Monitoring and reducing methane emissions: Difference between revisions

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According to the World Bank, over 7,500,000 kt of [[Glossary:Methane|methane]] were released into the atmosphere worldwide as a result of agriculture and industry. The United States government is developing regulations to reduce methane emissions from the oil industry by more than 40% over the next decade. Methane emissions are second only to carbon dioxide as contributors to the greenhouse effect. At the same time, the government is investing money in research to seek reliable ways to measure the level of methane emissions in the atmosphere that have come directly from natural gas production.
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According to the World Bank<ref>World Bank. Indicators. http://data.worldbank.org/indicator?display=graph.</ref>, over 7,500,000 kt of [[Glossary:Methane|methane]] were released into the atmosphere worldwide as a result of agriculture and industry. The United States government is developing regulations to reduce methane emissions from the oil industry by more than 40% over the next decade. Methane emissions are second only to carbon dioxide as contributors to the greenhouse effect. At the same time, the government is investing money in research to seek reliable ways to measure the level of methane emissions in the atmosphere that have come directly from natural gas production.


== Measuring methane emissions ==
== Measuring methane emissions ==
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With direct measurements of emissions from devices on 377 wells operated by&nbsp;10 companies cooperating on the survey, Allen gathered data that changed the EPA’s pie chart of E&P emissions of methane. Allen&nbsp;concluded that emissions during flowback have sharply dropped from 26% to&nbsp;<span style="line-height: 20.8px;">1%</span><span style="line-height: 1.6;">&nbsp;in the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory. The&nbsp;decline, in addition&nbsp;larger-than-expected emissions by gas-powered pneumatic control devices, pushed its share of natural gas emissions from the EPA estimate of 26% to a steep&nbsp;42%, making it the largest single category.</span>
With direct measurements of emissions from devices on 377 wells operated by&nbsp;10 companies cooperating on the survey, Allen gathered data that changed the EPA’s pie chart of E&P emissions of methane. Allen&nbsp;concluded that emissions during flowback have sharply dropped from 26% to&nbsp;<span style="line-height: 20.8px;">1%</span><span style="line-height: 1.6;">&nbsp;in the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory. The&nbsp;decline, in addition&nbsp;larger-than-expected emissions by gas-powered pneumatic control devices, pushed its share of natural gas emissions from the EPA estimate of 26% to a steep&nbsp;42%, making it the largest single category.</span>
[[File:Wellsite emissions graph.jpg|frame|576x305px|Two 2015 studies of wellsite emissions showed a rapid drop in methane emissions from water flowing back after fracturing, increasing the relative importance of emissions by well equipment. (Rassenfoss)<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>|link=http://petrowiki.org/File%3AWellsite_emissions_graph.jpg]]
== Reducing methane emissions ==
The EPA estimates that the industry’s natural gas emissions have fallen&nbsp;16% in the past 25 years. The biggest gains over that period were from reduced emissions from control devices and installation of plunger lift systems. More recently, some of the biggest gains have come from green well-completion methods that&nbsp;capture gas that once escaped from fluids flowing back after fracturing. The fluid&nbsp;is either flared or captured then processed&nbsp;and sold to pipelines.
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.
== Cost of reducing emissions ==
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.
<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 ==
<references />
== Noteworthy papers in OnePetro ==
Breninger, T.L., Learned, A.O., and Melrose, G.L. 1997. Pneumatic Control Devices In Production Areas - Significant Methane Emission Sources?Presented at the SPE/EPA Exploration and Production Environmental Conference, Dallas, 3-5 March. SPE-37928-MS. [http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/37928-MS http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/37928-MS].
Schievelbein, V.H. 1997. Reducing Methane Emissions from Glycol Dehydrators. Presented at the SPE/EPA Exploration and Production Environmental Conference, Dallas, 3-5 March. SPE-37929-MS. [http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/37929-MS http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/37929-MS].
== See also ==
[[Air_emissions|Air emissions]]
[[Environment|Environment]]
[[Glossary:Methane]]
== Category ==
[[Category:SB]] [[Category:JB]] [[Category:JB All Pages]] [[Category:JB InProgress]] [[Category:POST]]
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