Methane Emissions from Offshore Oil and Gas Platforms in the Gulf of Mexico

Environmental Science & Technology
Tara I YacovitchScott C Herndon

Abstract

Shipboard measurements of offshore oil and gas facilities were conducted in the Gulf of Mexico in February 2018. Species measured at 1 s include methane, ethane, carbon-13 (13C) and deuterium (D) isotopes of methane, and several combustion tracers. Significant variability in the emission composition is observed between individual sites, with typical ethane/methane ratios around 5.3% and 13C and D methane isotopic compositions around -40 and -240‰, respectively. Offshore plumes were spatially narrower than expectations of the plume width based on terrestrial atmospheric stability classes; a modified Gaussian dispersion methodology using empirically measured horizontal plume widths was used to estimate the emission rates. A total of 103 sites were studied, including shallow and deepwater offshore platforms and drillships. Methane emission rates range from 0 to 190 kg/h with 95% confidence limits estimated at a factor of 10. The observed distribution is skewed with the top two emitters accounting for 20% of the total methane emissions of all sampled sites. Despite the greater throughput of the deepwater facilities, they had moderate emission rates compared to shallow-water sites. Analysis of background ethane enhancements also sug...Continue Reading

References

Aug 21, 2010·Science·Richard CamilliJames V Maloney
Jul 20, 2011·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Christopher M ReddyRichard Camilli
Jun 20, 2014·Environmental Science & Technology·Tara I YacovitchCharles E Kolb
Oct 1, 2014·Scientific Reports·Hideki NaraToshinobu Machida
Mar 10, 2015·Environmental Science & Technology·Tara I YacovitchCharles E Kolb
Mar 8, 2018·Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association·Joseph R RoscioliDavid R Tyner

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Citations

Feb 23, 2021·The Science of the Total Environment·Yiqian LiuQiang Yang
Apr 25, 2021·The Science of the Total Environment·Yarui WangBryne Tendelo Ngwenya
Apr 14, 2020·Environmental Science & Technology·Alan M Gorchov NegronMackenzie L Smith
Dec 17, 2020·Environmental Science & Technology·James P WilliamsMary Kang
Sep 28, 2021·Philosophical Transactions. Series A, Mathematical, Physical, and Engineering Sciences·Jacob T ShawGrant Allen
Sep 28, 2021·Philosophical Transactions. Series A, Mathematical, Physical, and Engineering Sciences·Angharad C StellAnita L Ganesan
Sep 28, 2021·Philosophical Transactions. Series A, Mathematical, Physical, and Engineering Sciences·Euan G NisbetNicola J Warwick

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