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Marcellus Frac / Fracking
Hydraulic fracturing of a Marcellus Shale gas well

Doesn't really matter how you spell the abbreviation for hydraulic fracturing. For pronunciation purposes, it is usually written as 'frack' which is good enough. But then some want to spell it fraccing instead of fracing, or you may even see it written as frac'ing with the apostrophe added. Fracking will serve our purposes here, that being to show photos of what sort of conglomeration of trucks and equipment ends up on a Marcellus Shale frack job.

'Fracking Convention' might even be a better term, since it is a large gathering of men and machines (does this industry hire any women for field operations, we haven't seen any yet?)  In the early days of Marcellus Shale gas drilling,  most of the gas drilling has started in rural areas. What was once quiet farmland, with a network of small country roads, suddenly becomes a mass invasion of 24-7 truck traffic. Mostly big semi - tractor trailers are required to do the hauling for hydraulic fracturing of a Marcellus gas well. These operations can last for several days. You often hear residents say they are ready to move away, since the peace they once had is now gone in the rural Marcellus gas fields.

In addition to the trucks that haul frac fluids and other chemicals, every type of truck imaginable ends up on those gas well locations. The large tanker trucks carrying the 'proppant' appear to make the most trips, since some Marcellus wells require over 3-million pounds of the fine white sand for completion of the well. If each semi hauled 30-tons of this sand, it would take 50 tractor trailer loads to deliver 3,000,000 lbs.  This is why it is so important for municipalities to 'Bond' their roads and bridges. They will get destroyed. Most of these roads were never intended for heavy trucks, especially not the volume of truck traffic needed to complete a Marcellus well. If a pad contains multiple wells, multiply these truck trips accordingly.

The photos below will illustrate what a Marcellus frack job looks like up close.
  

Marcellus Shale farm country in Pennsylvania
Quiet Marcellus Shale farm country
  
  
Rig drilling Marcellus Shale for natural gas
Marcellus drilling rig on the horizon
  
  
Temporary piping of water and fluids from an impoundment to the frac site
White plastic pipes carry fluids for fracking from an impoundment dam
  
  
Temporary fluid pipeline along a road
Temporary fluid pipeline along a country road
  
  
Fracking convention!
Fracking site from a distance
  
  
Sand tankers haul fine white sand used as a proppant
Tractor trailers hauling frac sand are lined-up in wait
  
  
Marcellus Shale frac site
Fracking site in rural Marcellus Shale country
  
  
Sand truck and chemical tanker
Trucks passing on a small country lane to a staging site
  
  
Trucks, tanker, frac pumps and satellite command center for fracing
Staging area for frac equipment
  
  
Marcellus fracking trucks and equipment
Back-up fracking control van with the satellite dish down
 
  
Sand tanker moving over to the frack site
Frac sand tractor trailer moving over to frack site across the road
  
  
Sand tanker backed up sand kings and fraccing equipment
Sand tanker hooked to 'sand kings' near the mixer.
  
  
Mixing point for sand, frac fluids, chemicals and fluids that are pumped through white pipes from a nearby impoundment
White pipes carry 4 million gallons of water needed for fracking one well
  
  
Fine particulate dust in the air from the sand being moved at high volume
Dusty area near the sand kings and frac mixer
  
  
Tractor trailer holding sand connected to a 'sand king'
Hoses connected to the sand trailer
  
  
'Sand King' spewing fumes
Fumes and dust spewing from the mixing area
  
  
White plastic pipes carry fluids from a nearby impoundment dam
Edge of frack site on Marcellus Shale
  
  
Frac fluids in plastic containers
Trucks carrying frac fluids
 

"Although no complete list of the cocktail of chemicals used in this process exists, information obtained from environmental clean-up sites demonstrates that known toxins are routinely being used, including hydrochloric acid, diesel fuel (which contains benzene, tuolene, and xylene) as well as formaldehyde, polyacrylimides, arsenic, and chromates."
Sourcewatch.org

 
Frac fluids ready for use
Plastic containers with frac fluids
 
  
Well site with frack equipment in place
Site of the fracking on a well pad with multiple wells
  
  
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