*Seminario:
*
*" Optimization Models for Optimal Investment, Drilling and Water 
Management in Shale Gas Supply Chains", *
*Jueves 3 de julio,  15.00 hs**
**Auditorio Menor del CCT**
*
El mismo será dictado por el Profesor Ignacio Grossmann (Center for 
Advanced Process Decision-making,Department of Chemical 
Engineering,Carnegie Mellon University )
/*Abstract*/
Natural gas is an abundant energy source and the cleanest-burning fossil 
fuel. It is extracted from dense shale rock formations, and has become 
the fastest-growing fuel that could become a significant new global 
energy source. In addition, shale gas contains significant amounts of 
light hydrocarbons (e.g. ethane, propane, butane) providing lower cost 
raw materials to chemical industry. The long-term planning and 
development of the shale gas supply chain network around each play is a 
very relevant problem, that to the best of our knowledge, has not been 
addressed before through the use of advanced and comprehensive 
optimization models and tools.**An additional critical aspect in shale 
gas production is water management. Shale gas production is a highly 
water-intensive process, with a typical well requiring between 3-5 
million gallons of water to drill and fracture. The vast majority of 
this water is used during the fracturing process, with large volumes of 
water pumped into the well with sand and chemicals to facilitate the 
extraction of the gas. Typically only 15-30% of this water returns as 
flowback water. Therefore, a long-term planning model for the 
development of shale gas fields should account for water availability. 
Furthermore, given the short periods of time in which very large amounts 
of water are used in the fracking of shale gas (e.g. 3 months), the 
scheduling of the fracturing of the wells and coordination of the 
logistics for transporting the water is a very important problem. This 
presentation provides an overview of recent optimization models for 
shale gas production.
Se adjunta abstract completo y breve cv del disertante.
**