RPPR_DE-FE0029085_BP2 Q4_Report Text_10312018.pdf

RESEARCH PERFORMANCE PROGRESS REPORT 1. COVER PAGE DATA ELEMENTS: Mandatory Federal Agency and Organization Element to Which Report is Submitted U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) Federal Grant or Other Identifying Number Assigned by Agency DE-FE0029085 Project Title Long-Term Methane Emissions Rate Quantification and Alert System for Natural Gas Storage Wells and Fields PI Name, Title and Contact Information Ann P. Smith, Vice President apsmith@gsi-net.com; 512.346.4474 Submission Date 31 October 2018 DUNS Number 181780776 Recipient Organization GSI Environmental Inc. 9600 Great Hills Trail, Suite 350E Austin, Texas 78759 Project Period October 1, 2016 to May 31, 2019 Reporting Period End Date September 30, 2018 Report Term or Frequency Quarterly Signature of Submitting Official 2. ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Mandatory a) What are the major goals of the project? The primary goal of the project is to employ a novel combination of complementary measurement methods and technologies to detect and accurately quantify average annual methane emissions from underground natural gas storage facilities, including from above-ground equipment leaks plus seepage at the ground surface from underground leaks. b) What was accomplished under these goals? All project goals for the fourth quarter (Q4) reporting period of July – September 2018 were met. A summary of the activities performed to achieve project goals during Q4 is included below. High Resolution Subsurface Leak Monitoring Soil Heat Data Analysis: Upon initial review of soil temperature profile data from both wells at Clay Basin, the team observed much higher than expected interference from diurnal temperature variations at the well heads, extending to all monitored depths. Review of current literature and technical publications confirmed that the issue has not been studied previously. GSI Job No. 4502-010 Issued: 31 October 2018 Page 2 of 5 2 A request was made to DOE NETL to accommodate an update to the project (no change in cost or schedule) to 1) quantify subsurface heat interference to inground sensors, and 2) eliminate redundant flux chamber sampling events. This change will ensure completeness and that investigations are thorough and robust for predicting where and when elevated levels of methane emissions are occurring below ground to improve understanding of methane emissions from gas storage wells and satisfy DOE NETL program goals