Page 295 - Introduction to Petroleum Engineering

PERFORMANCE OF AN UNCONVENTIONAL RESERVOIR 283

FIgURE 14.9 Drilling rig on a shale development well pad.

The pad site had to be as small as possible in the urban area yet large enough to
accommodate operations that included rig setup, drilling, hydraulic fracturing,
storage tanks for produced liquids, and pipelines. Some sites included gathering
centers, gas compressors, and gas treatment facilities. Preparation included clearing
and grading the pad site. Barriers were erected to mitigate noise pollution and restrict
the view of operations. Figure 14.9 shows a drilling rig on a well pad and a barrier
designed to block the view of operations and reduce noise emanating from the
well pad. More aesthetically pleasing walls were erected on some pad sites where
large‐scale operations were completed.