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Gorchov Negron AM, Kort EA, Chen Y, Brandt AR, Smith ML, Plant G, Ayasse AK, Schwietzke S, Zavala-Araiza D, Hausman C, Adames-Corraliza ÁF. Excess methane emissions from shallow water platforms elevate the carbon intensity of US Gulf of Mexico oil and gas production. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2215275120. [PMID: 37011214 PMCID: PMC10104567 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2215275120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The Gulf of Mexico is the largest offshore fossil fuel production basin in the United States. Decisions on expanding production in the region legally depend on assessments of the climate impact of new growth. Here, we collect airborne observations and combine them with previous surveys and inventories to estimate the climate impact of current field operations. We evaluate all major on-site greenhouse gas emissions, carbon dioxide (CO2) from combustion, and methane from losses and venting. Using these findings, we estimate the climate impact per unit of energy of produced oil and gas (the carbon intensity). We find high methane emissions (0.60 Tg/y [0.41 to 0.81, 95% confidence interval]) exceeding inventories. This elevates the average CI of the basin to 5.3 g CO2e/MJ [4.1 to 6.7] (100-y horizon) over twice the inventories. The CI across the Gulf varies, with deep water production exhibiting a low CI dominated by combustion emissions (1.1 g CO2e/MJ), while shallow federal and state waters exhibit an extraordinarily high CI (16 and 43 g CO2e/MJ) primarily driven by methane emissions from central hub facilities (intermediaries for gathering and processing). This shows that production in shallow waters, as currently operated, has outsized climate impact. To mitigate these climate impacts, methane emissions in shallow waters must be addressed through efficient flaring instead of venting and repair, refurbishment, or abandonment of poorly maintained infrastructure. We demonstrate an approach to evaluate the CI of fossil fuel production using observations, considering all direct production emissions while allocating to all fossil products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan M. Gorchov Negron
- Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI48109
| | - Eric A. Kort
- Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI48109
| | - Yuanlei Chen
- Department of Energy Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA94305
| | - Adam R. Brandt
- Department of Energy Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA94305
| | | | - Genevieve Plant
- Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI48109
| | - Alana K. Ayasse
- Arizona Institutes for Resilience, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ85719
- Carbon Mapper, Pasadena, CA91105
| | | | | | - Catherine Hausman
- Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI48109
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2
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Gong X, Jin C, Liu XY, Yu J, Zhang S, Ding B. Scalable Fabrication of Electrospun True-Nanoscale Fiber Membranes for Effective Selective Separation. NANO LETTERS 2023; 23:1044-1051. [PMID: 36655867 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.2c04667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Electrospun fibers have received wide attention in various fields ranging from the environment and healthcare to energy. However, nearly all electrospun fibers suffer from a pseudonanoscale diameter, resulting in fabricated membranes with a large pore size and limited separation performance. Herein, we report a novel strategy based on manipulating the equilibrium of stretch deformation and phase separation of electrospun jets to develop true-nanoscale fibers for effective selective separation. The obtained fibers present true-nanoscale diameters (∼67 nm), 1 order of magnitude less than those of common electrospun fibers, which endows the resultant membranes with remarkable nanostructural characteristics and separation performances in areas of protective textiles (waterproofness of 113 kPa and breathability of 4.1 kg m-2 d-1), air filtration (efficiency of 99.3% and pressure drop of 127.4 Pa), and water purification (flux of 81.5 kg m-2 h-1 and salt rejection of 99.94%). This work may shed light on developing high-performance separation materials for various applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaobao Gong
- Innovation Center for Textile Science and Technology, College of Textiles, Donghua University, Shanghai 200051, People's Republic of China
| | - Chunfeng Jin
- Innovation Center for Textile Science and Technology, College of Textiles, Donghua University, Shanghai 200051, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiao-Yan Liu
- Innovation Center for Textile Science and Technology, College of Textiles, Donghua University, Shanghai 200051, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianyong Yu
- Innovation Center for Textile Science and Technology, College of Textiles, Donghua University, Shanghai 200051, People's Republic of China
| | - Shichao Zhang
- Innovation Center for Textile Science and Technology, College of Textiles, Donghua University, Shanghai 200051, People's Republic of China
| | - Bin Ding
- Innovation Center for Textile Science and Technology, College of Textiles, Donghua University, Shanghai 200051, People's Republic of China
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3
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Foggi Rota G, Monti A, Rosti ME, Quadrio M. Saving energy in turbulent flows with unsteady pumping. Sci Rep 2023; 13:1299. [PMID: 36690827 PMCID: PMC9871000 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-28519-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Viscous dissipation causes significant energy losses in fluid flows; in ducts, laminar flows provide the minimum resistance to the motion, whereas turbulence substantially increases the friction at the wall and the consequent energy requirements for pumping. Great effort is currently being devoted to find new strategies to reduce the energy losses induced by turbulence. Here we propose a simple and novel drag-reduction technique which achieves substantial energy savings in internal flows. Our approach consists in driving the flow with a temporally intermittent pumping, unlike the common practice of a constant pumping. We alternate "pump on" phases where the flow accelerates, and "pump off" phases where the flow decays freely. The flow cyclically enters a quasi-laminar state during the acceleration, and transitions to a more classic turbulent state during the deceleration. Our numerical results demonstrate that important energy savings can be achieved by simply modulating the power injection into the system over time. The physical understanding of this process can help the industry in reducing the waste of energy, creating economical benefits and preserving the environment by reducing harmful emissions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulio Foggi Rota
- grid.250464.10000 0000 9805 2626Complex Fluids and Flows Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Okinawa, 904-0495 Japan ,grid.4643.50000 0004 1937 0327Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Aerospaziali, Politecnico di Milano, via La Masa 34, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandro Monti
- grid.250464.10000 0000 9805 2626Complex Fluids and Flows Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Okinawa, 904-0495 Japan
| | - Marco E. Rosti
- grid.250464.10000 0000 9805 2626Complex Fluids and Flows Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Okinawa, 904-0495 Japan
| | - Maurizio Quadrio
- grid.4643.50000 0004 1937 0327Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Aerospaziali, Politecnico di Milano, via La Masa 34, 20156 Milan, Italy
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4
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Masnadi MS, McGaughy K, Falls J, Tarnoczi T. LCA model validation of SAGD facilities with real operation data as a collaborative example between model developers and industry. iScience 2022; 26:105859. [PMID: 36685036 PMCID: PMC9845793 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
There has been a notable disagreement between life cycle GHG emission estimates reported by research communities and key energy sector stakeholders as many LCA models are not validated against real operation data. This is originated from lack of collaboration and knowledge exchange between model developers and company experts. We present a pragmatic procedure for engaging company experts to advance the assumptions, models, and information used in an open-source LCA simulator (OPGEE). Using real operation and local emission factor data, two oil sands SAGD fields GHG emissions are compared rigorously against the scope 1 and 2 reported emissions. By introducing consistent region-specific input data, system boundaries, and assumptions, OPGEE carbon intensity estimates are within 1%-5% of reported data by companies. The system boundary expansion (e.g., expanding from direct emissions to also include offsite emissions from natural gas co-production, diluent source emission) impacts the GHG intensities estimates for both fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad S. Masnadi
- Department of Chemical & Petroleum Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, 3700 O’Hara St, 940 Benedum Hall, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
- Correspondence
| | - Kyle McGaughy
- Department of Chemical & Petroleum Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, 3700 O’Hara St, 940 Benedum Hall, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
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Jing L, El-Houjeiri HM, Monfort JC, Littlefield J, Al-Qahtani A, Dixit Y, Speth RL, Brandt AR, Masnadi MS, MacLean HL, Peltier W, Gordon D, Bergerson JA. Understanding variability in petroleum jet fuel life cycle greenhouse gas emissions to inform aviation decarbonization. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7853. [PMID: 36543764 PMCID: PMC9769476 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35392-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
A pressing challenge facing the aviation industry is to aggressively reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the face of increasing demand for aviation fuels. Climate goals such as carbon-neutral growth from 2020 onwards require continuous improvements in technology, operations, infrastructure, and most importantly, reductions in aviation fuel life cycle emissions. The Carbon Offsetting Scheme for International Aviation of the International Civil Aviation Organization provides a global market-based measure to group all possible emissions reduction measures into a joint program. Using a bottom-up, engineering-based modeling approach, this study provides the first estimates of life cycle greenhouse gas emissions from petroleum jet fuel on regional and global scales. Here we show that not all petroleum jet fuels are the same as the country-level life cycle emissions of petroleum jet fuels range from 81.1 to 94.8 gCO2e MJ-1, with a global volume-weighted average of 88.7 gCO2e MJ-1. These findings provide a high-resolution baseline against which sustainable aviation fuel and other emissions reduction opportunities can be prioritized to achieve greater emissions reductions faster.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Jing
- grid.22072.350000 0004 1936 7697Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta Canada ,Climate and Sustainability Group, Aramco Research Center–Detroit, Aramco Americas, Novi, MI USA
| | - Hassan M. El-Houjeiri
- grid.454873.90000 0000 9113 8494Energy Traceability Technology, Technology Strategy and Planning, Saudi Aramco, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
| | - Jean-Christophe Monfort
- grid.454873.90000 0000 9113 8494Energy Traceability Technology, Technology Strategy and Planning, Saudi Aramco, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
| | - James Littlefield
- Climate and Sustainability Group, Aramco Research Center–Detroit, Aramco Americas, Novi, MI USA
| | - Amjaad Al-Qahtani
- grid.454873.90000 0000 9113 8494Energy Traceability Technology, Technology Strategy and Planning, Saudi Aramco, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
| | - Yash Dixit
- grid.116068.80000 0001 2341 2786Laboratory for Aviation and the Environment, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA USA
| | - Raymond L. Speth
- grid.116068.80000 0001 2341 2786Laboratory for Aviation and the Environment, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA USA
| | - Adam R. Brandt
- grid.168010.e0000000419368956Department of Energy Resources Engineering, School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA USA
| | - Mohammad S. Masnadi
- grid.21925.3d0000 0004 1936 9000Chemical and Petroleum Engineering Department, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA USA
| | - Heather L. MacLean
- grid.17063.330000 0001 2157 2938Department of Civil and Mineral Engineering; Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON Canada
| | | | - Deborah Gordon
- grid.40263.330000 0004 1936 9094Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA and RMI, Boulder, CO USA
| | - Joule A. Bergerson
- grid.22072.350000 0004 1936 7697Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta Canada
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Abstract
The term “marginal oil resource” refers to an oil reservoir that has hydrocarbon resource preservation but cannot meet the criteria of resources under the U.S Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) standards. When oilfields step into their late life, most of their economic petroleum reserves have been well developed, and their focuses need to be switched to their intact marginal resources. In this paper, reservoir characteristics and key petrophysical properties of marginal oil resources are introduced to classify marginal oil resources into four types for identifying potential development opportunities. Primary recovery and its following development strategy are applied to fully utilizing their economic returns. Waterflooding, low salinity waterflooding (LSW) and enhanced oil recovery processes are reviewed to illustrate its potential uplift on oil production and application challenges such as higher clay content in marginal resources than in commercial reservoirs. An oilfield is presented as a case study to demonstrate the classification of marginal resources and illustrate successful economic development including learnings and challenges. This paper highlights the development potential of marginal resources and proposes a clear guidance for policy makers on how to tailor a development strategy supporting their economic development. This review could increase certainty on forecasting performance of marginal resources.
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