Using iso to n-Pentane Ratios to Identify Oil and Natural Gas Industry Influence in the LA Basin

Carolyn Shetter Josette Marrero Dr. Donald Blake

California and Fossil Fuels

3rd largest producer of crude oil in the United States and 2nd largest consumer of oil 13th largest producer of natural gas Contains 21% of the oil reserves
http://www.energy.ca.gov/maps/infrastructure/Naturalgas_Pipelines_Oil.pdf

Effects on Air Quality

Production and consumption both release VOCs Some VOCs have bad health effects for humans as well as potential ozone formation

VOCs + NOx + h

O3

Previous Work
2000

1500

1000

500

0 0 200 400 600 800

Areas with oil and natural gas infrastructure had i/n pentane ratio of 0.9 Other areas had i/n pentane ratio of 2.5
n-Pentane (pptv)

iso-Pentane (pptv)

Data Restrictions
Focus on LA Basin Pressure altitude < 8000 feet Concentrations > 19 ppt

Restricted Data
2000

iso-Pentane (pptv)

1500

1000

500

y = 2.38 0.04 R =0.970

2

200

400

600

800

n-Pentane (pptv)

RF 1 RF 2 RF 3 RF 4

Aircraft samples Ground samples

Further Restrictions
4

Aircraft Samples Ground Samples

3

iso/n-Pentane

iso/n-pentane ratio < 2.1

2

0 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600

n-Pentane (pptv)

Comparison of Trends
2500 2000

y = 1.46x 0.10
y = 2.38x 0.04 R =0.980
2

R =0.981

iso-Pentane (pptv)

1500

y = 1.91x 0.03
1000

R =.992

Aircraft samples with ratios > 2.1 Aircraft samples with ratios < 2.1 Ground samples

500

0 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600

n-Pentane (pptv)

Points of Interest

Off shore seeps/coastal drilling Refineries & Inglewood Oil Field Coastal drilling Southern California Natural Gas

LAX LAX

Huntington Beach Then and Now

http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I00002t_FsqFFXTE/s/750/750/Huntington-Beach-Ca.jpg http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dgNPxBlFp40/SuW6Vm2g-BI/AAAAAAAAB0M/zwgAhIzZAXE/s320/LAFrog+oil.jpg

Points of Interest

Off shore seeps/coastal drilling Refineries & Inglewood Oil Field Coastal drilling Southern California Natural Gas

LAX LAX

 Large influence of oil and natural gas infrastructure in urban LA

Points of Interest

Off shore seeps/coastal drilling Refineries & Inglewood Oil Field Coastal drilling Southern California Natural Gas

LAX LAX

Natural Gas Leakage

http://www.energy.ca.gov/maps/infrastructure/Natural_Gas_Pipelines.pdf

Conclusions and Future Work

Pollution from fossil fuel production can be detected in urban centers by use of iso to n-pentane ratios Possibly use this ratio to determine where there are leaks from fossil fuel production More ground samples for validation Use OH reactivity to predict the formation of ozone from oil and natural gas production Effect of hydraulic fracturing in the long term

Acknowledgements
Josette Marrero Laura Judd Dr. Donald Blake Rowland-Blake Lab Dr. Emily Schaller Rick Shetter UND & NSERC WAS Team

References
Simpson, I. J., N. J. Blake, B. Barletta, G. S. Diskin, H. E. Fuelberg, K. Gorham, L. G. Huey, S. Meinardi, F. S. Rowland, S. A. Vay, A. J. Weinheimer, M. Yang, and D. R. Blake (2010), Characterization of trace gases measured over Alberta oil sandsmining operations: 76 speciated C2C10 volatile organic compounds (VOCs), CO2, CH4, CO, NO, NO2, NOy, O3 and SO2, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 10, 11931-11954. Gilman, J. B., B. M. Lerner, W. C. Kuster and J. de Gouw (2013), Source signature of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from oil and natural gas operations in northeastern Colorado, Environ. Sci. Technol., 47, 1297-1305. Katzenstein, A. S., Doezma, L. A., Simpson, I. J., Blake, D. R., and F. S. Rowland (2003), Extensive regional atmospheric hydrocarbon pollution in the southwest United States, P. Natl. Ac. Sci. U.S.A., 100, 11975-11979.

Petron, G., G. Frost, B.R. Miller, A. I. Hirsch, S. A. Montzka, A. Karion, M. Trainer, C. Sweeney, A. E. Andrews, L. Miller, J. Kolfer, A. Bar-Illan, E. J. Dlugokencky, L. Patrick, C. T. Moore, Jr., T. B. Ryerson, C. Siso., W. Kolodzey, P. M. Lang, T. Conway, P. Novelli, K. Masarie, B. Hall, D. Guenther, D. Kitzis, J. Miller, D. Welsh, D. Wolfe, W. Neff, and P. Tans (2012), Hydrocarbon emissions characterization in the Colorado Front Range: A pilot study, J. Geophys. Res., 117, D04304-D04323. Gruenspecht, Howard (2011), California State Profile and Energy Estimates, U.S. Energy Information Administration, Washington D.C.

Thank you