Tracing environmental impacts associated with shale gas production with novel integration of isotopologue thermometry and noble gases

通过同位素测温法和稀有气体的新颖整合来追踪与页岩气生产相关的环境影响

• 批准号: NE/T004452/1
• 负责人: Zheng Zhou
• 金额: $ 9.69万
• 依托单位: Lancaster University
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2019 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE%2FT004452%2F1
• 关键词: Tracing; environmental; impacts; associated; shale

With recent government green light for Lancashire fracking, concerns have arisen over the potential environmental impacts associated with drilling and shale gas production. One issue is whether fracking would introduce elevated hydrocarbon gas levels in drinking-water wells in the area of fracking. Several studies suggested that shale gas drilling could lead to fugitive gas contamination in a subset of drinking-water wells near drill sites, while others argue that methane is natural and unrelated to shale gas development. Much of this debate results from a lack of geochemical tracers that can constrain simultaneously the source, timing, and mechanism of hydrocarbon migration into shallow aquifers. The stable carbon (13C/12C) and hydrogen (D/H) isotopic composition of methane are traditional tools to identify the origin of methane in nature and trace fugitive gases from shale gas production. However, methane with different origins often yield overlapping isotopic compositions, which make such data inconclusive. Clumped methane has been validated as a thermometer, it is particularly useful to trace origin of methane gas, but the full potential and range of uses is yet to be developed. In contrast, noble gases have long been proven as a versatile tool in the investigation of origin and physical processes occurring in natural gas and hydrocarbon systems. This project will combine noble gases and clumped methane as a new set of tracers for identifying the origin and migration processes of stray gases from shale gas production.

随着最近政府为兰开夏郡水力压裂法开绿色绿灯，人们对钻井和页岩气生产相关的潜在环境影响产生了担忧。一个问题是，水力压裂是否会在水力压裂地区的饮用水威尔斯井中引入升高的碳氢化合物气体水平。几项研究表明，页岩气钻探可能导致钻探地点附近的饮用水威尔斯井受到逃逸性气体污染，而另一些研究则认为甲烷是天然的，与页岩气开发无关。这场争论的大部分原因是缺乏地球化学示踪剂，可以同时限制烃类迁移到浅层含水层的来源，时间和机制。甲烷的稳定碳（13 C/12 C）和氢（D/H）同位素组成是识别自然界中甲烷来源和追踪页岩气生产中逃逸气体的传统工具。然而，不同来源的甲烷往往产生重叠的同位素组成，这使得这样的数据不确定。块状甲烷已被验证为温度计，它对追踪甲烷气体的起源特别有用，但其全部潜力和用途范围尚未开发。相反，惰性气体长期以来被证明是研究天然气和碳氢化合物系统的起源和物理过程的一种多功能工具。该项目将把联合收割机惰性气体和块状甲烷结合起来，作为一套新的示踪剂，用于确定页岩气生产中杂散气体的来源和迁移过程。

项目成果

Tracing interaction between hydrocarbon and groundwater systems with isotope signatures preserved in the Anyue gas field, central Sichuan Basin, China

利用中国四川盆地中部安岳气田保存的同位素特征追踪碳氢化合物与地下水系统之间的相互作用

• DOI: 10.1016/j.gca.2020.01.039
• 发表时间: 2020-04-01
• 期刊: GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA
• 影响因子: 5
• 作者: Li, Yan;Qin, Shengfei;Zhou, Zheng
• 通讯作者: Zhou, Zheng

High temperature methane emissions from Large Igneous Provinces as contributors to late Permian mass extinctions.

来自大火成岩省份的高温甲烷排放是二叠纪巨大灭绝的贡献者。

• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34645-3
• 发表时间: 2022-11-12
• 期刊: Nature communications
• 影响因子: 16.6
• 作者: Chen C;Qin S;Wang Y;Holland G;Wynn P;Zhong W;Zhou Z
• 通讯作者: Zhou Z

Tracing the sources and evolution processes of shale gas by coupling stable (C, H) and noble gas isotopic compositions: Cases from Weiyuan and Changning in Sichuan Basin, China

• DOI: 10.1016/j.jngse.2020.103304
• 发表时间: 2020-06-01
• 期刊: JOURNAL OF NATURAL GAS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
• 作者: Cao, Chunhui;Zhang, Mingjie;Zhou, Zheng
• 通讯作者: Zhou, Zheng