there is absolutely no evidence hydraulic fractures can grow from miles below the surface to the fresh water aquifers. (

)

Dr. Mark Zoback, Professor of Geophysics, Stanford University; member of DOEs SEAB Shale Gas Production Subcommittee: Fracturing fluids have not contaminated any water supply and with that much distance to an aquifer, it is very unlikely they could. (August 2011)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology: In the studies surveyed, no incidents are reported which conclusively demonstrate contamination of shallow water zones with fracture fluids. (2010)

And the list goes on and on. http://energyindepth.org/national/how-anti-fracking-activists-deny-science-water-contamination/

Zinc Oxide is sometimes referred to as the only safe sun protection available in a tube. It protects from the full spectrum of UVA and UVB rays, incredibly effectively, all by itself, making it truly the best natural sunscreen ingredient available http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2010/07/20/natural-sunscreen-review-do-mineral-based-sunblocks-work-2/

A little ignorance goes a long way. These people remind me of the anti-vaccine movement that's causing the resurgence of diseases once thought eradicated. Certainly, the last thing these folks want is for Thailand to be less dependent on foreign imports of petroleum products. Luddites!

Looks like something the tobacco industry would post back in the 60's & 70's and we all know how that turned out.

Show me some links where government agencies or MIT are approving tobacco use in the 60s and 70s (or ever) and I'll accept your argument. Otherwise you are a Luddite!

[seajae]

I doubt the PM has ever heard of fracking.......let alone whether it is practiced here.

There's huge revolt in Australia over this issue and the damage it creates.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

trouble is in Australia the land owners cannot stop the frackers legally as they by law do not own what is under their land. This is half the problem the farmers dont want them on their land as it buggers it up for them but cannot do anything about it, even in the best cropping areas, they have no say on who can access their land and destroy what they do, especially over the great artesian basin that many rely on for their water supplies. Makes it hard when you cannot tell others to keep off your land, they just get police escorts to take them wherever they want to go on the farmers land causing major problems for the actual land owners.

Edited April 21, 2015 by seajae

[ExpatOilWorker]

Slightly off topic, but can someone explain the difference between hydraulic fracking, and using explosives down the hole to fracture the rock structure and allow the oil to flow ?? Thanks.

Using explosives down hole was a predecessor to modern fracking. It's still useful in some reservoirs, but the benefits are mostly very near the wellbore.

In hydraulic fracturing, sand or another proppant is suspended in a gelled fluid and pumped into the well at high rates and pressures to create and propagate a fracture in the reservoir rock. When the well goes onto production, the proppant in the fracture holds the reservoir rock apart and provides a high permeability path for the reservoir fluids to move toward the wellbore. The length of the fracture can be in the 1000's of feet, depending on the reservoir and the amount of fluids and proppant pumped in.

Using just the explosives, the penetration is measured in feet or 10's of feet, and the reservoir rock would typically just collapse back together with no flow channel to the wellbore, especially in a "softer" rock reservoir. That's very useful if the drilling process plugged up the permeability near the wellbore, but not much benefit in oil shales with very low permeability throughout the reservoir.

Just to give you an idea, frac can be big, very big. I have once pumped 1.5 million lbs of proppant and back in the '70 they use to pump 5-7 million lbs jobs.

Shale fracturing is slightly different from gelled hydraulic fracturing. Shale gas fracturing hardly use any chemicals, lots of water, high pump rate and low proppant concentrations for 12 of more hours per zone. Often 6-12 zones per well.

Edited April 22, 2015 by ExpatOilWorker

[Soutpeel]

Slightly off topic, but can someone explain the difference between hydraulic fracking, and using explosives down the hole to fracture the rock structure and allow the oil to flow ?? Thanks.

Using explosives down hole was a predecessor to modern fracking. It's still useful in some reservoirs, but the benefits are mostly very near the wellbore.

In hydraulic fracturing, sand or another proppant is suspended in a gelled fluid and pumped into the well at high rates and pressures to create and propagate a fracture in the reservoir rock. When the well goes onto production, the proppant in the fracture holds the reservoir rock apart and provides a high permeability path for the reservoir fluids to move toward the wellbore. The length of the fracture can be in the 1000's of feet, depending on the reservoir and the amount of fluids and proppant pumped in.

Using just the explosives, the penetration is measured in feet or 10's of feet, and the reservoir rock would typically just collapse back together with no flow channel to the wellbore, especially in a "softer" rock reservoir. That's very useful if the drilling process plugged up the permeability near the wellbore, but not much benefit in oil shales with very low permeability throughout the reservoir.

Just to give you an idea, frac can be big, very big. I have once pumped 1.5 million lbs of proppant and back in the '70 they use to pump 5-7 million lbs jobs.

Shale fracturing is slightly different from gelled hydraulic fracturing. Shale gas fracturing hardly use any chemicals, lots of water, high pump rate and low proppant concentrations for 12 of more hours per zone. Often 6-12 zones per well.

Are they actually fracking anywhere in Thailand ?

[BSJ]

I would have thought artesian water tables are way above fracking depth. And there have not been any headline stories of any substance reporting major stuff ups by the frackers.

[eeeya]

Slightly off topic, but can someone explain the difference between hydraulic fracking, and using explosives down the hole to fracture the rock structure and allow the oil to flow ?? Thanks.

Using explosives down hole was a predecessor to modern fracking. It's still useful in some reservoirs, but the benefits are mostly very near the wellbore.

In hydraulic fracturing, sand or another proppant is suspended in a gelled fluid and pumped into the well at high rates and pressures to create and propagate a fracture in the reservoir rock. When the well goes onto production, the proppant in the fracture holds the reservoir rock apart and provides a high permeability path for the reservoir fluids to move toward the wellbore. The length of the fracture can be in the 1000's of feet, depending on the reservoir and the amount of fluids and proppant pumped in.

Using just the explosives, the penetration is measured in feet or 10's of feet, and the reservoir rock would typically just collapse back together with no flow channel to the wellbore, especially in a "softer" rock reservoir. That's very useful if the drilling process plugged up the permeability near the wellbore, but not much benefit in oil shales with very low permeability throughout the reservoir.

Just to give you an idea, frac can be big, very big. I have once pumped 1.5 million lbs of proppant and back in the '70 they use to pump 5-7 million lbs jobs.

Shale fracturing is slightly different from gelled hydraulic fracturing. Shale gas fracturing hardly use any chemicals, lots of water, high pump rate and low proppant concentrations for 12 of more hours per zone. Often 6-12 zones per well.

Are they actually fracking anywhere in Thailand ?

There are a few services companies with fracking department in Thailand.

[EyesWideOpen]

Fracking is not a good thing. Please show us you care about thais and ban it Mr Prayut

Hydraulic fracturing is the best thing ever and I have actually done about 500 fracs around the world, but hey if you want $100 oil, be my guest. We could also make it an even $200 just for you.

I lived 10 years in the county in Texas where Fracking was invented ... Wise County - north of Fort Worth Texas. There were 4000 gas and some oil wells in my county when I left in 2014... Same for Tarrant County (Fort Worth) and again same for the combined counties of Johnson and Parker. Problems are minor with 12,000 wells ... many in a urban environment.

Fracking is hated because of exaggerated and embellished HYPE mostly done by the greenies. The movie on that subject was pure fabrication ... a total lie. I am not in the gas and oil business and receive not one BAHT from it.

Done correctly Fracking does not intrude on anyone... And this technology has made America almost energy independent. Thailand could become the richest S.E.A Nation eclipsing Singapore at some point But false propaganda is what it is...

In America, land owners become rich - very rich from the gas and oil taken from deep under their land - royalties. The main source of false complaints came from - guess who - those who didn't own land ...they wanted by lawsuit a piece of the pie. So they made up preposterous stories to try to get to civil court. And told lies to the movie makers.

And the flaming tap water from a home in a fracking area ? Was that a special effect ?

Edited April 22, 2015 by EyesWideOpen

[ExpatOilWorker]

Slightly off topic, but can someone explain the difference between hydraulic fracking, and using explosives down the hole to fracture the rock structure and allow the oil to flow ?? Thanks.

Using explosives down hole was a predecessor to modern fracking. It's still useful in some reservoirs, but the benefits are mostly very near the wellbore.

In hydraulic fracturing, sand or another proppant is suspended in a gelled fluid and pumped into the well at high rates and pressures to create and propagate a fracture in the reservoir rock. When the well goes onto production, the proppant in the fracture holds the reservoir rock apart and provides a high permeability path for the reservoir fluids to move toward the wellbore. The length of the fracture can be in the 1000's of feet, depending on the reservoir and the amount of fluids and proppant pumped in.

Using just the explosives, the penetration is measured in feet or 10's of feet, and the reservoir rock would typically just collapse back together with no flow channel to the wellbore, especially in a "softer" rock reservoir. That's very useful if the drilling process plugged up the permeability near the wellbore, but not much benefit in oil shales with very low permeability throughout the reservoir.

Just to give you an idea, frac can be big, very big. I have once pumped 1.5 million lbs of proppant and back in the '70 they use to pump 5-7 million lbs jobs.

Shale fracturing is slightly different from gelled hydraulic fracturing. Shale gas fracturing hardly use any chemicals, lots of water, high pump rate and low proppant concentrations for 12 of more hours per zone. Often 6-12 zones per well.

Are they actually fracking anywhere in Thailand ?

Yep, just outside Phitsanulok in an old Shell field that now belongs to PPT Siam.

Also sometimes offshore, but not that often.