Results of multiple years of periodic aerial methane surveys over Pioneer Natural Resources’ operations footprint, comprising approximately 680,000 acres in the Permian basin, are presented, including impacts to operational efficiency, cost, and methane emissions mitigation. Aerial methane detection was performed using a light-aircraft mounted, integrated methane imaging spectrometer. Geo-referenced methane emissions data combined with real-time geo-referenced optical imagery provided accurate methane localization and source attribution. Ground inspection teams used optical gas imaging technology to validate the aerial results and dispatch repair teams. Externally validated leak quantification provided by the spectrometer further allowed accurate measurement of methane mitigation. Aerial methane inspections of nearly 10,000 operations sites per survey, including wells, tank batteries, and all associated equipment, are reported for multiple years of periodic surveys. The data shows a complete picture of the most significant methane emissions from the Pioneer operations footprint over consecutive years and has proven beneficialinvaluable for enhancing operational efficiency. Based on the data, Pioneer has been able to identify the areas of highest impact and focus operational resources on those improvements. Surveys identified types of emission sources that can be addressed immediately within Pioneer operations and areas where Pioneer would need to work with others to improve overall gas takeaway challenges in the Permian basin. Furthermore, Pioneer has reduced leak detection and repair (LDAR) costs significantly by reducing both driving time and ground-based inspection time. We estimate more than 2500 work hours and 1000 driving hours, were saved by each aerial survey. Between 2016 and 2018, the company's methane intensity has declined approximately 41%. Aerial survey results have allowed Pioneer to significantly reduce methane emissions while simultaneously improving safety and efficiency, reducing costs, and reducing vehicle traffic. To our knowledge, this is the first multi-year, comprehensive, aerial periodic methane survey of an entire upstream oil and gas operation's footprint. We're now able to report on the benefits of this paradigm shift away from conventional LDAR surveys. Although the challenge of reducing methane emissions can be daunting, the results from aerial monitoring show that with a technology and data-driven approach, operators can significantly reduce emissions while simultaneously reducing costs and improving operational efficiency.

In efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion, public funding for wind and solar alternative energy resources has enabled their evolution toward cost competitiveness with coal and natural gas options for electric power generation. To address combustion emissions from the transportation sector, the European Commission has committed to electrifying transportation, but this solution will not address transportation by air or by sea. Nor does it address continued production of petrochemical products that only require a small fraction of produced hydrocarbons. This study investigates the cost competitiveness of an alternative strategy to market crude oil priced to cover the cost of removing an amount of carbon dioxide equal to that produced through combustion of transportation fuels to be refined from it. This strategy enables continued use of fossil fuel for all transportation modes. The cost comparison considers life cycle carbon dioxide emissions and does not address other externalities related to materials or batteries employed in renewable energy options. Rather, we report known costs for carbon capture, use, and storage (CCUS) with consideration of both nature and technology based carbon capture with focus mainly on geologic storage and utilization. Because road and rail transportation can be electrified, of particular interest is the levelized cost comparison between carbon neutral fuel and electrified transportation, the latter including infrastructure implementation costs. The resulting cost comparison informs investment decisions and justifies marketing fossil fuels on a carbon neutral basis.

Governments in the U.S, Canada, Europe and other countries have promulgated methane mitigation regulations, and many companies have undertaken voluntary programs beyond regulatory requirements. As programs expand, emerging technology developers have responded with the development of multiple monitoring, detection and quantification systems for methane emissions. Methane detection and quantification systems operate at multiple spatial and temporal scales and when these methods are compared against each other and against inventories of methane emissions, analyses must carefully match spatial and temporal scales. This field trial compares multiple methane detection and quantification methods and compares the measurements to engineering estimates of emissions. Engineering estimates of the detailed temporal patterns of methane emissions at oil and gas production sites reveals the challenges of comparing measurements of individual sources that are not exactly synchronized. Because some detection and quantification methods can interfere with one another, most inter-comparisons are based on asynchronous measurements and approaches for inter-comparing ensembles of measuements are suggested.

While the industry is actively looking to increase efficiency, mitigate and remediate outcomes of extractive practices, there is a shift in requirement for the license to operate – from sustainability (balancing harm) to regeneration (giving more than taking). The sustainability phase continuum can be described as making moves from recycling to sustainability to regeneration. Movement through the phases may be thought of in terms of doing less harm to the planet (everything in it and on it) to giving more than taking from the planet. By mapping activities to specific phases, a representative picture of key current and potential areas/technologies for regenerative industry practice could provide mechanisms and strategies for evolving sustainability/regenerative enterprise strategies. The key takeaway: Improving resource efficiency efforts through nature-based solutions and regeneration of social and environmental conditions will materially increase positive impacts including lower carbon footprints.

The goal for all oil and gas production facilities is to have zero fugitive emissions. This is impossible but reducing the unnecessary fugitive emissions to zero is possible with planning and correct production equipment selection. Sand separators are a critical piece of early production equipment and every time the sand is removed from these vessels’ fugitive emissions are created. In order to reduce the unnecessary fugitive emissions horizontal or low angle Desanders have shown better performance over vertical or spherical sand separators as they have a larger sand holding capacity resulting in fewer blowdowns and unnecessary fugitive emissions. For 1 m 3 (264.2 gallons) of sand stopped by each Sand Separator the Vertical geometry would produce 72% of the Carbon of the spherical vessel while the horizontal Desander would produce 26% of the spherical and the low angle tilt would produce 11%. To optimize the process further, a scale system should be paired with the horizontal or low angle Desander so that the Desander is only blown down when needed to further reduce fugitive emissions.

The traditional advantage of petroleum-based transport fuels of unmatched energy-density and affordability is diluted with the requirement to lower atmospheric carbon. However, despite a significant R&D effort and investment over the last three decades, humanity is still looking for carbon neutral alternatives to petroleum that can be commercially viable. This paper presents meaningful novel approaches to deal with carbon abatement utilizing petroleum that have a better chance to succeed in fulfilling the underlying techno-economic desirables. While the multi-directional work performed in the past on the subject has informed us on a variety of related topics, going forward the society can benefit from a systematic approach to solving atmospheric CO2 problem building on the petroleum advantage. A framework formulating the challenge in terms of techno-economic and environmental requirements is presented that narrows down further work to only meaningful and promising leads. With this framework in mind a few specific pathways are proposed that naturally hold the desired traits if certain conditions are met. These conditions in turn define specific objectives of the subsequent developmental work. While it is premature to suggest any of these will develop into a commercially viable pragmatic method, due to the underlying criteria they hold a better chance to be successful. The presented pathways using advances in electro-chemistry, nanoscience, rational design, and other areas range from (a) mimicking natural fixation of CO2 as in plants to produce tailored polysaccharides or food, to (b) converting CO2 to substances such as carboxylic acids for easy and cost effective sequestration, to (c) changing the way petroleum fuel is used in internal combustion engines to alter the exit state of oxidation of carbon so that the waste product is easily and economically captured compared to the conventional waste product - CO2. One outcome from the framework results in collapse of the economic models and associated technical approaches that aim to convert CO2 to sellable products, owing mainly to the volume of the global GHG challenge. On the other hand, a common element in the proposed promising leads is to deal with the problem of carbon abatement as an added step with an associated cost. The lower this cost, the less diluted the petroleum-advantage. In this context the framework also points to a range of relative costs that the carbon abatement approaches have to work within to retain the petroleum advantage. The outlined technical approaches of carbon abatement are not previously discussed in the literature and hold the promise to help combat the global GHG challenge in a more practical and significant way.

The oil and gas industry has often been blamed for its major contribution to greenhouse gas releases and designated as a target to knock down by media, activists, and environmentalists. It is true to say that without Oil and Gas Industry, anthropogenic emissions of CO 2 and CH 4 would be much lower. Similarly, it is also true to state that without this industry and petroleum products, our life standards would be much different than the current standards. One should not confuse an activity which generates greenhouse gases, and the effect of product consumption. Evaluating the real routine emissions of the oil and gas industry on the same mode than every other industry is possible and constitutes the objective of this work. As a preliminary result, however, data coming from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) clearly highlight that oil and gas production accounts for at least less than 10% of the greenhouse gas emissions from the energy sector in the United States. To more precisely evaluate these emissions, this study relied on environmental impact reports in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, which are available for every production site in the U.S, as well as the oil and gas consumption in the US over the year 2015. Emissions happen during three different stages of the hydrocarbon production; extraction, flaring and venting, and fugitive emissions. The importance of each stage in terms of emissions is extremely variable, depending on the quality of the oil, the field location, and the existence of an outlet for the produced gas. The greenhouse gas emissions contribution from the Oil and Gas industry is 3% for extraction, and about 0% for flaring and venting, and 0% of fugitive emissions in the US. The remaining U.S greenhouse gas emissions while processing petroleum products are due to refining at 88%, and transportation at 9%. However, these results are extremely different for Canadian oil sands, Venezuela heavy oil, Arabian light oil, or Indonesian gas condensate. Worldwide, greenhouse emission source for petroleum industry are 10% for extraction, 19% for flaring and venting, 6% of fugitive emissions, 4% of transport, and 61% of the refinery. As a result, 3.5% of greenhouse gases emitted while processing petroleum products are due to Oil and Gas industry. Based on these results, an extrapolation to the worldwide Oil and Gas production enable to assess the participation of this industry to total emissions. Results show that less than 3 % of worldwide greenhouse emissions comes actually from Oil and Gas industry.

Carbon dioxide separation using membrane based contacting system is a reliable alternative to traditional gas absorbent techniques such as wet scrubbers. The main objective of this research was to design, develop and implement a hollow fiber membrane based contactor system to absorb and separate CO 2 from CH 4 in a simulated flare gas stream. Gas-liquid contacting system was constructed using microporous polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) hollow fibers as a highly hydrophobic membrane. The module used for the experimental studies has 51 mm diameter and 200 mm effective length. The membrane module had the packing density of 60 % and the PTFE hollow fiber being employed in this module had the mean pore size of 0.48 μm. Experiments conducted in a laboratory-scale plant fed with a simulated flare gas mixture containing 2.5 % of CO 2 balanced with CH 4 which could produce varying concentrations of inlet gas using mass flow controller. CO 2 separation experimentation studies were performed and effect of operational variables on separation efficiency of the system has been studied. In order to optimize the gas separation performance of the membrane module, effects of gas and liquid flow rates, absorbent-phase concentration, and nature of scrubbing liquid were examined. The absorption efficiency of deionized-water and aqueous solutions of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and diethanolamine (DEA) as the physical and chemical absorbents has been compared. Results indicated that increasing the flow rate and concentration of scrubbing liquid can enhance the separation efficiency; however, increasing the flow rates of the gas-phase has a negative impact on the CO 2 absorption performance of the system. The traditional CO 2 separation process suffers from many limitations, such as high capital and operational costs, and potential of equipment corrosion. Membrane processes offer attractive opportunities for gas treatment applications including removal of CO 2 , H 2 S, and SO 2 from flare gas mixtures. This technology offers a variety of practical benefits including low energy and operation costs and at the same time it can help to mitigate the adverse health effects associated with burning the waste gases.

For the past fifteen years, industry, academia, government, environmental organizations and other stakeholders have worked together in a collaborative program to provide unbiased science to address environmental and societal issues associated with oil and gas activities. The research team has performed over 40 field trials related to land, water and emissions measurements. Case studies and specific examples on advancements in technologies and processes that have addressed land, emissions, water, stakeholder engagement, and other aspects are discussed. Also discussed is internal progress within industry to ensure that the workforce develops a culture of environmental awareness. Evolvement, aided by this collaborative effort, has been substantial. New technology developed has reduced land impacts through extended reach and horizontal drilling techniques, implementing new, energy-efficient rigs, and improving logistics coordination. Noise and lighting have also been addressed. Emissions have been reduced throughout drilling, completion and production operations through reduced drilling times, electrification of various processes, and flaring reduction. Operators have increased the recycling and use of produced water throughout completion operations and are implementing voluntary water conservation efforts. Public engagement by operators has increased acknowledging that stakeholder engagement is an important aspect of how to address environmental concerns. The team has developed novel methods, for example the development of virtual sites using gaming software, to enable stakeholders to become aware of the importance that industry places on addressing environmental aspects. How industry has successfully communicated advances in environmental stewardship is also discussed.

The detonation of explosives in the wellbore produces hazardous gas; however, these gases are not typically observed in high concentrations at the surface. Recently, during plug and abandonment (P&A) operations, carbon monoxide (CO) from perforation activities was observed in high concentrations. This paper examines these types of operations to determine root causes and mitigation methods. The anticipated amount of CO produced by detonation is calculated by both the empirical equation and reaction-equilibrium simulation methods for cyclotetramethylene tetranitramine (HMX), as well as by the simulation method for cyclotrimethylene trinitramine (RDX), hexanitrostilbene (HNS), and 2,6-bis,bis-(pikrylamino)-3,5-dinitropyridine (PYX). The life cycle of this gas from the time of generation through its potential release to the surface is discussed with the intent to reduce its quantity or concentration throughout. Mitigation methods include the incorporation of an oxidizer in the explosive reaction, chemical scavenging in the wellbore, and controlled venting or catalytic conversion at the surface. Significant quantities of CO are produced by perforating guns, with the proportion increasing for explosives of greater thermal stability until it is the single largest reaction product. During perforation, these gases are usually controlled by gas-handling equipment on the platform; however, the reduced availability of this equipment on the platform at the time of P&A operations is thought to be a contributing factor to the hazard. Another significant factor could be the use of a high circulation rate, which has the effect of increasing the concentration of the gas on the surface. Controlled venting, flaring, and catalytic conversion to carbon dioxide are feasible methods to help mitigate this hazard if conducted in accordance with regulations. This paper details the life cycle of CO gas generated from perforating activities and discusses how it can be hazardous during P&A operations. In addition, several methods are discussed that can help mitigate this hazard.

Biological based emissions control has been demonstrated to be an efficient and cost effective alternative to thermal oxidation technology or flaring for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the forest products and paint and coatings industries. This type of technology applicationhas promising advantages such as the potential for a low carbon footprint, low secondary pollutants such as NOx and SOx, lower energy demands, and lower cost. The objective of this project was to design and implement a sequential field scale biotrickling-biofilter treatment unit to remove VOCs and hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) emissions at the Apache TAMU#2 well storage tank battery in Snook, Texas. The field scale biotreatment system included a biotrickling filter followed by a biofilter with the total treatment volume of 100 ft 3 , skid mounted on a 22 foot trailer. The biotrickling filter was packed with structured cross flow media with large surface area and high void fraction designed to remove the more water soluble compounds and control the humidity and temperature variations of the inlet gas stream. The biofilter unit was loaded with plastic spheres packed with compost which is referred to as the engineered media. Each of the bio-oxidation units was operated at the air flow rate of 25 CFM and empty bed residence time (EBRT) of 2 minutes. The system was inoculated with local stormwater and wastewater from a sedimentation basinclarifier of a local refinery to provide a mixed culture of microorganisms for degradation of the VOC emissions. VOC emissions were collected from the headspace of a storage tank battery leading into a pressure relief vent system. Based on the photo ionization detector (PID) measurements at the inlet of the bio-oxidation unit, the VOC concentration loadings was cyclic and appeared to be correlated to the gas lift cycle of liquid loading to the crude oil storage tank. During the evaluation period, the biotrickling unit demonstrated a surprisingly higher removal efficiency compared to the biofilter. This may be related to the more stable and higher density of biomass growth observed on the surface of the cross flow media. The lower removal efficiency in the biofilter unit could be due to the lack of uniform moisture and nutrients in the second vessel as a result of spray nozzle inefficiency. This aspect of operation can be further optimized by changing the nozzle and the frequency of watering/spraying of the compost media. A removal efficiency of 50-60% for the total VOCs, across the complete unit, was achieved during the 3 month evaluation period while the unit was operated at an average inlet VOC concentration of 400 ppm. The relatively high concentration of alkenes and alkanes (compared to aromatics and water soluble organics in this crude oil vapor), may have decreased the degradation of the total VOCs in the bio-oxidation unit because these long-chain compounds are more difficult to biodegrade by bacterial biofilms in an aerobic environment. The results suggest biological emission treatment systems may be cost effective when compared to thermal oxidizers and flares and should be evaluated as a Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) to mitigate HAPs (and VOCs) from some oil and gas operations. This innovative biological emissions control technology effectively controlled the cyclic emissions produced at the remote site. The strong increase in removal of VOCs after the oil refinery wastewater inoculation suggests an important optimization parameter for more rapid acclimation and increased efficiency for the system in the future applications.

The aim of the paper is to identify whether and to what extent an exploitation of abandoned mine methane ( AMM ) is economically viable in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin ( USCB ). Nowadays coal mining in many countries is in a crisis because of imposing decarbonization policy on one hand, and displacement of energy based on hard coal by energy based on renewables on the other. It turns out that methane accumulates in significant amounts in abandoned underground coal mines’ pathways, galleries and gobs. Hence, both electricity and heat production (combined heat and power – CHP ) from AMM could improve the economic situation of post-mining areas and provide clean energy. Moreover, utilization of AMM exploited by boreholes drilled from surface could increase safety in neighboring working hard coal mines. However, existence of these advantages is determined by economic calculation. Firstly, I identified the factors influencing the level of investment costs and the size of revenues. In both cases I left the popular deterministic assessment and I decided to use stochastic approach, which allows a better reflection of reality by taking into account the variability and unpredictability of the future price of electricity, heat, drilling and other factors. Calculation is based on real data acquired from the local electric power industry. The analysis was possible by using the Monte Carlo method and @Risk program from the Palisade’s package – Decision Tools. Eventually, I prepared sensitivity and scenario analysis to identify which factors have the greatest impact on the profitability of such projects. Abandoned mine methane may soon become a valuable source of income for the mining areas struggling with many socio-economic problems and become a bridge between coal-based energy system and clean energy resources.

Hydrocarbon leaks in oil and gas installations present Health, Safety and Environmental risks. History of crisis management in oil and gas upstream has shown the value of efficient and accurate tools for quantifying the gas-leak rate and determining the perimeter of the hazardous areas. In this context, Total initiated a multi-year R&D collaborative project designed to develop remote sensing technologies and architectures for remote detection, identification, quantification and visualization of gas leaks in the event of a crisis. Total, the ONERA – The French Aerospace Lab – and ADCIS have developed a set of algorithms and software to measure, compute and visualize a methane plume using infrared optical imagers. Results are obtained in 3D and in real time. The following steps are involved: (1) Spectral images in the Long-Wavelength InfraRed (LWIR) region are captured by three hyper-spectral cameras located around a methane release point; (2) Concentrations of methane are measured linearly in ppm.m by comparing spectral images of the scene in the presence of gas and reference images acquired before the release; (3) An algorithm, drawing on tomography techniques, computes concentrations of methane in ppm from the linear concentrations; (4) Mass balance type equations finally help estimate the methane flowrates based on the set of concentrations and local wind data information. A one-week test campaign was organized in September 2015 and consisted of performing twenty-six methane gas releases of 1 g/s to 50 g/s. Three Telops Hyper-Cam cameras were connected as part of a network to a main server which ran the tomography and flowrate estimation code. The real-time remote detection and quantification worked fully. During the campaign, good accuracy was obtained at the low flowrates of 1 g/s and 10 g/s of methane. At the higher flowrate of 50 g/s, quantifications were underestimated due to an oversaturation phenomenon. Further works, the aim of which is to adapt the instrument sensing ranges to the maximum concentrations encountered, should help improve the accuracy of these quantifications. The innovation lies in the fact that a 3D visualization of the methane plume can be computed and created in real time and that flowrates and concentrations can be quantified, also in real time. This technology could be applied in environmental monitoring and crisis management.

Healing leaks is always a priority in the oil and gas industry and plays a major concern to human safety. The time required to fix any leak has a direct relationship in determining the damages caused to the environment, industry and most importantly the number of lives lost caused by catastrophic pipe failures. Detecting leak size and location in pipelines with higher accuracy present major challenges to operators. This paper presents an innovative solution to detect leaks or potential future leaks and heal them instantly using Twin Balls Technology. The solution is based on establishing a relationship between leaks and its associated sound level. Knowing those sound levels precisely and how they propagate with respect to time from the leak source will help build the solution with higher precision. The solution consists of inserting two flowing smart balls into the pipeline. The first smart ball will be receiving acoustic data thanks to the sensors inside of it. Once the threshold of sound level is surpassed, designed thanks to multiple experiments, the smart ball will send a signal immediately to a second flowing ball responsible of ejecting a healing fluid. The healing fluid will flow towards the leaking outlet and close it instantly, preventing any further damages. Also, the first ball will alert instantly the supervisors via wifi monitoring and text messages describing the leak size and location. Twin Balls Technology could be used in pipelines of different sizes and flowing fluids.

Since the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has determined that the Eagle Ford and its supporting industry will be included in future air emission inventories, it is crucial that the most accurate and cost effective methods for determining air emissions of drilling operations be identified. Estimation is the preferred method for creating regional emission inventories since direct measurement of diesel engine exhaust is often cost prohibitive. These estimations are commonly calculated using engine load, conservatively estimated at 100%. This introduces considerable error in the emissions inventory since electric rigs are rarely run at full load and drilling operators do not record engine activity. Conducting an air emission inventory of drilling rigs requires a novel way to estimate emissions without relying on engine load as a primary variable. With this in mind the research team employed an estimation method based on fuel consumption rather than horsepower. Fuel use data is readily available on drilling sites and so more accurately reflects the engine activity of electric rigs in drilling operations. This study finds that emissions calculated using different estimation methods can vary from 9 to 106 pounds per hour of NOx, but that the fuel consumption method offers an opportunity for more accurate assessment of regional emission inventories.

Toxic vapor emissions (TVEs) from crude oil and condensate storage tanks contain volatile organic compounds which are precursors for ground level ozone formation. Vapor recovery units have been proposed for the control of TVEs but come with high energy cost and no liquid recovery. Thermal swing adsorption (TSA) was experimentally and theoretically studied for the capture and recovery of TVEs from crude oil and condensate storage tanks. Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m, p and o-xylene (BTEX) were selected as the TVEs from the analyzed mixture of crude oil and condensate sample, API 54.2. Experimental adsorption breakthrough curves of BTEX on a commercially available granular activated carbon (GAC) were obtained from a bench scale TSA system. A non-steady state, mathematical model was developed to simulate concentration breakthrough curves for the adsorption cycle. The GAC showed high removal efficiencies with equilibrium adsorption capacities for toluene, benzene, m, p-xylene, o-xylene and ethylbenzene on GAC of 215 ± 7 mg/g, 183 ± 5 mg/g, 56 ± 2 mg/g, 9 ± 2 mg/g, and 3 ± 0.3 mg/g, respectively at 25°C. Liquid recoveries of BTEX ranged from 30–35%. Results from the mathematical model were compared to the experimental values. The non-steady state mathematical model predicted the experimental data very well. The model simulation results were further used to study column dynamics adsorption and evaluate the process efficiency of the TSA system.

ExxonMobil Research Qatar and Providence Photonics, LLC, a U.S. based firm, are undertaking research to develop a Remote Gas Detection (RGD) system that integrates computer vision algorithms and infrared (IR) optical gas imaging technology to achieve autonomous remote detection of hydrocarbon plumes. The RGD system is designed to provide continuous surveillance and early warning to operations personnel in case of gas releases and to detect fugitive gas emissions. The RGD system utilizes a custom built IR imager and integrated cooler assembly, and a computer vision algorithm that analyzes the video output from the IR imager to determine the presence of hydrocarbon plumes. Most hydrocarbons have strong absorption peaks in a narrow mid-wave IR (MWIR) region. The algorithm takes advantage of the difference in contrast between a hydrocarbon plume and the background in an IR image and the temporal changes due to plume behavior for the analysis. The algorithm compares sequentially collected IR images and uses a multi-stage confirmation process to confirm the detection. It has multiple filters that mitigate interferences like steam and other movement of objects in the scene such as humans, vehicles, and trees. Early field tests indicate that a 4 lb/hr propane leak could be autonomously detected from a distance of up to 800 feet. The RGD camera assembly enclosure is designed to obtained explosion proof certification using the ATEX standard for deployment at classified/hazardous areas in oil and gas processing facilities. Instrument air provides cooling and is used to purge the system. Multiple deployment opportunities at process facilities are currently underway. Results from field testing at these process facilities will help researchers investigate the effect of temperate and harsh weather conditions, the effect of varying temperatures and gain a better understanding of equipment wear and tear, maintenance requirements and life expectancies. These data sets will produce an accurate assessment of the performance of the RGD system under actual working conditions and will be used to qualify the technology for widespread adoption within the industry. Work has also been undertaken to compare the performance of the RGD system versus existing detection technologies. The most common leak detection technology is point sensors and path infrared sensors. This technology requires dispersed gas to physically contact the point sensors or move between two path detectors. Field tests are used to compare the performance of these mature technologies to the capabilities of RGD.

Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil operations (ADCO) is one of the major oil producing companies in the Arabian Gulf. The Company produces oil from a large number of reservoirs in various fields which are different in size and are under different stages of depletion. In order to achieve near zero flaring and reduce emission, the Company began implementing several projects for flare gas recovery in its oil fields more than ten years ago. Various compressor technologies were selected to suit the specific field applications. These included: liquid ring, sliding vane compressor, both dry screw and oil-wet screw compressors as well as ejectors. Methods adopted to ensure positive pressure on the flare recovery system while preserving a path to the flare for emergency relief included: a water seal drum, a SIL rated quick opening valve, and a pilot-operated relief valve. The paper presents comparison between the designs of the various systems; compressor technologies and pressure relive methods used in flare gas recovery systems. Applicable codes and standards are discussed. The paper also addresses some of the lessons learnt and the guidelines on best practice for selecting and designing vapor recovery systems.

Research Objective Development of improved air emissions management through better emissions estimation methodologies and best available estimation techniques for hydraulic fracturing phases. Problem Statement - Policy without data Federal and State regulators are developing air emissions regulations that will have an impact on the oil and gas industry. In the near future, regulatory requirements will be put in place that entail the measurement and reporting of such air emissions as NOx, VOCs, Greenhouse gases (such as methane), NO2, SO2 and more. 1 Historically, air emissions studies have been conducted using methods that sample off site, ambient air. Much of the data gathered in this fashion falls short because this collection method fails to consider emissions transport from other industry such as power generation, waste water treatment, or even emissions that blow in from other countries. It also falls short of being helpful to the industry since the operators and service providers are left questioning which pieces of equipment are producing these emissions if any. Solution If properly characterized, these sources may be eliminated from regulatory compliance requirements by simply identifying and demonstrating their minimal contributions as de minimis sources. The research team traveled to a hydraulic fracturing site on the Eagle Ford Shale Play and collected real time activity data from equipment that has the potential to release large amounts of air pollutants. Actual run times and load factors of the engines were measured. The activity data was then compared to data collected in the traditional manner of conservative off-site emission assumptions. Regulators performing offsite estimates will typically default to the conservative assumption that engines are operating at 100% load and 24 hours a day, and every day that the operation occurs.

The Intermountain West Oil and Gas BMP Project (BMP Project) is a collaborative effort of the Natural Resources Law Center and its partners, including the Environmentally Friendly Drilling Program. The BMP Project has developed a comprehensive, free-access, searchable, web-based database of oil and gas best management practices (BMPs) for the Intermountain West ( http://www.oilandgasbmps.org ). The database includes over 7, 000 BMPs addressing air and water quality, soils, visual aesthetics, health and safety, wildlife, and other resources. These BMPs are currently required or recommended for responsible resource management by various levels of government, communities, conservation organizations, industry groups, or individual companies. The project website includes resource pages on development issues and controversies as well as case studies of industry efforts to minimize environmental impacts. A community page illustrates community-industry efforts to negotiate, rather than litigate the best options for rational development. The BMP database focuses on source materials regarding both conventional and unconventional development from the Intermountain West states of Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico. The website resource pages also focus on the Intermountain West, but draw on information from unconventional gas developments beyond this region. This paper describes the Intermountain Oil and Gas BMP project resources and addresses the role of BMPs within the range of law and policy options available for facilitating development while promoting environmental and community health and safety. The paper also summarizes what is known of the efficacy and cost effectiveness of BMPs. Communities embrace development for the economic benefit it brings to their areas, but both communities and conservation groups vigorously work to prevent oil and gas development from recklessly disrupting their lives and destroying sensitive environments. Governments consider new means to control impacts while still promoting development. Many companies work to balance cost effective production with practices that protect the environment and the communities they impact. The Intermountain BMP project helps these stakeholders identify appropriate practices for minimizing impacts to surface resources during planning, design, construction, drilling, operations, reclamation, and monitoring. BMP Project resources can also help stakeholders learn to work together to fuel the country's energy requirements and address the economic needs of communities without sacrificing the quality of their environment.