Evidence of Emissions from Oil and Gas Drilling Operations in - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Evidence of Emissions from Oil and Gas Drilling Operations in Northeastern Colorado

NOAA GMD: Gaby Petron, Steve Montzka, Ben Miller, Adam Hirsch*, Anna Karion, Colm Sweeney, Jon Kofler, Arlyn Andrews, Ed Dlugokencky, Laura Patrick, Pieter Tans & NOAA Carbon Cycle Group

*now at the National Renewable

Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO NOAA CSD: Greg Frost, Michael Trainer NOAA PSD: David Welsh, Dan Wolfe Acknowledgments Western Regional Air Partnership: Tom Moore Environ: Amnon Bar-Ilan and John Grant

2 4 6 8 10 12 1 9 9 1 9 9 2 1 9 9 4 1 9 9 6 1 9 9 8 2 2 2 2 4 2 6 2 8 2 4 6 8 10 12 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008

Methane emissions (Tg) from natural gas systems EPA US GHG inventory 2010 vs 2011

Field production Processing Transmission and Storage Distribution 20 10 EPA 20 11 EPA

2009 Methane emission estimates: TOTAL 32.7 Tg, Natural gas system s 10 .5 Tg, Enteric fermentation 6.6 Tg, Landfills 5.6 Tg, Coal mining 3.4 Tg, Manure management 2.4, Petroleum Systems 1.5 Tg

x2

Northern Colorado Front Range

• zone non attainment area:

Estimated 40% of total VOC in the region due to oil and gas operations in Denver Julesburg Basin (DJB) Green River Basin, WY: Very high winter time ozone in natural gas field (Schnell et al., Nature, 2009) Uinta Basin, UT: hourly

• zone in

natural gas field up to 155 to 159 ppb last winter

Examples of air pollution from O&G

• perations in Western States

Jonah, Feb 2008 Pinedale smog

Outline

• Oil and gas operations emission signature in

Colorado Northern Front Range

• Source estimates &
• Comparison with inventories
• Conclusions

NOAA Cooperative Tower Long Term Measurement and Sampling Network

Boulder Atmospheric Observatory, Erie, Weld county (NOAA PSD)

SGP

NWF

• 300 meter tall tower
• 30 sec- Meteorological Data
• Daily discrete air samples from

300 meter level since Aug 2007

Tower team: Arlyn Andrews, Jonathan Kofler, Jonathan Williams

Denver Julesburg Basin

Denver Non attainment area for summer time ozone 12,000 gas wells in Weld County ~ 900 new ones in 2006

Discrete Air Samples Analyses

NOAA Boulder Lab

• MAGICC System (Carbon Cycle

Group):

 CO2, CH 4, N2O, CO, H2, SF6  CH4 repeatability error: 1.2 ppb

• GC/ MS System (HATS group):

 C3H 8, nC4H 10, iC5H 12, nC5H 12, C2H 2, C6H 6, CFCs, HFCs, PFCs…  Most species: total uncertainty <5%  n-butane and C2H2: 10-15%

• High precision long term well

calibrated m easurem ents

standard s air samples analyzers http:/ / www.esrl.noaa.gov/ gmd/ ccgg/ & http:/ / www.esrl.noaa.gov/ gmd/ hats/ Logistics: Molly Heller, Chris Carparelli, Jack Higgs,… Analysis: GMD: Tom Conway, Andy Crotwell, Ed Dlugokencky, Pat Lang, Paul Novelli, Kelly Stroker HATS: Ben Miller, Carolina Siso, Steve Montzka MAGICC

Air samples collected at the BAO and SGP* have a strong alkane

• signature. Both sites are in major oil and gas production regions.

* SGP is a NOAA aircraft site in Northern Oklahoma. Samples collected below 650 meters were used for this analysis. GMD aircraft program leader: Colm Sweeney.

BAO: Distinct Alkane Signature

NOAA Cooperative Tall Tower Measurement and Sampling Network

SGP

Median summer mixing ratio at 7 NOAA Towers Midday data only (June-Aug 2007-2009)

NWF

BAO

100 200 300 400 500

CH4 ppb - 1800 C3H8 ppt /10 nC4H10 ppt /4 iC5H12 ppt nC5H12 ppt

Median mixing ratio

STR, CA WGC, CA NWF, CO - Night BAO, CO WKT, TX SGP, OK LEF, WI

Alkane source in N&E wind sector:

Denver Julesburg Basin

North & East South West

Boulder Atmospheric Observatory

• 30-sec met data at 3 vertical

levels (NOAA PSD)

• daily* midday air sample

collection from 300 meter level and analysis in NOAA GMD labs

Air samples from the North and East wind sector have the strongest alkane signature (all year round), suggesting this is where the alkane source is likely located.

200 400 600 800 1000

CH4-1800 ppb C3H8 ppt /10 nC4H10 ppt /5 iC5H12 ppt nC5H12 ppt

N&E Summer N&E Winter S Winter W Winter

Median mixing ratios (N>30)

Aug 2007-April 2010

Mobile Lab intensive sampling in Front Range

• Picarro Sensor:

CO2, CH4, H2O (Colm Sweeney, Anna Karion)

• Ozone 2B

Analyzer (Laura Patrick)

• GPS

Denver Julesburg Basin, O&G wells

1700 1800 1900 2000 2100 2200

11.5 12 12.5 13 13.5 14 14.5 15 15.5 16 16.5

Local Time on 7/31/2008 100 200 300 400 500 600 PFP 3 PFP 4,5 PFP 7,8 PFP 6 PFP 9,10,11 stop at BAO PFP 2

Mobile Platform to sam ple close to sources

July 31, 2008 Targeted flask sam pling on m ost drives: total of 88 flasks collected over June-July 2008 Landfill (up to

2.4ppm )

Waste w ater treatm ent plant

(up to 3.2 ppm )

CH4 O3 CO2

Boulder

Regional alkanes enhancements vs point CH4 sources

Denver Julesburg Basin, O&G wells July 31, 2008 Landfill (up to

2.4ppm )

Waste w ater treatm ent plant

(up to 3.2 ppm )

CH4 O3 CO2

Same alkane signature at BAO and in Mobile Lab samples

y=0.50x r2=0.98 y=0.48x r2=1

The alkanes are strongly correlated in BAO N&E wind sector samples and in Mobile Lab samples. The alkanes come from the same source located in NE part of the Front Range. BAO N&E summer Mobile Lab Slope: 0.10 Slope: 0.11

Multi species analysis: Separation of various methane sources

1750 1850 1950 2050 2150 5000 10000 15000 20000 25000 30000 C H t

Background methane Oil and gas contribution Feedlots contribution Propane ppt Methane ppb

Samples collected with the Mobile Lab close to feedlots, a landfill, and a waste water treatment plant are above the oil and gas methane-to- propane correlation line.

July 14, 2008

Sample collection: Lloyd Miller, William Kolodzey (no Picarro)

subset

Outline

• Oil and gas operations emission signature in

Colorado Northern Front Range

• Source estimates &

Comparison with inventories

• Conclusions

Western Region Air Partnership Oil and Gas Total VOC Inventory

10 20 30 40 50

2006 flashing 2006 venting 2006 other 2010 flashing 2010 venting 2010 other

VOC emissions Gg/yr

Other Categories Compressor Engines* Venting - recompletions Venting - initial completions Venting - blowdowns Pneumatic pumps Pneumatic devices Unpermitted Fugitives Permitted Fugitives* Glycol Dehydrator* Small condensate tanks Large condensate tanks*

State regulated sources in the Front Range O3 non attainment area (NAA) 2006 based

• n industry

data and reported emissions for permitted sources 2010 projected Emission estimates for Front Range NAA Amnon Bar Ilan et al. [2008] Upstream and midstream operations

• nly

Speciation profiles of raw natural gas and condensate tanks flash emissions

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

CO2 N2 methane C1 ethane C2 propane C3 i-butane iC4 n-butane nC4 i-pentane iC5 n-pentane nC5 C6+ heavies

Venting GWA Venting WRAP Flashing WRAP 0.00% 0.05% 0.10% 0.15% benzene toluene ethylbenzene xylenes 2,2,4- trimethylpentane

Used to derive speciated emissions for fugitive/ vented emissions (raw gas) and flashing emissions from condensate tanks. The WRAP inventory used average emission profile. We used the entire documented range.

Venting WRAP: average of industry data for DJB (company proprietary data) Venting Greater Wattenberg Area Study: natural gas samples from 77 wells in DJB (2006, COGCC) Flashing WRAP: EPA TANK model output for 16 condensate tanks in DJB (2002, CDPHE) Not included in GWA study

Atmospheric Molar Ratios versus Bottom-up Inventory Emission Ratios

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0

C 3 / C 1 n C 4 / C 1 n C 4 / C 3 i C 5 / C 3 n C 5 / C 3 i C 5 / n C 4 n C 5 / n C 4 i C 5 / n C 5

molar ratios Flashing GWA raw gas WRAP F+V BAO N&E Mobile Lab Very good agreem ent. Vertical bars show :

• min and max

values for flashing and fugitive emissions

• 2 sigma for
• bserved

atmospheric molar ratios C1: methane, C3: propane, nC4: n-butane, i or nC5: i or n-pentane, C2: ethane*

50 100 150 200

C1 C2 C3 iC4 nC4 iC5 nC5

Gg/yr

Bottom-up BAO Mobile Lab

Emission estimates comparison

The bottom-up propane source estimate is used to derive top-down* emissions for all other species based on observed atmospheric ratios ~ 50% discrepancy between bottom-up and top-down estimates for methane.

Error bars show min/max range

Methane source = 1.6 to 6% of Weld County natural gas production in 2008 Used to derive top- down* estimates for

• ther measured

species

Fraction of total natural gas withdrawal vented to the atmosphere

These estimates are still highly uncertain.

Percentage

1 2 3 4 5 6 2010 EPA 2011 EPA Conventional gas Shale gas Weld Co/BAO Weld Co/Mobile Lab

Conventional gas and Shale gas estimates from Howarth et al. [2011]: % of methane produced

• ver the lifecycle of a well.

US average (no error bars) Estimates for Weld County

Conclusions

• High-qualit y mult i-species

measurement s from t he NOAA GMD Tower net work provide unique informat ion on regional sources of GHG and air pollut ant s.

• Oil and Gas operat ions in t he

Nort hern Front Range have a regional impact on air composit ion.

• Bot t om-up emission invent ories for
• il and gas operat ions are quit e

uncert ain.

• This was a st udy of opport unit y t o

look at met hane variabilit y in t he region.

• Next possible st eps:

– Aircraft and Mobile Lab

mapping of t he region t o derive absolut e fluxes

– Act ive chemist ry st udy

Natural Gas Production in the US since 1936

5 10 15 20 25 30

1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

Year

Trillion cubic feet from Gas Wells from Oil Wells from Shale Gas from Coalbed Wells Gross Withdrawal

Alaska 13% Texas 29% Louisiana 6% Gulf of Mexico 9% New Mexico 6% Oklahoma 7% Wyoming 10% Colorado 6% Other states 14%

2009 natural gas production in the US = 19.5% of world production 2010 US Total Production = 26.8 Trillion cubic feet (Tcf) From shale gas=3.4 From Coalbed= 2.0 2010 US Consumption = 24.1 Tcf 2009 breakdown of production by state

Natural gas gross withdrawal by state

5 10 15 20 25 30

1967 1977 1987 1997 2007

Year

Trillion Cubic Feet

Total Other States Alaska Texas Louisiana Gulf of Mexico New Mexico Oklahoma Wyoming

Alaska 13% Texas 29% Louisiana 6% Gulf of Mexico 9% New Mexico 6% Oklahoma 7% Wyoming 10% Colorado 6% Other states 14%

2009 Breakdown

Other states…

1 2 3 4 5 6

1967 1977 1987 1997 2007 Year Trillion Cubic Feet Colorado Alabama Arizona Arkansas California Florida Illinois Indiana Kansas Kentucky Maryland Michigan Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New York North Dakota Ohio Oregon Pennsylvania South Dakota Tennessee Utah Virginia West Virginia