scholarly journals Quantifying methane emissions in the Uintah Basin during wintertime stagnation episodes

Elem Sci Anth ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. S. Foster ◽  
E. T. Crosman ◽  
J. D. Horel ◽  
S. Lyman ◽  
B. Fasoli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
The United States ◽  
Methane Emissions ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Ch4 Emission ◽  
Cold Air ◽  
Ch4 Emissions ◽  
Basin Scale ◽  
Oil And Natural Gas ◽  
Uintah Basin

This study presents a meteorologically-based methodology for quantifying basin-scale methane (CH4) emissions in Utah’s Uintah Basin, which is home to over 9,000 active and producing oil and natural gas wells. Previous studies in oil and gas producing regions have often relied on intensive aircraft campaigns to estimate methane emissions. However, the high cost of airborne campaigns prevents their frequent undertaking, thus providing only daytime snapshots of emissions rather than more temporally-representative estimates over multiple days. Providing estimates of CH4 emissions from oil and natural gas production regions across the United States is important to inform leakage rates and emission mitigation efforts in order to curb the potential impacts of these emissions on global climate change and local air quality assessments. Here we introduce the Basin-constrained Emissions Estimate (BEE) method, which utilizes the confining topography of a basin and known depth of a pollution layer during multi-day wintertime cold-air pool episodes to relate point observations of CH4 to basin-scale CH4 emission rates. This study utilizes ground-based CH4 observations from three fixed sites to calculate daily increases in CH4, a laser ceilometer to estimate pollution layer depth, and a Lagrangian transport model to assess the spatial representativity of surface observations. BEE was applied to two cold-air pool episodes during the winter of 2015–2016 and yielded CH4 emission estimates between 44.60 +/– 9.66 × 103 and 61.82 +/– 19.76 × 103 kg CH4 hr–1, which are similar to the estimates proposed by previous studies performed in the Uintah Basin. The techniques used in this study could potentially be utilized in other deep basins worldwide.

scholarly journals Concurrent variation in oil and gas methane emissions and oil price during the COVID-19 pandemic

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R. Lyon ◽  
Benjamin Hmiel ◽  
Ritesh Gautam ◽  
Mark Omara ◽  
Kate Roberts ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Commodity Prices ◽  
Oil Prices ◽  
The United States ◽  
Methane Emissions ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Satellite Observations ◽  
Permian Basin ◽  
Natural Gas Production ◽  
Oil And Natural Gas

Abstract. Methane emissions associated with the production, transport, and use of oil and natural gas increase the climatic impacts of energy use; however, little is known about how emissions vary temporally and with commodity prices. We present airborne and ground-based data, supported by satellite observations, to measure weekly to monthly changes in total methane emissions in the United States’ Permian Basin during a period of volatile oil prices associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. As oil prices declined from ~$ 60 to $ 20 per barrel, emissions changed concurrently from 3.4 % to 1.5 % of gas production; as prices partially recovered, emissions increased back to near initial values. Concurrently, total oil and natural gas production only declined by a maximum of ~10 % from the peak values seen in the months prior to the crash. Activity data indicate that a rapid decline in well development and subsequent effects on associated gas flaring and midstream infrastructure throughput are the likely drivers of temporary emission reductions. Our results, along with past satellite observations, suggest that under more typical price conditions, the Permian Basin is in a state of overcapacity in which rapidly growing natural gas production exceeds midstream capacity and leads to high methane emissions.

scholarly journals Daily Satellite Observations of Methane from Oil and Gas Production Regions in the United States

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pieternel Levelt ◽  
Pepijn Veefkind ◽  
Esther Roosenbrand ◽  
John Lin ◽  
Jochen Landgraf ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Natural Gas ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
The United States ◽  
Methane Emissions ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Oil And Gas Production ◽  
Natural Gas Production ◽  
Oil And Natural Gas

<p>Production of oil and natural gas in North America is at an all-time high due to the development and use of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. Methane emissions associated with this industrial activity are a concern because of the contribution to climate radiative forcing. We present new measurements from the space-based TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) launched in 2017 that show methane enhancements over production regions in the United States. Using methane and NO<sub>2</sub> column measurements from the new TROPOMI instrument, we show that emissions from oil and gas production in the Uintah and Permian Basins can be observed in the data from individual overpasses. This is a vast improvement over measurements from previous satellite instruments, which typically needed to be averaged over a year or more to quantify trends and regional enhancements in methane emissions. In the Uintah Basin in Utah, TROPOMI methane columns correlated with in-situ measurements, and the highest columns were observed over the deepest parts of the basin, consistent with the accumulation of emissions underneath inversions. In the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico, methane columns showed maxima over regions with the highest natural gas production and were correlated with nitrogen-dioxide columns at a ratio that is consistent with results from in-situ airborne measurements. The improved detail provided by TROPOMI will likely enable the timely monitoring from space of methane and NO2 emissions associated with regular oil and natural gas production.</p>

scholarly journals Concurrent variation in oil and gas methane emissions and oil price during the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 6605-6626
Author(s):  
David R. Lyon ◽  
Benjamin Hmiel ◽  
Ritesh Gautam ◽  
Mark Omara ◽  
Katherine A. Roberts ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Oil Prices ◽  
The United States ◽  
Methane Emissions ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Satellite Observations ◽  
Permian Basin ◽  
Natural Gas Production ◽  
Associated Gas ◽  
Oil And Natural Gas

Abstract. Methane emissions associated with the production, transport, and use of oil and natural gas increase the climatic impacts of energy use; however, little is known about how emissions vary temporally and with commodity prices. We present airborne and ground-based data, supported by satellite observations, to measure weekly to monthly changes in total methane emissions in the United States' Permian Basin during a period of volatile oil prices associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. As oil prices declined from ∼ USD 60 to USD 20 per barrel, emissions changed concurrently from 3.3 % to 1.9 % of natural gas production; as prices partially recovered, emissions increased back to near initial values. Concurrently, total oil and natural gas production only declined by ∼ 10 % from the peak values seen in the months prior to the crash. Activity data indicate that a rapid decline in well development and subsequent effects on associated gas flaring and midstream infrastructure throughput are the likely drivers of temporary emission reductions. Our results, along with past satellite observations, suggest that under more typical price conditions, the Permian Basin is in a state of overcapacity in which rapidly growing associated gas production exceeds midstream capacity and leads to high methane emissions.

scholarly journals Quantifying methane emissions from the largest oil-producing basin in the United States from space

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (17) ◽  
pp. eaaz5120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuzhong Zhang ◽  
Ritesh Gautam ◽  
Sudhanshu Pandey ◽  
Mark Omara ◽  
Joannes D. Maasakkers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Methane Flux ◽  
The United States ◽  
Methane Emissions ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Leakage Rate ◽  
Permian Basin ◽  
Satellite Measurements ◽  
Oil And Natural Gas ◽  
Oil Gas

Using new satellite observations and atmospheric inverse modeling, we report methane emissions from the Permian Basin, which is among the world’s most prolific oil-producing regions and accounts for >30% of total U.S. oil production. Based on satellite measurements from May 2018 to March 2019, Permian methane emissions from oil and natural gas production are estimated to be 2.7 ± 0.5 Tg a−1, representing the largest methane flux ever reported from a U.S. oil/gas-producing region and are more than two times higher than bottom-up inventory-based estimates. This magnitude of emissions is 3.7% of the gross gas extracted in the Permian, i.e., ~60% higher than the national average leakage rate. The high methane leakage rate is likely contributed by extensive venting and flaring, resulting from insufficient infrastructure to process and transport natural gas. This work demonstrates a high-resolution satellite data–based atmospheric inversion framework, providing a robust top-down analytical tool for quantifying and evaluating subregional methane emissions.

scholarly journals Methane Emissions from Process Equipment at Natural Gas Production Sites in the United States: Liquid Unloadings

2014 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 641-648 ◽  
Author(s):  
David T. Allen ◽  
David W. Sullivan ◽  
Daniel Zavala-Araiza ◽  
Adam P. Pacsi ◽  
Matthew Harrison ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Natural Gas ◽  
The United States ◽  
Methane Emissions ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Process Equipment ◽  
Natural Gas Production

scholarly journals Methane Emissions from Natural Gas Production Sites in the United States: Data Synthesis and National Estimate

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (21) ◽  
pp. 12915-12925 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Omara ◽  
Naomi Zimmerman ◽  
Melissa R. Sullivan ◽  
Xiang Li ◽  
Aja Ellis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Natural Gas ◽  
The United States ◽  
Methane Emissions ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Data Synthesis ◽  
Natural Gas Production ◽  
States Data

Methane Estimates in the Northeastern US using Continuous Measurements from a Regional Tower Network

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly Mueller ◽  
Subhomoy Ghosh ◽  
Anna Karion ◽  
Sharon Gourdji ◽  
Israel Lopez-Coto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
The United States ◽  
Ch4 Emission ◽  
Urban Centers ◽  
Ch4 Emissions ◽  
The Us ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Northeast Us

<p>In the past decade, there has been a scientific focus on improving the accuracy and precision of methane (CH4) emission estimates in the United States, with much effort targeting oil and natural gas producing basins. Yet, regional CH4 emissions and their attribution to specific sources continue to have significant associated uncertainties. Recent urban work using aircraft observations have suggested that CH4 emissions are not well characterized in major cities along the U.S. East Coast; discrepancies have been attributed to an under-estimation of fugitive emissions from the distribution of natural gas. However, much of regional and urban research has involved the use of aircraft campaigns that can only provide a spatio-temporal snapshot of the CH4 emission landscape. As such, the annual representation and the seasonal variability of emissions remain largely unknown. To further investigate CH4 emissions, we present preliminary CH4 emissions estimates in the Northeastern US as part of NIST’s Northeast Corridor (NEC) testbed project using a regional inversion framework. This area encompasses over 20% of the US and contains many of the dominant CH4 emissions sources important at both regional and local scales.  The atmospheric inversion can estimate sub-monthly 0.1-degree emissions using observations from a regional network of up to 37 in-situ towers; some towers are in non-urban areas while others are in cities or suburban areas. The inversion uses different emission products to help provide a prior constraint within the inversion including anthropogenic emissions from both the EDGAR v42 for the year 2008 and the US EPA for the year 2012, and natural wetland CH4 emissions from the WetCHARTs ensemble mean for the year 2010. Results include the comparison of synthetic model simulated CH4 concentrations (i.e., convolutions of the emission products with WRF-STILT footprints + background) to mole-fractions measured at the regional in-situ sites. The comparison provides an indication as to how well our prior understanding of emissions and incoming air flow matches the atmospheric signatures due to the underlying CH4 sources.  We also present a preliminary set of CH4 fluxes for a selected number of urban centers and discuss challenges estimating highly-resolved methane emissions using high-frequency in-situ observations for a regional domain (e.g. few constraints, skewness in underlying fluxes, representing incoming background, etc.). Overall, this work provides the basis for a year-long inversion that will yields regional CH4 emissions over the Northeast US with a focus on Eastern urban areas.</p>

scholarly journals Methane Emissions from Process Equipment at Natural Gas Production Sites in the United States: Pneumatic Controllers

2014 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 633-640 ◽  
Author(s):  
David T. Allen ◽  
Adam P. Pacsi ◽  
David W. Sullivan ◽  
Daniel Zavala-Araiza ◽  
Matthew Harrison ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Natural Gas ◽  
The United States ◽  
Methane Emissions ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Process Equipment ◽  
Natural Gas Production
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