Background
The purpose of this study was to survey the amount of methane, water vapor and hydrogen sulfide that pollute the air because of fracking in the Eagle Ford shale area. Methane is a greenhouse gas that is a major contributor to climate change. Fracking is widely practiced throughout Texas and other areas of the United States, and methane leaks are common during the fracking process. Because of the increase of natural gas production is has been noted that this increase will also increase the amount of methane in the atmosphere and have an overall effect on climate change. To achieve our objective, a trip around the Eagle Ford shale is necessary to collect data. We used a portable detector, the Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy (CRDS), to measure the amount of methane of the Eagle Ford shale area in several counties. Oil is the main resource extracted in the Eagle Ford shale as opposed to wet or dry gas. The experiment utilizes a vehicle to collect a wide range of emission data in the area. Tasks were divided between driving, directing, and monitoring the data in real time. Further tasks were divided up into individual aspects as each student focused on analyzing methane, water vapor, and hydrogen sulfide concentrations, and a map to visualize how and where Gonzales County is affected by the gasses. We do expect to find high levels of methane surrounding the wells. Similar experiments have been done in the past by agencies, and other students who used the CRDS to take measurements around the Bryan/College Station area, as opposed to the Eagle Ford Shale area. These measurements will help to gain a better scope of just how much methane and other gases accumulate within the Eagle Ford Shale area, and contribute to total greenhouse gas emissions.
Methods
Data & Visuals
Methane Emissions around the Central Eagle Ford Shale Basin
Martin Rosen, Jessica Sneed, Taffeta Burleson
Results
Because of the high demand for energy around the world, greenhouse gases will continue to persist, therefore changes need to be made to the way we extract our energy sources to decrease the output being let into the atmosphere by human activities.
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ANALYZER AND VEHICLE SETUP:
OUTLINED ROUTE:
� Map 1 Overview of the route taken for the experiment. The red markers indicate the location of a� methane leak was identified.
Future work could include taking the same trip, but in reverse to see if we would get the same results. It would also be interesting to visit the well pads to see if they are up to standard in terms of regulation. Taking readings from an aircraft will result in the best data for average upwind and downwind concentrations.
Acknowledgements
This overall experiment was funded and composed by the Texas A&M University College of Geosciences Environmental Programs’ course (GEOS 405). Thank you to the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at Texas A&M University for the opportunity to carry out and advance a previous experiment for further experimentation.
College of Geosciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
Fig 2. Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) overview for October 28, 2017. Uwind = [-] E/W winds. Vwnd = [-]N/S winds. Hpbl = PBL height (meters). Air = temperature (K).
References
Purpose
"Oil And Natural Gas Sector: New Source Performance Standards And National Emission Standards For Hazardous Air Pollutants Reviews". 2017. Federal Register. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2012/08/16/2012-16806/oil-and-natural-gas-sector-new-source-performance-standards-and-national-emission-standards-for.
�Rella C. Accurate greenhouse gas measurements in humid gas streams using the picarro G1301 carbon dioxide / methane / water vapor gas analyzer sunnyvale. CA: Picarro Inc. 2010; p. 18.
Andre Van Amstel (2012) Methane. A review, Journal of Integrative Environmental Sciences, 9:sup1, 5-30, DOI: 10.1080/1943815X.2012.694892��Geoff Roest (2017) HPBL charts (climatic maps). Department of Geosciences: Texas A&M University.
Methane is the second most important greenhouse gas accounting for 10% of U.S. anthropogenic emissions and is far more potent at storing thermal energy than carbon dioxide making it a major contributor to climate change. The purpose of our project was to record atmospheric methane upwind and downwind of the shale basin identify possible methane leaks in the area. Although it is impossible to stop all leaks, oil and gas companies in this region need to keep them to a minimum, as air pollution negatively affects us all.
In 2012 the Environmental Protection Agency finalized the regulatory framework for the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program. Petroleum and natural gas facilities are required to report their methane emissions from equipment leaks and venting yearly ("Oil And Natural Gas Sector: New Source Performance Standards And National Emission Standards For Hazardous Air Pollutants Reviews" 2017). With this data facilities can track their emissions, and compare them to other facilities. These reporting’s can be used to gauge the quality of their extraction and prevention techniques. Human error and equipment quality can have a significant effect on what may be released into the air. Future amendments are in the works that will reduce methane emissions by 1.0 million tons.
Future Work
Fig 4. A closer look of the methane spikes in the downwind portion of the trip.
Fig 3. The methane emissions collected throughout the trip.
Policy
Conclusions
Fig 1. How the Cavity Ring Down Spectroscopy measures concentrations of molecules in sample of air. Illustration courtesy of Picarro.