This is approximately the annual water consumption of 40 to 80 cities each with a population of 50,000. Environmental Protection Agency estimated that 70 to 140 billion gallons of water are used to fracture 35,000 wells in the United States each year. The following sections provide an overview of some of the issues and impacts related to this well stimulation technique. The process of fracturing a well is far from benign. Hydraulic Fracturing – Issues and Impacts Used fracturing fluids that return to the surface are often referred to as flowback, and these wastes are typically stored in open pits or tanks at the well site prior to disposal. Some studies have shown that more than 90% of fracking fluids may remain underground. Acidizing involves pumping acid (usually hydrochloric acid), into the formation to dissolve some of the rock material to clean out pores and enable gas and fluid to flows more readily into the well. Sometimes fractures are created by injecting gases such as propane or nitrogen, and sometimes acidizing occurs simultaneously with fracturing. There are, however, other ways to fracture wells. Typically, a mixture of water, proppants and chemicals is pumped into the rock or coal formation. Materials called proppants (e.g., usually sand or ceramic beads), which were injected as part of the frac fluid mixture, remain in the target formation to hold open the fractures. Once the fractures have been created, injection ceases and the fracturing fluids begin to flow back to the surface. At this point, the pressure created causes the formation to crack or fracture. But prior to that, I had a lot of fun.Eventually, the target formation will not be able to absorb the fluid as quickly as it is being injected. The puzzles are also well executed, not too hard or easy.Īs I approached the final encounter, though, the combat sections became more frequent, the map flooding with more and more waves of enemies, bogging down the pace before it came to a close. From the outside you might look silly flailing with your Move controllers, but in the headset you’re shimmying around collapsing structures like Nathan Drake. I’ve done most of those things in VR before, but never in the same game. At various points you'll find yourself skiing, climbing, zip-lining between platforms, operating a crane, and a lot more besides.
For instance, the kamikaze enemies generally make noise as they approach, but sometimes one would appear behind me and explode without warning.įortunately, there’s plenty to do aside from combat. I died quite a bit in these sections, often in ways that felt unfair. There aren't any bosses to speak of, or other enemies that might make you rethink your combat approach.Ĭombat is fine in small doses, but later in the roughly three-hour run time you'll have to kill a lot of enemies before you can move on. Finally, you'll encounter heavies who stomp around littering the ground with landmines. You have some basic gun-toting soldiers who usually just stand in place and shoot at you, and then there's the exploding variety who run at you and detonate in a one-hit kill if they get close enough. One reason is because the enemy variety is lacking, with only a few different types of foes to go up against. In fact, I preferred the quieter sections over the shootouts, which can feel drawn-out and repetitive after a while. The campaign's pacing is nicely varied, with environmental puzzles and exciting climbing sections sprinkled between the action-heavy shooting areas. It didn't take me long to get the hang of the controls, and soon I was navigating the mountainside mining operation with ease. Also, when you have to climb, reload your weapon, or use your hands in general, everything feels nicely tactile. The controls work exceptionally well, all things considered, especially if you're familiar with games like Skyrim VR that use a similar control scheme. Despite the Move controllers' lack of analog sticks, you have full freedom of movement.
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