Development of a forced advection sampling technique (FAST) for quantification of methane emissions from orphaned wells
Guardat en:
| Publicat a: | Atmospheric Measurement Techniques vol. 18, no. 13 (2025), p. 2987 |
|---|---|
| Autor principal: | |
| Altres autors: | , , , , , , , , , |
| Publicat: |
Copernicus GmbH
|
| Matèries: | |
| Accés en línia: | Citation/Abstract Full Text Full Text - PDF |
| Etiquetes: |
Sense etiquetes, Sigues el primer a etiquetar aquest registre!
|
| Resum: | Orphaned wells, meaning unplugged and non-producing wells lacking responsible owners, pose a significant and undersampled environmental challenge due to their vast number and unknown associated emissions. We propose, develop and test an alternative method for estimating emissions from orphaned wells using a forced advection sampling technique (FAST) that can overcome many of the limitations in current methods (cost, accuracy, safety). In contrast to existing ambient Gaussian plume methods, our approach uses a fan-generated flow to force advection between the emission source and a point methane (CH4) sensor. The fan flow field is characterized using a colocated sonic anemometer to measure the 3D wind profile generated by the fan. Using time-series measurements of CH4 concentration and wind, a simple estimate of the CH4 emission rate of the source can be inferred. The method was calibrated using outdoor controlled-release experiments and then tested on four orphaned wells in Lufkin, TX, and Osage County, OK. Our results suggest that the FAST method can provide a low-cost, portable, fast and safe alternative to existing methods with reasonable estimates of orphaned well emissions over a range of leak rates below 40 g h−1 and within certain geometric and atmospheric constraints. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1867-1381 1867-8548 |
| DOI: | 10.5194/amt-18-2987-2025 |
| Font: | Advanced Technologies & Aerospace Database |