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Title: Gathering pipeline methane emissions in Fayetteville shale pipelines and scoping guidelines for future pipeline measurement campaigns

Abstract

Gathering pipelines, which transport gas from well pads to downstream processing, are a sector of the natural gas supply chain for which little measured methane emissions data are available. This study performed leak detection and measurement on 96 km of gathering pipeline and the associated 56 pigging facilities and 39 block valves. The study found one underground leak accounting for 83% (4.0 kg CH4/hr) of total measured emissions. Methane emissions for the 4684 km of gathering pipeline in the study area were estimated at 402 kg CH4/hr [95 to 1065 kg CH4/hr, 95% CI], or 1% [0.2% to 2.6%] of all methane emissions measured during a prior aircraft study of the same area. Emissions estimated by this study fall within the uncertainty range of emissions estimated using emission factors from EPA's 2015 Greenhouse Inventory and study activity estimates. While EPA's current inventory is based upon emission factors from distribution mains measured in the 1990s, this study indicates that using emission factors from more recent distribution studies could significantly underestimate emissions from gathering pipelines. To guide broader studies of pipeline emissions, we also estimate the fraction of the pipeline length within a basin that must be measured to constrain uncertainty ofmore » pipeline emissions estimates to within 1% of total basin emissions. The study provides both substantial insight into the mix of emission sources and guidance for future gathering pipeline studies, but since measurements were made in a single basin, the results are not sufficiently representative to provide methane emission factors at the regional or national level.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [1]
+ Show Author Affiliations
  1. Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins, CO (United States). Energy Institute and Mechanical Engineering
  2. National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
  3. Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States)
  4. Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States). Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences; NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory, Boulder, Colorado (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
OSTI Identifier:
1414377
Report Number(s):
NREL/JA-6A20-70687
Journal ID: ISSN 2325-1026
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC36-08GO28308; AC26-07NT42677
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Elementa
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 5; Journal Issue: 0; Journal ID: ISSN 2325-1026
Publisher:
University of California Press
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
03 NATURAL GAS; 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; methane; natural gas; emissions; pipelines; greenhouse gas

Citation Formats

Zimmerle, Daniel J., Pickering, Cody K., Bell, Clay S., Heath, Garvin A., Nummedal, Dag, Pétron, Gabrielle, and Vaughn, Timothy L. Gathering pipeline methane emissions in Fayetteville shale pipelines and scoping guidelines for future pipeline measurement campaigns. United States: N. p., 2017. Web. doi:10.1525/elementa.258.
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Zimmerle, Daniel J., Pickering, Cody K., Bell, Clay S., Heath, Garvin A., Nummedal, Dag, Pétron, Gabrielle, & Vaughn, Timothy L. Gathering pipeline methane emissions in Fayetteville shale pipelines and scoping guidelines for future pipeline measurement campaigns. United States. https://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.258
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Zimmerle, Daniel J., Pickering, Cody K., Bell, Clay S., Heath, Garvin A., Nummedal, Dag, Pétron, Gabrielle, and Vaughn, Timothy L. Fri . "Gathering pipeline methane emissions in Fayetteville shale pipelines and scoping guidelines for future pipeline measurement campaigns". United States. https://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.258. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1414377.
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@article{osti_1414377,
title = {Gathering pipeline methane emissions in Fayetteville shale pipelines and scoping guidelines for future pipeline measurement campaigns},
author = {Zimmerle, Daniel J. and Pickering, Cody K. and Bell, Clay S. and Heath, Garvin A. and Nummedal, Dag and Pétron, Gabrielle and Vaughn, Timothy L.},
abstractNote = {Gathering pipelines, which transport gas from well pads to downstream processing, are a sector of the natural gas supply chain for which little measured methane emissions data are available. This study performed leak detection and measurement on 96 km of gathering pipeline and the associated 56 pigging facilities and 39 block valves. The study found one underground leak accounting for 83% (4.0 kg CH4/hr) of total measured emissions. Methane emissions for the 4684 km of gathering pipeline in the study area were estimated at 402 kg CH4/hr [95 to 1065 kg CH4/hr, 95% CI], or 1% [0.2% to 2.6%] of all methane emissions measured during a prior aircraft study of the same area. Emissions estimated by this study fall within the uncertainty range of emissions estimated using emission factors from EPA's 2015 Greenhouse Inventory and study activity estimates. While EPA's current inventory is based upon emission factors from distribution mains measured in the 1990s, this study indicates that using emission factors from more recent distribution studies could significantly underestimate emissions from gathering pipelines. To guide broader studies of pipeline emissions, we also estimate the fraction of the pipeline length within a basin that must be measured to constrain uncertainty of pipeline emissions estimates to within 1% of total basin emissions. The study provides both substantial insight into the mix of emission sources and guidance for future gathering pipeline studies, but since measurements were made in a single basin, the results are not sufficiently representative to provide methane emission factors at the regional or national level.},
doi = {10.1525/elementa.258},
journal = {Elementa},
number = 0,
volume = 5,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Nov 24 00:00:00 EST 2017},
month = {Fri Nov 24 00:00:00 EST 2017}
}
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https://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.258
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Measurements of Methane Emissions from Natural Gas Gathering Facilities and Processing Plants: Measurement Results
journal, February 2015

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Quantifying atmospheric methane emissions from the Haynesville, Fayetteville, and northeastern Marcellus shale gas production regions: CH4 emissions from shale gas production
journal, March 2015

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Variation in Methane Emission Rates from Well Pads in Four Oil and Gas Basins with Contrasting Production Volumes and Compositions
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Improved Mechanistic Understanding of Natural Gas Methane Emissions from Spatially Resolved Aircraft Measurements
journal, June 2017

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Comparing facility-level methane emission rate estimates at natural gas gathering and boosting stations
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    Works referencing / citing this record:

    Temporal variability largely explains top-down/bottom-up difference in methane emission estimates from a natural gas production region
    journal, October 2018

    • Vaughn, Timothy L.; Bell, Clay S.; Pickering, Cody K.
    • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 115, Issue 46
    • DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1805687115

    Temporal variability largely explains top-down/bottom-up difference in methane emission estimates from a natural gas production region
    journal, October 2018

    • Vaughn, Timothy L.; Bell, Clay S.; Pickering, Cody K.
    • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 115, Issue 46
    • DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1805687115

    Comparing facility-level methane emission rate estimates at natural gas gathering and boosting stations
    journal, February 2017

    • Vaughn, Timothy L.; Bell, Clay S.; Yacovitch, Tara I.
    • Elem Sci Anth, Vol. 5, Issue 0
    • DOI: 10.1525/elementa.257
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