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FROM THE EDITOR
DEAD COW IN
LIVELY SEARCH FOR OIL
FEEDBACK
To frack or not
to frack? Tell me
what you think.
falcionij@asme.org
There’s a lot about the Magellanic Penguins living in Patagonia that is fascinating. Part of it is their cool
designation; they’re named after Ferdinand
Magellan who first spotted the little critters
in 1519. Another has to do with their happy
feet. These penguins have been known to
wander from the southern coast of Argentina
all the way to southern Brazil.
When one of my cousins was over from
Argentina a few weeks ago, we began to
plan our visit to these penguins and other
native wildlife. Recently, there’s been a lot
of interest in Patagonia, if not to ogle the
spectacular natural landscape, then to put
a stake—or drilling pipe—in the ground
and dig for oil.
According to a report this year from the
Energy Information Administration, the
statistical arm of the U.S. Department of
Energy, Argentina’s Vaca Muerta shale oil
and shale gas field in the Neuquén region
is one of the largest of its kind in the world.
It might turn out that Vaca Muerta—which
translates to dead cow—may well replace Argentina’s vast beef production as
the country’s main source of economic
strength. Of course that’s contingent on
overcoming major political obstacles, since
President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner
hasn’t exactly been kind to foreign investors. Nonetheless, Chevron, viewing the
region’s immense bounty, is pushing on
and making some headway with Queen
Cristina, as the president’s detractors
have nicknamed her.
Besides the politics, hydraulic fractur-
ing, or fracking, remains as controver-
sial among critics in Argentina as in the
U.S. Concerns range from contaminated
groundwater to the atmospheric impact of
the equipment that’s used in the process,
which occurs when chemical-laced water
and sand are blasted underground to break
apart rock and release gas.
There are nuances to the entire gas
exploration and production process, and
even those in the midst of the debate often
confuse the facts. In our cover story, “
Fracturing Rocks to Unlock New Oil,” on page
24, we sort out how the process works to
achieve some clarity. An adjoining article,
“Home on the Shales” reported by Bridget
Mintz Testa, places us in Texas—one of the
most robust states for hydraulic fracturing
in the U.S.—and in the middle of a storm
over the technology.
But no matter which side of the hydraulic
fracturing frenzy you’re on, the industry is
becoming more efficient as technology is
getting better and companies more adept at
using it. In March, ASME will try to unlock
the answers to some of the questions sur-
rounding hydraulic fracturing and related
well drilling when it launches its first Energy
Forum Live event, “Shale Development and
Hydraulic Fracturing—Capturing Unconven-
tional Opportunities.”
The conference is scheduled for Cali-
fornia, far from Patagonia and any penguin
sightings. It’s not likely I’ll be visiting the
Magellanics before March, but it won’t be
for lack of prodding from frequent con-
tributor Lee Langston. (Langston’s article
this month on the SR-71 Blackbird, a
supersonic reconnaissance aircraft and its
revolutionary engine, takes us behind the
scenes of the acclaimed Lockheed Skunk
Works division, which developed it.)
Besides his passion and knowledge
of gas turbines, Langston is an accomplished traveler who has visited the
southernmost tip of South America several
times. When we chat, he always leaves
me craving to hear the bellows of the
charismatic penguins of Patagonia. Much
as those searching the shale hunger after
the sight of oil. ME
John G. Falcioni
Editor-in-Chief
