Incorporating Abandoned Wells into an LCA Framework for the Natural Gas Supply Chain - LCAXIX

Conference · Thu Sep 26 04:00:00 EDT 2019

OSTI ID:1577067

This work was presented at the American Center for Life Cycle Assessment 2019 Conference (LCAXIX) in Tucson, AZ on September 26, 2019. Abandoned oil and gas wells are a unique issue in the energy sector. There is no exact count of how many wells there are, their exact locations are not always known, and there is large variation in the emissions from these wells. The methane emissions from abandoned wells are not fully understood, and most studies on this topic focus on the Appalachian Basin, which comprises the oldest wells in the U.S. and is not necessarily representative of abandoned wells in the rest of the U.S. This analysis focuses on how to incorporate abandoned well emissions within a life cycle analysis (LCA) framework. This analysis explores limitations and variability in existing data, reckons with the temporal constraints imposed by functional units, and proposes future research that can improve life cycle characterizations of abandoned wells.

• Research Organization: National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA, Morgantown, WV, and Albany, OR (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: FE
• DOE Contract Number: FE0025912
• OSTI ID: 1577067
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English