Volatile Organic Compound Emissions from Natural Gas Facilities in the Denver-Julesburg Basin, the Uintah Basin and the Marcellus Shale

Abstract:

Natural gas has been widely considered as a “bridge” fuel in the future. Because of the rapid advancement of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing techniques, the production of crude oil and natural gas in US increased dramatically in recent years; and currently natural gas contributes to about 25% of total US energy consumption. Recent studies suggest that shale gas extraction facilities may emit Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), which could contribute to the formation of ozone and affect regional air quality, public health and climate change. In this study we visited 37 natural gas facilities in Denver-Julesburg and Uintah Basins from March to May, 2015. VOCs and methane concentrations were measured downwind of individual facilities with our mobile lab. In total 13 VOCs, including benzene and toluene, were measured by a SRI 8610C Gas Chromatograph. Similar measurements will be conducted in the Marcellus Shale in late August 2015. Preliminary results show that VOC emissions from individual shale gas facilities are variable, which suggests that a single VOC profile may not characterize all natural gas production facilities, though there may be some common characteristics. Measured VOC concentrations will be normalized to concurrently-measured methane emissions, and coupled with methane emission rates measured at these facilities, used to obtain VOC emission factors from natural gas production. This presentation will also compare VOC emission rates from the Marcellus shale with that from the Denver-Julesburg and Uintah basins.