Monitoring and reducing methane emissions: Difference between revisions

Monitoring and reducing methane emissions (view source)

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 Natural gas makes up about a quarter of the energy used in the United States.<ref>Ritter, K., Shires, T.M., Lev-On, M. 2015. Methane Emissions From Natural-Gas Systems: A Comparative Assessment for Select Industry Segments. SPE Economics & Management '''7'''(01): 22 - 28. SPE-168379-PA. http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/168379-PA. </ref> New production methods, including those related to hydraulic fracturing, are expanding access to natural gas and have increased natural gas based power, which is credited with decreasing greenhouse gas emissions in the country. Recent estimates for methane emissions from natural gas industries in the United States have been widely divergent. Some discrepancies noted by industry surveys have led to a thorough review of newly available information and are leading to the improvement of estimation methods and emission factors associated with activities that comprise natural-gas systems. This has manifested itself in the engineering estimations that are used for compiling the national GHG Emissions Inventory and in the methods used by companies for reporting under the mandatory national GHG Reporting Program. Both the inventory and the reporting program are programs of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
-According to the EPA, about 29% of all methane emissions in 2012 came from oil and gas industry activity<ref name="r2">Rassenfoss, S. Pressure to Reduce Methane Emissions Highlights the Need for Better Monitoring. J Pet Tech '''67''' (3): 46-52. http://www.spe.org/jpt/article/8437-pressure-to-reduce-methane-emissions-highlights-the-need-for-better-monitoring.</ref>. E&P is the largest source of methane, followed by enteric fermentation--or&nbsp;the digestive process used by grazing animals, such as cattle, that produces methane as a gassy byproduct--at 25%. Grazing animals also produce manure, which is responsible for an added 9% of methane emitted.
-With the direct measurements of emissions from devices on 377 wells operated by 10 companies cooperating on the survey, Dave Allen, a chemical engineer at the University of Texas,&nbsp;gathered data that reshaped the EPA’s estimates of E&P emissions of methane. Allen's study concluded that emissions during flowback have sharply decreased from 26% in the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory to 1%. The decline, combined with larger-than-expected emissions from gas-powered pneumatic control devices, pushed its share of natural gas emissions from the EPA estimate of 26% to 42%, making it the largest single category.
 EPA reports show that nearly 29% of all methane emissions in 2012 came from E&P activity<ref name="r2"> Rassenfoss, S. Pressure to Reduce Methane Emissions Highlights the Need for Better Monitoring. J Pet Tech '''67''' (3): 46-52. http://www.spe.org/jpt/article/8437-pressure-to-reduce-methane-emissions-highlights-the-need-for-better-monitoring/. </ref>. Natural gas&nbsp;is the largest methane source, followed by enteric fermentation--the digestive process of grazing animals that&nbsp;produces methane as a gassy byproduct--<span style="line-height: 20.8px;">at 25%</span><span style="line-height: 1.6;">. Grazing animals also produce manure, which is responsible for an added 9% of methane emitted.</span>
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 EPA predictions say&nbsp;that without further action by the industry and regulators, natural gas emissions will rise by 25% in the next decade as gas production rises. While the US government considers further action, some states have already made moves. Colorado is a testing ground for methane emission reduction methods and research seeking better emission measurements.
-What began as a deal to sharply reduce methane emissions negotiated among Colorado officials, three oil companies (Anadarko, Noble Energy, and Encana), and the EDF has led to a program to sharply reduce releases of methane and hydrocarbons that are ingredients in smog, known as volatile organic compounds (VOC).
 == Cost of reducing emissions ==
-Creating an emissions tracking system that accurately accounts for all the major sources of methane is a huge challenge on many fronts, from the high-cost logistics associated with gathering big data in the air and on the ground to analyzing it using advanced methods needed to simulate how emissions move in the atmosphere.
+Building an emissions tracking system that accurately accounts for all major contributors to&nbsp;methane emissions is a huge challenge on many fronts, from the high-cost logistics associated with gathering big data in the air and on the ground to analyzing it using advanced methods needed to simulate the atmospheric movement of emissions.
-A study commissioned by EDF, done by the consulting firm ICF International, concluded that the added cost of a 40% reduction in emissions from the natural gas production, processing, and delivery system would cost about a penny per Mcf and could largely be done using available technology.
+<span style="line-height: 20.8px;">EDF</span>&nbsp;commissioned a <span style="line-height: 20.8px;">study</span>, conducted by the consulting firm ICF International,&nbsp;concluding that the added cost of a 40% reduction in emissions from natural gas production, processing, and delivery&nbsp;would be&nbsp;about a penny per Mcf and could largely be done with available technology.
 == References ==