Assessment of Methane Emission Source Characteristics from Oil and Gas Operations Using Satellite, Weather, Environmental, and Operational Data

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The fossil fuel energy sector has contributed approximately 1/3 of the contemporary anthropogenic methane emissions worldwide. However, reliable estimating of methane emissions from oil/gas (O/G) operations is complicated for several reasons: (1) continual detailed field sampling data over an extensive geographical area (e.g., a producing basin with >1000 wells) is unavailable; (2) identifying and quantifying emission sources from large-scale monitoring (e.g., satellite) data is challenging because there is a lack of robust analysis techniques for this ill-posed inverse problem. In fact, there is increasing evidence that bottom-up approaches involving local measurements would often lead to systematic underestimation, as compared to other top-down approaches based on atmospheric measurements. This project aims to develop new techniques for utilizing satellite retrievals of mole fractions of atmospheric methane (XCH4) to quantify methane emission rate, identify emission sources, and assess their characteristics. Maps of time-averaged XCH4, together with other environmental, meteorological, and O/G operational/production data (e.g., well activity and production volumes), are used to infer potential emission sources. Information about other major emission sources in surrounding areas will also be analyzed (e.g., landfills, coal mines, and urban dwellings). Previous studies focused on tracking emissions from one or a few specific emission sources, and those techniques are not suitable for examining emissions from large O/G basins with many sources. This project aims to develop data-driven modelling frameworks for quantifying methane emission sources from O/G operations and assessing the associated characteristics by (1) building machine- or deep-learning models for correlating production data and well activity to methane emission rates; and (2) understanding the relationships between O/G activities and emission source characteristics. The outcomes, including codes, procedures, and specific case studies of major Canadian-producing basins, would be useful for assessing the environmental performance of existing operations and identifying further monitoring opportunities.