Investigation of Ozone Production from Natural Gas and Oil Well Methane Emissions with Three Mobile Atmospheric Sampling Platforms

Ground-level ozone negatively impacts air quality and public health. A possible precursor of ground-level ozone is methane emissions from oil and natural gas wells. Western Pennsylvania is a region heavily populated by oil and natural gas wells. The diverse nature of well type and status in Western Pennsylvania provides an opportunity to study ozone production from different kinds of wells. During the summer of 2018, we performed pilot studies at two sites. The first site was a conventional well classified by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA-DEP) as plugged. However, ongoing measurements of gas flow rates show that this well can release methane at rates between 5 and 17 SLPM. The second site was at a reservoir near multiple unconventional wells and a compressor station. At both sites we monitored ozone concentrations, NOx concentrations, and meteorological conditions. At the plugged well site we also monitored methane and ethane concentrations. To perform these measurements we used three different sampling platforms. ARTEMIS (Atmospheric Research Trailer for Environmental Monitoring and Interactive Science) is a small solar-equipped trailer which houses, transports, and powers all instrumentation for extended periods of time. However, the size of this trailer means that some plugged well sites were inaccessible, so we developed a more mobile platform based on a ruggedized wagon. Finally, we found that characterizing the extent of methane emissions from a plume required a very mobile platform, so we packaged the ozone and methane/ethane instruments in a solar-powered backpack. These three platforms allowed us to study the impact of both old and new wells on air quality at a variety of scales and in a variety of terrains. We will report on the results of initial studies in which we used these three platforms. Additionally, we will address how the development of these quickly interchangeable platforms creates the flexibility needed to investigate methane emissions and ozone production from the oil and gas industry at a wide variety of well sites.