I was referred to look at this study by a Devon industry rep who was kind enough to try to answer some of my concerns for Urban Drilling.
In this shopping list of air studies, I was able to access a Barnett Shale air study …
Note in my video attempt to contact Dr. Barbara Zielinska
https://sph.uth.edu/mleland/attachments/DRI-Barnett%20Report%2019%20Final.pdf
My question was if any air testing occurred during the flowback phase.
“Approximately 24 well sites were surveyed in the areas surrounding the cities of Rhome, Decatur, Aurora, Boyd, New Fairview, Alvord, Bridgeport, Runaway Bay, Chico, Paradise, and Allison. We also made measurements near the fence lines of gas compression or processing plants near Rhome, Chico, Bridgeport, Allison, and New Fairview. Although there were several active fracturing operations in the area we were unable to get closer than 200 to 300 m from the drill pads. Access to downwind locations was unavailable”.
Here are some select items from that report that I boldfaced for emphasis…
“The study, which was preliminary in nature, found that the most abundant non-methane volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from the condensate tank adjacent to gas wells were ethane, propane, n-butane, iso-butane, iso-pentane, and n-pentane. Aromatic hydrocarbons, such as benzene, toluene, and xylenes, were much less abundant and accounted for approximately 0.1%-0.2% of non-methane VOC emissions. There was a steep, exponential decrease in emissions concentrations from the site closest to an emissions source (approximately 17 meters from the condensate tank) to the next downwind site (approximately 67 meters from the tank). The concentration of emissions from the tank decreased to near background concentrations at a distance of approximately 100 meters. Source apportionment of VOCs in Shale Creek, a downwind residential community, was evaluated using chemical mass balance techniques. The dominant source categories for the sum of VOC were motor vehicle emissions (46% ± 14%) and combined natural gas and condensate tank emissions (43% ± 5%). For a specific VOC, the source contribution might differ. For example, 70% to 80% of benzene was attributed to fugitive emissions of natural gas. This study was brief and only examined one season (AprilMay), during which temperatures were not high and winds were mostly southeasterly. The conclusions drawn from this study should be considered tentative and need to be supported by a larger study or data from other studies covering all seasons and sites.”….
“Emissions can occur during various stages in the life of any single well and along various points of the production stream from extraction of raw gas at the well to distribution of commercial-grade natural gas at central gathering and processing plants. In addition to the release of raw gas from various pressure-relief valves, emissions from gas production operations include combustion emissions from compressors and diesel-powered trucks during well installation and removal of condensate from the well tanks. These variations are also accompanied by changes in the chemical and physical nature of the mixture of pollutants during transport in the atmosphere. Recognizing the need for additional data about emissions from gas production facilities in the Barnett Shale area and their impact on population exposures, the Mickey Leland National Urban Air Toxics Research Center issued a request for proposal (RFP) in November 2009 for a short-term (seven NUATRC RESEARCH REPORT NO. 19 13 Barbara Zielinska et al months), focused study that would lead to a better understanding of the air toxic emissions in the area and the potential population exposures of residents in this area”…..
“Furthermore, ambient measurements at several randomly selected locations within such a large area (with numerous scattered points of emissions with potentially widely varying composition and rates of emissions) are unlikely to yield results that would be particularly useful for exposure assessment.“….
From: kim feil <kimfeil@sbcglobal.net>
To: vince.white@dvn.com; darren.smith@dvn.com
Cc: cynthia.simmons@arlingtontx.gov; jimashford@sbcglobal.net; jim@bradburycounsel.com; lobdillj@att.net; robert.cluck@arlingtontx.gov; Robert Rivera <robert.rivera@arlingtontx.gov>; robert.shepard@arlingtontx.gov; jimmy.bennett@arlingtontx.gov; michael.glaspie@arlingtontx.gov; charlie.parker@arlingtontx.gov; lana.wolff@arlingtontx.gov; sheri.capehart@arlingtontx.gov; kathryn.wilemon@arlingtontx.gov; trey.yelverton@arlingtontx.gov; jim.parajon@arlingtontx.gov; collin.gregory@arlingtontx.gov
Sent: Thursday, September 6, 2012 1:16 PM
Subject: Re: The Mickey Leland Barnett Shale study….no flowback emssions info
—– Forwarded Message —-
From: Barbara Zielinska <Barbara.Zielinska@dri.edu>
To: kimfeil@sbcglobal.net
Sent: Thu, September 6, 2012 12:51:32 PM
Subject: Contact Email from DAS Web Site
Kim,
Your question regarding Barnett Shale study was forwarded to me today. Your question is:
Is there any emissions results from air studies in the Barnett Shale during flowback at receptor locations? ie in the neighborhoods? At what distance rate does BenZene dissapate under certain meterological conditions?
No, we didn’t do any monitoring during flowback conditions. We couldn’t obtain a permit to enter any of the production areas. All what we were able to do was fence-line monitoring. Here is a link to our final report:
https://sph.uth.tmc.edu/mleland/attachments/DRI-Barnett%20Report%2019%20Final.pdf
Best regards,
Kim Feil
https://barnettshalehell.wordpress.com/
From: kim feil <kimfeil@sbcglobal.net>
Sent: Thu, August 23, 2012 11:35:01 AM
Subject: The Mickey Leland Barnett Shale study….no flowback emssions info
Kim Feil
https://barnettshalehell.wordpress.com/
From: kim feil <kimfeil@sbcglobal.net>
To: vince.white@dvn.com; darren.smith@dvn.com
Sent: Thu, August 23, 2012 9:52:59 AM
Subject: Re: Please forward to Dr Whitsitt please comment on when benzene goes up to 85 ppb during flowback in urban areas in our dry gas Barnett Shale….
To: vince.white@dvn.com
Sent: Mon, August 13, 2012 10:32:15 AM
Subject: Please forward to Dr Whitsitt please comment on when benzene goes up to 85 ppb during flowback in urban areas in our dry gas Barnett Shale….
Here were the supporters listed on the webpage-the group no longer is a working entity as of 2011….