Emissions from upstream oil and gas production facilities are of interest to a wide audience, including industry executives and technical staff, environmental groups, financial analysts, public policymakers, and the general public. Oil and gas producers can implement leak detection and repair (LDAR) programs for upstream production facilities based on the complex body of federal and state laws and regulations or as part of an internal initiative to increase hydrocarbon capture from such facilities. Often oil and gas producers choose to utilize optical gas imaging to detect methane and Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) fugitive emissions when implementing such programs.

This field study reviews historical optical gas imaging field data to demonstrate the effect of design and maintenance changes to reduce fugitive emissions . The data is examined to better understand emission sources within a well site production facility, and how these sources change over time as designs and processes improve and change. For example, the vast majority of leaks within a well site production facility are from atmospheric stock tanks. The topics covered demonstrate that enhancing stock tank relief valves coupled with effective operation and maintenance practices can significantly reduce fugitive emissions from well site production facilities.

Primary Author/Presenter:
Matthew Porter
Facilities Engineer
Range Resources – Appalachia, LLC
Canonsburg, PA
USA

Co-Author:
Rich Natili, Range Resources – Appalachia, LLC, Canonsburg, PA