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Temporal Variability of Emissions Revealed by Continuous, Long-Term Monitoring of an Underground Natural Gas Storage Facility

Journal Article · · Environmental Science and Technology
 [1];  [2];  [2];  [3];  [2];  [2];  [4];  [3];  [2]
  1. Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States); University of Colorado Boulder
  2. Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States)
  3. Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States)
  4. Scientific Aviation, Boulder, CO (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations
Temporal variability contributes to uncertainty in inventories of methane emissions from the natural gas supply chain. Extrapolation of instantaneous, “snapshot-in-time” measurements, for example, can miss temporal intermittency and confound bottom-up/top-down comparisons. Importantly, no continuous long-term datasets record emission variability from underground natural gas storage facilities despite substantial contributions to sector-wide emissions. We present 11 months of continuous observations on a section of a storage site using dual-frequency comb spectroscopy (DCS observing system) and aircraft measurements. Here, we find high emission variability and a skewed distribution in which the 10% highest 3 h emission periods observed by the continuous DCS observing system comprise 41% of the total observed 3-hourly emissions. Monthly emission rates differ by >12×, and 3-hourly rates vary by 17× in 24 h. We find links to the operating phase of the facility—emission rates, including as a percentage of the total gas flow rate, are significantly higher during periods of injection compared to those of withdrawal. We find that if a high frequency of aircraft flights can occur, then the ground- and aircraft-based approaches show excellent agreement in emission distributions. A better understanding of emission variability at underground natural gas storage sites will improve inventories and models of methane emissions and clarify pathways toward mitigation.
Research Organization:
Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E); USDOE Office of Fossil Energy (FE)
Grant/Contract Number:
AR0000539; FE0029168
OSTI ID:
1688445
Journal Information:
Environmental Science and Technology, Journal Name: Environmental Science and Technology Journal Issue: 22 Vol. 54; ISSN 0013-936X
Publisher:
American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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