Measurements show that marginal wells are a disproportionate source of methane relative to production
J. Deighton, Amy Townsend‐Small, Sarah J. Sturmer, Jacob Hoschouer, Laura Heldman
Abstract
: Low producing marginal wells are the most abundant type of oil and gas well in the United States, and a surprising number of them are venting all or more of their reported produced gas to the atmosphere. This makes marginal wells a disproportionate greenhouse gas emissions source compared to their energy return, and a good target for environmental mitigation.
Topics & Concepts
Greenhouse gasMethaneNatural gasEnvironmental scienceFossil fuelMethane emissionsFugitive emissionsAssociated petroleum gasCarbon sequestrationEnergy sourceCarbon dioxideEnvironmental engineeringChemistryGeologyOrganic chemistryOceanographyAtmospheric and Environmental Gas DynamicsHydrocarbon exploration and reservoir analysisCO2 Sequestration and Geologic Interactions