Flare emissions from unconventional oil and gas extraction and processing: An NSERC Strategic Network for cleaner fossil fuels

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Emissions from flaring are a significant global concern. Satellite data suggest worldwide flared volumes**exceed 140 billion m3 annually, where much of it is associated with development of unconventional oil and**gas resources. In addition to being an important source of climate forcing CO2 emissions, flaring is implicated**as a critical source of black carbon and other air toxic species. Flaring in Canada has risen sharply in recent**years, directly related to a rapid expansion in hydrofractured tight oil and tight gas developments. Issues of**flare emissions are most acute at these sites, where flaring during flowback operations has potential to burn**entrained aerosol species originating as injected fracturing fluids and/or returning formation liquids. Data and**models to accurately predict flare emissions are critically lacking such that current emission factors relied upon**to calculate pollutant inventories and guide regulation are questionably relevant. The overarching objective of**this NSERC Strategic Network is to provide a quantitative understanding of flare generated pollutant emissions**critical to enabling science-based regulations, accurate pollutant inventories, understanding of climate forcing**and health implications, and engineered mitigation strategies to make fossil fuels cleaner. The Network**integrates a diverse group of researchers capable of meeting these research challenges through ambitious,**collaborative, large-scale experiments that will significantly advance the field, while training vital new HQP in**this important area. The Network aligns perfectly with NSERC's priority target areas in Natural Resources and**Energy, which are focused on Unconventional Oil and Gas Extraction and strategies to optimize the clean**exploitation of shale and tight gas resources. The energy sector is a dominant force in the Canadian economy,**and as Canadian (and global) production shifts to exploiting shale and tight gas resources, the proposed**research is critical for enabling responsible development and mitigating pollution. Society as a whole will be**the ultimate beneficiary of this work through access to cleaner fossil fuels, where the low-carbon potential of**unconventional gas resources is finally achieved.