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Detection and quantification of fugitive emissions from Colorado oil and gas production operations using remote monitoring
Citation:
THOMA, E. D., BILL A. MITCHELL, B. C. SQUIER, J. M. DeWees, R. R. SEGALL, C. BEELER, M. T. MODRAK, M. Amin, A. B. Shah, C. W. Rella, AND R. L. Apodaca. Detection and quantification of fugitive emissions from Colorado oil and gas production operations using remote monitoring. In Proceedings, 103rd Annual Conference of the Air & Waste Management Association, Calgary, AB, CANADA, June 22 - 25, 2010. AWMA, Pittsburgh, PA, Paper #70, (2010).
Impact/Purpose:
conference paper
Description:
Western states contain vast amounts of oil and gas production. For example, Weld County Colorado contains approximately 25,000 active oil and gas well sites with associated production operations. There is little information on the air pollutant emission potential from this source category. Assessment is complicated by the fugitive nature of the emissions and by number of potential sources dispersed over large geographic areas. Fugitive emissions can include ozone precursors, hazardous air pollutants such as benzene, and greenhouse gases such as methane. Recently Colorado and Wyoming have seen increasing ozone levels that exceed national ambient air quality standards. Emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from these facilities may contribute to this observed increase and, in some cases, may present a concern for nearby residents. To improve knowledge of this source category, the U.S. EPA is developing specialized measurement approaches and conducting several field campaigns. This report describes field studies conducted in 2009 and planned for 20 I 0 which focus on detection and quantification of fugitive emissions from oil and gas production pads using a new rapid-assessment remote monitoring approach. This paper describes the measurement approach and presents results from a 2009 pilot study in Greeley CO, and results from the first multi-week field test campaign to be conducted.
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NRMRL-RTP-P-1061.PDF (PDF, NA pp, 238 KB, about PDF)
Conference Information
AWMA Online Library