Characterization and microbial mitigation of fugitive methane emissions from oil and gas wells: Example from Indiana, USA

Yin, Y.; Mastalerz, María; Lennon, Jay T.; Drobniak, Agnieszka; Schimmelmann, Arndt

doi:10.1016/j.apgeochem.2020.104619

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…We also measured a broad distribution of methane uptake rates (a negative emission value) from 19% of measured wells (Figure B), likely driven by variations in atmospheric methane being consumed by soil methanotrophs . Recent work has found that methane emissions can enhance methanotrophic activity near the emission source . We measured 24 AP wells and 1 idle well with negative emissions.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 53%

“…10 Recent work has found that methane emissions can enhance methanotrophic activity near the emission source. 14 We measured 24 AP wells and 1 idle well with negative emissions. The median uptake of these wells was 0.12 mg CH 4 h −1 .…”

Section: ■ Results and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nevertheless, emissions currently reported by the industry and states' GHG inventories likely provide a lower estimate of atmospheric methane emissions because quantitative emission data are incomplete. This conclusion is supported by growing evidence of methane emissions from abandoned wells in hydrocarbon production areas in the Marcellus shale in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, 9−12 midwestern United States, 13,14 United Kingdom, 15 Netherlands, 16 and the North Sea. 17,18 The majority of methane emissions from abandoned wells investigated in the United States originated from thermogenic sources 9,10,13 suggesting a loss of well integrity 19 and the unintended release of deep reservoir gas may also arise via gas migration along the outside of the well as found in the North Sea 17,18 and in Alberta, Canada.…”

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 89%

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Methane Emissions from Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells in California

Lebel

Vielstädte

et al. 2020

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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California hosts ∼124,000 abandoned and plugged (AP) oil and gas wells, ∼38,000 idle wells, and ∼63,000 active wells, whose methane (CH 4 ) emissions remain largely unquantified at levels below ∼2 kg CH 4 h −1 . We sampled 121 wells using two methods: a rapid mobile plume integration method (detection ∼0.5 g CH 4 h −1 ) and a more sensitive static flux chamber (detection ∼1 × 10 −6 g CH 4 h −1 ). We measured small but detectable methane emissions from 34 of 97 AP wells (mean emission: 0.286 g CH 4 h −1 ). In contrast, we found emissions from 11 of 17 idle wellswhich are not currently producing (mean: 35.4 g CH 4 h −1 )4 of 6 active wells (mean: 189.7 g CH 4 h −1 ), and one unplugged wellan open casing with no infrastructure present (10.9 g CH 4 h −1 ). Our results support previous findings that emissions from plugged wells are low but are more substantial from idle wells. In addition, our smaller sample of active wells suggests that their reported emissions are consistent with previous studies and deserve further attention. Due to limited access, we could not measure wells in most major active oil and gas fields in California; therefore, we recommend additional data collection from all types of wells but especially active and idle wells.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 53%

Section: ■ Results and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 89%

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Methane Emissions from Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells in California

Lebel

Vielstädte

et al. 2020

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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“…Moreover, methanotrophic bacteria that live in soils surrounding OGWs have the potential to oxidize some of the leaking CH 4 (Stein 2000). Yin et al (2020) collected soil samples near (0.5 m) and away (20 m) from OGWs, and conducted microcosm experiments to test the capacity of soils in oxidizing the leaking CH 4 . The authors find that soils collected at a 0.5 m distance from the well can oxidize 97% of the added CH 4 , while soils collected at a 20 m distance can only oxidize 14% of the added CH 4 .…”

Section: Alternatives For Ch 4 Emission Reductionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reducing oil and gas well leakage: a review of leakage drivers, methane detection and repair options

Hachem

Kang

2023

Environ. Res.: Infrastruct. Sustain.

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Oil and gas wells (OGWs) with integrity failures can be a conduit for methane and contaminant leakage to groundwater aquifers, surface water bodies and the atmosphere. Recent reviews have addressed OGW leakage but focused on specific types of wells (conventional/unconventional) or specific geographic regions. Here, we conduct a literature review and focus on factors and policies affecting leakage of active and abandoned OGWs, studies quantifying OGW methane emissions, and leakage repair and emission reduction options. Of the 38 factors reviewed here in published literature, studies find that 15 (39%) factors, including geographic location, well deviation, casing quality and plugging status consistently affect OGW leakage. For 15 (39%) factors, including surface casing depth, well elevation and land cover, one or two studies show that they do not affect OGW leakage. For the remaining eight (21%) factors, including well age, studies show conflicting results. Although increased frequency of well monitoring and repair can lead to reduced OGW leakage, several studies indicate that monitoring and repair requirements are not always enforced. Moreover, we find that while 27 studies quantify OGW methane emissions to the atmosphere at the oil and gas wellhead scale, there still are major gaps in the geographical distribution of the collected data, especially for abandoned and orphaned wells. Although studies measuring abandoned wells may include measurements from orphaned wells, these measurements are not separated by well status (orphaned/abandoned), which is important for policy makers aiming to plug thousands of orphaned wells. To repair OGW leakage, we find that most studies focus on well cement and casing repair, and other studies focus on improving the cement mixture to avoid the need for repairs. Alternatives to cement and casing repair for methane emission reductions, such as soil methane oxidation to reduce leakage from OGWs may be effective, but their widespread applicability requires further study. Overall, our review of factors affecting OGW leakage can be used to guide OGW leakage monitoring and repair policies to target wells with high leakage potential, thereby reducing climate and environmental impacts.

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“…In the research of underground pipelines, researchers developed two different ways to analyze the concentration data for different types of chambers. Yin et al [67] used a similar method to measure the methane leakage rate by analyzing the rising rate of methane concentration in the sampling bag. Dedikov et al [36] deployed a cowl with two openings for flow velocity measurement and gas sampling on the leakage point.…”

Section: Chamber Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Methane Emission Estimation of Oil and Gas Sector: A Review of Measurement Technologies, Data Analysis Methods and Uncertainty Estimation

Sun

2021

Sustainability

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The emission estimation of the oil and gas sector, which involves field test measurements, data analysis, and uncertainty estimation, precedes effective emission mitigation actions. A systematic comparison and summary of these technologies and methods are necessary to instruct the technology selection and for uncertainty improvement, which is not found in existing literature. In this paper, we present a review of existing measuring technologies, matching data analysis methods, and newly developed probabilistic tools for uncertainty estimation and try to depict the process for emission estimation. Through a review, we find that objectives have a determinative effect on the selection of measurement technologies, matching data analysis methods, and uncertainty estimation methods. And from a systematic perspective, optical instruments may have greatly improved measurement accuracy and range, yet data analysis methods might be the main contributor of estimation uncertainty. We suggest that future studies on oil and gas methane emissions should focus on the analysis methods to narrow the uncertainty bond, and more research on uncertainty generation might also be required.

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Characterization and microbial mitigation of fugitive methane emissions from oil and gas wells: Example from Indiana, USA

Cited by 5 publications

References 37 publications

Methane Emissions from Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells in California

Methane Emissions from Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells in California

Reducing oil and gas well leakage: a review of leakage drivers, methane detection and repair options

Methane Emission Estimation of Oil and Gas Sector: A Review of Measurement Technologies, Data Analysis Methods and Uncertainty Estimation

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