Assessing Methane Emissions from Shale Gas Production in China: A Two-Tiered Mobile Measurement Approach
Pu Hong, Yuzhong Zhang, Wenrui Shi, Shuang Zhao, Xin Feng, Minghao Zhuang, Xi Lu, Meiyu Guo
TL;DR
This study measures methane emissions from shale gas production in China using a mobile approach, finding that a small fraction of well pads produce most emissions.
Contribution
A novel two-tiered mobile measurement approach is introduced to assess methane emissions from China’s shale gas production.
Findings
89% of methane emissions came from just 10% of the well pads.
Estimated methane emissions in 2023 were 16,842 t with a leakage rate of 0.10%.
Gas lift venting and compressor combustion were identified as major emission sources.
Abstract
China, holding the world’s largest shale gas reserves, lacks precise data on methane emissions from its rapidly expanding production. We introduce a two-tiered mobile measurement approach, using a mobile laboratory to measure methane concentrations across 125 well pads (approximately 750 wells) distributed among four major production blocks (Changning, Weiyuan, Fuling, and Luzhou). These blocks contributed 84% of China’s total shale gas production in 2023, providing the first comprehensive ground-level measurements. Stationary downwind monitoring of well pads revealed emission rates from 0.002 to 98.86 kg/h, validated through mobile observations of methane concentrations across the region. Notably, emissions were highly concentrated, with 89% originating from just 10% of the well pads. For 2023, the extrapolated methane emissions from China’s shale gas production were estimated at…
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Taxonomy
TopicsAtmospheric and Environmental Gas Dynamics · Coal Properties and Utilization · Hydraulic Fracturing and Reservoir Analysis