Development of a forced advection sampling technique (FAST) for quantification of methane emissions from orphaned wells
<p>Orphaned wells, meaning unplugged and non-producing wells lacking responsible owners, pose a significant and undersampled environmental challenge due to their vast number and unknown associated emissions. We propose, develop and test an alternative method for estimating emissions from orpha...
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Copernicus Publications
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Atmospheric Measurement Techniques |
| Online Access: | https://amt.copernicus.org/articles/18/2987/2025/amt-18-2987-2025.pdf |
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| author | M. L. Dubey A. Santos A. B. Moyes K. Reichl J. E. Lee M. K. Dubey C. LeYhuelic E. Variano E. Follansbee F. K. Chow S. C. Biraud |
| author_facet | M. L. Dubey A. Santos A. B. Moyes K. Reichl J. E. Lee M. K. Dubey C. LeYhuelic E. Variano E. Follansbee F. K. Chow S. C. Biraud |
| author_sort | M. L. Dubey |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Orphaned wells, meaning unplugged and non-producing wells lacking responsible owners, pose a significant and undersampled environmental challenge due to their vast number and unknown associated emissions. We propose, develop and test an alternative method for estimating emissions from orphaned wells using a forced advection sampling technique (FAST) that can overcome many of the limitations in current methods (cost, accuracy, safety). In contrast to existing ambient Gaussian plume methods, our approach uses a fan-generated flow to force advection between the emission source and a point methane (CH<span class="inline-formula"><sub>4</sub></span>) sensor. The fan flow field is characterized using a colocated sonic anemometer to measure the 3D wind profile generated by the fan. Using time-series measurements of CH<span class="inline-formula"><sub>4</sub></span> concentration and wind, a simple estimate of the CH<span class="inline-formula"><sub>4</sub></span> emission rate of the source can be inferred. The method was calibrated using outdoor controlled-release experiments and then tested on four orphaned wells in Lufkin, TX, and Osage County, OK. Our results suggest that the FAST method can provide a low-cost, portable, fast and safe alternative to existing methods with reasonable estimates of orphaned well emissions over a range of leak rates below 40 g h<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−1</sup></span> and within certain geometric and atmospheric constraints.</p> |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-44fca340cf964c7b88bc94e86d4df09d |
| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 1867-1381 1867-8548 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atmospheric Measurement Techniques |
| spelling | doaj-art-44fca340cf964c7b88bc94e86d4df09d2025-07-10T08:36:15ZengCopernicus PublicationsAtmospheric Measurement Techniques1867-13811867-85482025-07-01182987300710.5194/amt-18-2987-2025Development of a forced advection sampling technique (FAST) for quantification of methane emissions from orphaned wellsM. L. Dubey0A. Santos1A. B. Moyes2K. Reichl3J. E. Lee4M. K. Dubey5C. LeYhuelic6E. Variano7E. Follansbee8F. K. Chow9S. C. Biraud10Department of Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USAClimate Sciences Department, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USAClimate Sciences Department, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USAClimate Sciences Department, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USAEarth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USAEarth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USADepartment of Physics, École Normale Supérieure Paris Saclay, Paris, FranceDepartment of Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USAEarth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USADepartment of Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USAClimate Sciences Department, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA<p>Orphaned wells, meaning unplugged and non-producing wells lacking responsible owners, pose a significant and undersampled environmental challenge due to their vast number and unknown associated emissions. We propose, develop and test an alternative method for estimating emissions from orphaned wells using a forced advection sampling technique (FAST) that can overcome many of the limitations in current methods (cost, accuracy, safety). In contrast to existing ambient Gaussian plume methods, our approach uses a fan-generated flow to force advection between the emission source and a point methane (CH<span class="inline-formula"><sub>4</sub></span>) sensor. The fan flow field is characterized using a colocated sonic anemometer to measure the 3D wind profile generated by the fan. Using time-series measurements of CH<span class="inline-formula"><sub>4</sub></span> concentration and wind, a simple estimate of the CH<span class="inline-formula"><sub>4</sub></span> emission rate of the source can be inferred. The method was calibrated using outdoor controlled-release experiments and then tested on four orphaned wells in Lufkin, TX, and Osage County, OK. Our results suggest that the FAST method can provide a low-cost, portable, fast and safe alternative to existing methods with reasonable estimates of orphaned well emissions over a range of leak rates below 40 g h<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−1</sup></span> and within certain geometric and atmospheric constraints.</p>https://amt.copernicus.org/articles/18/2987/2025/amt-18-2987-2025.pdf |
| spellingShingle | M. L. Dubey A. Santos A. B. Moyes K. Reichl J. E. Lee M. K. Dubey C. LeYhuelic E. Variano E. Follansbee F. K. Chow S. C. Biraud Development of a forced advection sampling technique (FAST) for quantification of methane emissions from orphaned wells Atmospheric Measurement Techniques |
| title | Development of a forced advection sampling technique (FAST) for quantification of methane emissions from orphaned wells |
| title_full | Development of a forced advection sampling technique (FAST) for quantification of methane emissions from orphaned wells |
| title_fullStr | Development of a forced advection sampling technique (FAST) for quantification of methane emissions from orphaned wells |
| title_full_unstemmed | Development of a forced advection sampling technique (FAST) for quantification of methane emissions from orphaned wells |
| title_short | Development of a forced advection sampling technique (FAST) for quantification of methane emissions from orphaned wells |
| title_sort | development of a forced advection sampling technique fast for quantification of methane emissions from orphaned wells |
| url | https://amt.copernicus.org/articles/18/2987/2025/amt-18-2987-2025.pdf |
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