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Copyright: © 2017 The Author(s). This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Coordinated dual-tracer, aircraft-based, and direct component-level measurements were made at midstream natural gas gathering and boosting stations in the Fayetteville shale (Arkansas, USA). On-site component-level measurements were combined with engineering estimates to generate comprehensive facility-level methane emission rate estimates (“study on-site estimates (SOE)”) comparable to tracer and aircraft measurements. Combustion slip (unburned fuel entrained in compressor engine exhaust), which was calculated based on 111 recent measurements of representative compressor engines, accounts for an estimated 75% of cumulative SOEs at gathering stations included in comparisons. Measured methane emissions from regenerator vents on glycol dehydrator units were substantially larger than predicted by modelling software; the contribution of dehydrator regenerator vents to the cumulative SOE would increase from 1% to 10% if based on direct measurements. Concurrent measurements at 14 normally-operating facilities show relative agreement between tracer and SOE, but indicate that tracer measurements estimate lower emissions (regression of tracer to SOE = 0.91 (95% CI = 0.83–0.99), R2 = 0.89). Tracer and SOE 95% confidence intervals overlap at 11/14 facilities. Contemporaneous measurements at six facilities suggest that aircraft measurements estimate higher emissions than SOE. Aircraft and study on-site estimate 95% confidence intervals overlap at 3/6 facilities. The average facility level emission rate (FLER) estimated by tracer measurements in this study is 17–73% higher than a prior national study by Marchese et al.

Details

Title
Comparing facility-level methane emission rate estimates at natural gas gathering and boosting stations
Author
Vaughn, Timothy L 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Bell, Clay S 1 ; Yacovitch, Tara I 2 ; Roscioli, Joseph R 2 ; Herndon, Scott C 2 ; Conley, Stephen 3 ; Schwietzke Stefan 4 ; Heath, Garvin A 5 ; Pétron Gabrielle 4 ; Zimmerle, Daniel 6   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 Colorado State University, Energy Institute and Mechanical Engineering, Fort Collins, Colorado, US 
 Aerodyne Research, Inc., Billerica, Massachusetts, US 
 Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources, University of California, Davis, California, US; Scientific Aviation, Inc., Boulder, Colorado, US 
 University of Colorado Boulder, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, Boulder, Colorado, US; NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory, Boulder, Colorado, US 
 National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado, US 
 Colorado State University, Energy Institute and Mechanical Engineering, Fort Collins, Colorado, US; University of Colorado BoulderUS; Washington State UniversityUS 
Publication year
2017
Publication date
Nov 2017
Publisher
University of California Press, Journals & Digital Publishing Division
ISSN
23251026
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2771342409
Copyright
Copyright: © 2017 The Author(s). This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.