Quantification and Mitigation of Air Pollutant Emissions in the Upstream Oil and Gas Sector

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This research program tackles fundamental research challenges in the understanding, measurement, and mitigation of pollutant emissions from the upstream energy industry, an area of critical importance to Canada and the World. Building on a cited record of significant research contributions and publications in high-ranking journals, fruitful training of highly-qualified personnel, and direct dissemination of results to government and industry, this proposal lays out short- and long-term objectives for maximizing research impacts over the next five years. The ultimate objectives of my research program are to understand, quantify, model, and mitigate airborne pollutant emissions associated with energy use and production in Canada. Discovery Grant funding will directly support HQP researchers working on a range of ambitious, closely integrated projects to develop and apply novel diagnostics, perform quantitative measurement studies, understand complex emission sources, advance adjoint-based quantification techniques, provide science-based guidance for policy decisions and regulations, and drive necessary mitigation. The proposed research program leverages a wide range of advanced experimental and diagnostic capabilities, and is strengthened through active collaborations with a range of national and international partners including National Research Council, Natural Resources Canada, Clearstone Engineering Ltd., United States Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), and the World Bank Global Gas Flaring Reduction Partnership (GGFR). By nature the research program is interdisciplinary, covering aspects of combustion theory, turbulent fluid mechanics, applied optics, heat and mass transfer, and public policy, providing diverse opportunities for collaboration and training of highly qualified personnel. As global consumption of fossil fuels continues to rise, outpacing the increase in renewable energy consumption on an absolute unit of energy basis, any immediate actions to improve air quality and mitigate climate change must begin with engineering and regulatory solutions for the energy sector. The objectives of my research program are aligned to maximize potential for breakthrough progress in the development of novel diagnostic techniques, accurate quantification of critical and difficult to measure pollutant sources, fundamental insight into mechanisms of pollutant formation and emissions, development of new strategies for mitigation, and scientific support for regulations. Success in this endeavour is vital to the health of our environment, to our economy, and to the ensured availability of HQP to meet future challenges in this field.