Quantifying methane emission from fugitive sources by combining tracer release and downwind measurements – A sensitivity analysis based on multiple field surveys

Mønster, Jacob; Samuelsson, J.; Kjeldsen, Peter; Rella, Chris W.; Scheutz, Charlotte

doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2014.03.025

Cited by 101 publications

(102 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…The ratios of measured species' mixing ratios, combined with known tracer release rate, determine emission rates. Such methods have been in use since the 1990's (Lamb et al, 1995;Shorter et al, 1997), and unlike dispersion methods, tracer flux ratio measurements do not require knowledge of atmospheric stability and transport, and are independent of exact wind measurements and their timescales (Mønster et al, 2014;Roscioli et al, 2015). The use of two tracers allows for a self-contained quality check for each measurement (Allen et al, 2013;Roscioli et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Natural gas facility methane emissions: measurements by tracer flux ratio in two US natural gas producing basins

Yacovitch

Vaughn

Bell

et al. 2017

Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene

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Methane (CH 4 ) emission rates from a sample of natural gas facilities across industry sectors were quantified using the dual tracer flux ratio methodology. Measurements were conducted in study areas within the Fayetteville shale play, Arkansas (FV, Sept-Oct 2015, 53 facilities), and the Denver-Julesburg basin, Colorado, (DJ, Nov 2014, 21 facilities). Distributions of methane emission rates at facilities by type are computed and statistically compared with results that cover broader geographic regions in the US (Allen et al., 2013. DJ gathering station emission rates (kg CH 4 hr -1 ) are lower, while FV gathering and production sites are statistically indistinguishable as compared to these multi-basin results. However, FV gathering station throughput-normalized emissions are statistically lower than multi-basin results (0.19% vs. 0.44%). This implies that the FV gathering sector is emitting less per unit of gas throughput than would be expected from the multi-basin distribution alone. The most common emission rate (i.e. mode of the distribution) for facilities in this study is 40 kg CH 4 hr -1 for FV gathering stations, 1.0 kg CH 4 hr -1 for FV production pads, and 11 kg CH 4 hr -1 for DJ gathering stations. The importance of study design is discussed, including the benefits of site access and data sharing with industry and of a scientist dedicated to measurement coordination and site choice under evolving wind conditions.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Natural gas facility methane emissions: measurements by tracer flux ratio in two US natural gas producing basins

Yacovitch

Vaughn

Bell

et al. 2017

Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Based on infrared spectroscopy, the high precision of the system (precisions of 3 ppb and < 600 ppt for methane and acetylene, respectively, on a 2 s interval) is due to its very long path length ( 20 km) and the small size of its measurement cell (< 35 mL). Mobile measurements with this instrument have already been successfully taken and published in previous studies (Mønster et al, 2014;Yver Kwok et al, 2015), demonstrating the potential of this method. The measurement error encompasses the precision stated above but also the fact that the acetylene and methane are not measured at the exact same time and frequency.…”

Section: Analytical Equipmentmentioning

confidence: 78%

“…Then, the plume indices can typically be calculated using the difference between the maximum concentrations (peak heights of the signals) and the background concentration. It can also be derived from the areas between the plume signals and the background concentration (Mønster et al, 2014). When the sources of the released and targeted gases are perfectly collocated and when their emission rates are constant, both of these approaches provide the same result given that the tracer and targeted emission plumes have the same structure.…”

Section: The Tracer Release Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, if the collocation of both sources is not perfect or if the targeted emissions vary in time, then the shapes of the emission plumes of the released tracer and of the targeted gas can differ. To minimise the impact of this difference, the ratio of the integrated plumes is generally chosen because this index is less sensitive to the impact of thin turbulent structures than the peak height ratio (Mønster et al, 2014). Other indices have also been tested to overcome this issue like the slope of the ratio between the targeted and released concentrations above the background (Roscioli et al, 2015).…”

Section: The Tracer Release Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nevertheless, this technique encounters some limitations, particularly (i) when it is difficult to position the tracer emission close to the sources, (ii) when the sources are spread over a significant area compared with the distance between the sources and the location of the measured concentrations, or (iii) when targeting individual estimates of the different emission rates from multiple sources with plumes that overlap at a given site within distances at which the measurements can be conducted (Mønster et al, 2014;Roscioli et al, 2015). Typically, at industrial sites, pollutant sources may be sporadic and diffusive over a large area, their location can be difficult to reach and the spatial distribution of the emissions is not always precisely known, e.g.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Statistical atmospheric inversion of local gas emissions by coupling the tracer release technique and local-scale transport modelling: a test case with controlled methane emissions

et al. 2017

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Abstract. This study presents a new concept for estimating the pollutant emission rates of a site and its main facilities using a series of atmospheric measurements across the pollutant plumes. This concept combines the tracer release method, local-scale atmospheric transport modelling and a statistical atmospheric inversion approach. The conversion between the controlled emission and the measured atmospheric concentrations of the released tracer across the plume places valuable constraints on the atmospheric transport. This is used to optimise the configuration of the transport model parameters and the model uncertainty statistics in the inversion system. The emission rates of all sources are then inverted to optimise the match between the concentrations simulated with the transport model and the pollutants' measured atmospheric concentrations, accounting for the transport model uncertainty. In principle, by using atmospheric transport modelling, this concept does not strongly rely on the good colocation between the tracer and pollutant sources and can be used to monitor multiple sources within a single site, unlike the classical tracer release technique. The statistical inversion framework and the use of the tracer data for the configuration of the transport and inversion modelling systems should ensure that the transport modelling errors are correctly handled in the source estimation. The potential of this new concept is evaluated with a relatively simple practical implementation based on a Gaussian plume model and a series of inversions of controlled methane point sources using acetylene as a tracer gas. The experimental conditions are chosen so that they are suitable for the use of a Gaussian plume model to simulate the atmospheric transport. In these experiments, different configurations of methane and acetylene point source locations are tested to assess the efficiency of the method in comparison to the classic tracer release technique in coping with the distances between the different methane and acetylene sources. The results from these controlled experiments demonstrate that, when the targeted and tracer gases are not well collocated, this new approach provides a better estimate of the emission rates than the tracer release technique. As an example, the relative error between the estimated and actual emission rates is reduced from 32 % with the tracer release technique to 16 % with the combined approach in the case of a tracer located 60 m upwind of a single methane source. Further studies and more complex implementations with more advanced transport models and more advanced optimisations of their configuration will be required to generalise the applicability of the approach and strengthen its robustness.

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Mitigation of methane emissions in cities: How new measurements and partnerships can contribute to emissions reduction strategies

et al. 2016

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Cities generate 70% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, a fraction that is growing with global urbanization. While cities play an important role in climate change mitigation, there has been little focus on reducing urban methane (CH 4 ) emissions. Here, we develop a conceptual framework for CH 4 mitigation in cities by describing emission processes, the role of measurements, and a need for new institutional partnerships. Urban CH 4 emissions are likely to grow with expanding use of natural gas and organic waste disposal systems in growing population centers; however, we currently lack the ability to quantify this increase. We also lack systematic knowledge of the relative contribution of these distinct source sectors on emissions. We present new observations from four North American cities to demonstrate that CH 4 emissions vary in magnitude and sector from city to city and hence require different mitigation strategies. Detections of fugitive emissions from these systems suggest that current mitigation approaches are absent or ineffective. These findings illustrate that tackling urban CH 4 emissions will require research efforts to identify mitigation targets, develop and implement new mitigation strategies, and monitor atmospheric CH 4 levels to ensure the success of mitigation efforts. This research will require a variety of techniques to achieve these objectives and should be deployed in cities globally. We suggest that metropolitan scale partnerships may effectively coordinate systematic measurements and actions focused on emission reduction goals.

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Quantifying methane emission from fugitive sources by combining tracer release and downwind measurements – A sensitivity analysis based on multiple field surveys

Cited by 101 publications

References 25 publications

Natural gas facility methane emissions: measurements by tracer flux ratio in two US natural gas producing basins

Natural gas facility methane emissions: measurements by tracer flux ratio in two US natural gas producing basins

Statistical atmospheric inversion of local gas emissions by coupling the tracer release technique and local-scale transport modelling: a test case with controlled methane emissions

Mitigation of methane emissions in cities: How new measurements and partnerships can contribute to emissions reduction strategies

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