Stanford Natural Gas Initiative (NGI)
NEWSLETTER
NGI Update
Greetings!
I trust our spring newsletter finds you well. With all the recent rain in California, we are finally enjoying some sunshine and it’s just in time for you to come join us on campus at the events we have planned.
Having just hosted a workshop on methane detection and mitigation, co-hosted with Veritas, we are now looking forward to our NGI affiliates meeting on May 1st, as part of Energy Solutions Week at Stanford. On June 28th we will hold an Energy Dialogue focused on natural gas and hydrogen markets.
With looming economic and geopolitical concerns, the work we are doing within NGI is more relevant than ever. With shortages of natural gas created by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it is clear that energy security and affordability need to be considered in the same conversation as carbon emissions. At NGI we continue to work on optimizing energy systems of today with a view to developing the net zero systems of tomorrow. We are thrilled to share the progress of our NGI researchers as well as our role establishing a narrative around the decarbonization potential of natural gas in the US and globally.
Thanks to everyone for your continued support of our program. A summary of recent activities and publications can be found below.
Naomi Boness
Managing Director, Stanford Natural Gas Initiative
Announcement: New NGI Program Manager
On behalf of the entire NGI team, we would like to express our sincere appreciation for Samantha Mickens, who has been selected for a career development opportunity at Stanford. We wish Samantha all the best in her new role and appreciate everything that she has done for the program and the professionalism that she demonstrated with the entire NGI team.
We are very happy to announce that effective March 20, 2023, Denise Baughman returned to the NGI team as the new NGI Program Manager. Many of you have already had the pleasure of working with Denise and may recall that she was the previous NGI Program Manager from 2019-2021. Denise is thrilled to be supporting the program and is looking forward to working with the NGI affiliates again.
Denise will be your new contact for the NGI program and can be reached at deniseb@stanford.edu
Stanford NGI Workshop on Veritas Protocols
"The Veritas protocols could become the gold standard for methane
issues for facilities in the US and around the world"
March 2023 - Stanford NGI Workshop on Veritas Protocols brought together participants across the supply chain, including companies, eNGOs, policy makers, and stakeholders, to develop standardized protocols for calculating measurement-based methane emissions intensity for assets across the natural gas supply chain.
NGI Research
CO2-FREE HYDROGEN AND CARBON NANOTUBES VIA METHANE PYROLYSIS
A semi-continuous process for co-production of CO2-free hydrogen and carbon nanotubes via methane pyrolysis
Authors: Eddie Sun, Shang Zhai, Dohyung Kim, Marco Gigantino, Vasudev Haribal, Oliver S. Dewey, Steven M. Williams, Gang Wan, Alexander Nelson, Sebastian Marin-Quiros, Joel Martis, Chengshuang Zhou, Jinwon Oh, Richard Randall, Max Kessler, Dongjae Kong, Jimmy Rojas, Andrew Tong, Xintong Xu, Cassandra Huff, Matteo Pasquali, Raghubir Gupta, Matteo Cargnello, Arun Majumdar. A semi-continuous process for co-production of CO2-free hydrogen and carbon nanotubes via methane pyrolysis, Cell Reports Physical Science, 2023, 101338, ISSN 2666-3864, DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c06458
Abstract
Limiting emissions of climate-warming methane from oil and gas (O&G) is a major opportunity for short-term climate benefits. We deploy a basin-wide airborne survey of O&G extraction and transportation activities in the New Mexico Permian Basin, spanning 35 923 km2, 26 292 active wells, and over 15 000 km of natural gas pipelines using an independently validated hyperspectral methane point source detection and quantification system. The airborne survey repeatedly visited over 90% of the active wells in the survey region throughout October 2018 to January 2020, totaling approximately 98 000 well site visits. We estimate total O&G methane emissions in this area at 194 (+72/−68, 95% CI) metric tonnes per hour (t/h), or 9.4% (+3.5%/−3.3%) of gross gas production. 50% of observed emissions come from large emission sources with persistence-averaged emission rates over 308 kg/h. The fact that a large sample size is required to characterize the heavy tail of the distribution emphasizes the importance of capturing low- probability, high-consequence events through basin-wide surveys when estimating regional O&G methane emissions.
Single-blind validation of space-based point-source detection and quantification of onshore methane emissions
We are happy to announce the publication of a paper resulting from the 2021 NGI-supported controlled methane release test of satellite and airplane remote sensing technologies, led by Stanford researchers Dr. Evan Sherwin, Dr. Jeffrey Rutherford, and Prof. Adam Brandt. Thank you to ExxonMobil and the Stanford Strategic Energy Alliance, who provided considerable financial and technical support to this project.
Authors: Sherwin, E.D., Rutherford, J.S., Chen, Y. et al. Single-blind validation of space-based point-source detection and quantification of onshore methane emissions. Sci Rep 13, 3836 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-30761-2
Abstract:
Satellites are increasingly seen as a tool for identifying large greenhouse gas point sources for mitigation, but independent verification of satellite performance is needed for acceptance and use by policy makers and stakeholders. We conduct to our knowledge the first single-blind controlled methane release testing of satellite-based methane emissions detection and quantification, with five independent teams analyzing data from one to five satellites each for this desert-based test. Teams correctly identified 71% of all emissions, ranging from 0.20 [0.19, 0.21] metric tons per hour (t/h) to 7.2 [6.8, 7.6] t/h. Three-quarters (75%) of quantified estimates fell within ± 50% of the metered value, comparable to airplane-based remote sensing technologies. The relatively wide-area Sentinel-2 and Landsat 8 satellites detected emissions as low as 1.4 [1.3, 1.5, 95% confidence interval] t/h, while GHGSat’s targeted system quantified a 0.20 [0.19, 0.21] t/h emission to within 13%. While the fraction of global methane emissions detectable by satellite remains unknown, we estimate that satellite networks could see 19–89% of total oil and natural gas system emissions detected in a recent survey of a high-emitting region.
Andrew Lee presenting at TMS2023 Annual Meeting & Exhibition, San Diego, CA. Discussing the investigation into hydrogen embrittlement mechanisms using transmission
X-ray microscopy
NGI ANDREW LEE PRESENTS AT TMS 2023
The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS) is a professional association that connects minerals, metals, and materials scientists and engineers who work in industry, academia, and government positions around the world.
The TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition brings together more than 4,000 engineers, scientists, business leaders, and other professionals in the minerals, metals, and materials fields for a comprehensive, cross-disciplinary exchange of technical knowledge.
Meeting the challenges of large-scale carbon storage and hydrogen production
Authors: Zoback, M., & Smit, D. (2023). Meeting the challenges of large-scale carbon storage and hydrogen production. PNAS, 120(11). https://doi.org/doi: 10.1073/pnas.2202397120
Abstract
There is a pressing need to rapidly, and massively, scale up negative carbon strategies such as carbon capture and storage (CCS). At the same time, large-scale CCS can enable ramp-up of large-scale hydrogen production, a key component of decarbonized energy systems. We argue here that the safest, and most practical strategy for dramatically increasing CO2 storage in the subsurface is to focus on regions where there are multiple partially depleted oil and gas reservoirs. Many of these reservoirs have adequate storage capacity, are geologically and hydrodynamically well understood and are less prone to injection-induced seismicity than saline aquifers. Once a CO2 storage facility is up and running, it can be used to store CO2 from multiple sources. Integration of CCS with hydrogen production appears to be an economically viable strategy for dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade, particularly in oil- and gas-producing countries where there are numerous depleted reservoirs that are potentially suitable for large-scale carbon storage.
ALISON FERRIS - 13TH US NATIONAL
COMBUSTION MEETING
NGI researcher Dr. Alison Ferris presents a theoretical study on the use of shock waves for clean hydrogen production from natural gas at the 13th US National Combustion Meeting, held March 20-22, 2023, in College Station, Texas.
The Combustion Institute is an international, non-profit, educational and scientific society. Founded in 1954, CI promotes and disseminates research activities in all areas of combustion science and technology for the advancement of many diverse communities around the world.
NGI in the News
CEQ Announces Sarah Saltzer's Appointment to Member of the Carbon Dioxide Capture, Utilization, and Sequestration Non-Federal Lands Permitting Task Force
MARCH 24, 2023 - The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) today announced members of two new task forces that will provide input to inform the responsible development of Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Sequestration (CCUS). The task forces, which are required by the Utilizing Significant Emissions with Innovative Technologies (USE IT) Act, will provide recommendations to the Federal government on how to ensure that CCUS projects, including carbon dioxide pipelines, are permitted in an efficient manner, reflect the input and needs of a wide range of stakeholders, and deliver benefits rather than harms to local communities.
NGI's Participation at CERAWeek 2023
Naomi Boness discusses the vital role of natural gas in a clean energy future with former U.S. Energy Secretaries
The Partnership to Address Global Emissions (PAGE) teamed up with Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future on a breakfast event to discuss the vital role of natural gas in a clean energy future. The event welcomed former U.S. Energy Secretaries Ernest Moniz and Dan Brouillette, along with more than 100 distinguished attendees, to a bipartisan panel discussion moderated by PAGE Advisory Council member Naomi Boness at the Coronado Club in Houston.
Former U.S. Energy Secretary and Texas Governor Rick Perry, EQT President and CEO Toby Rice, and Williams Executive Vice President of Corporate Strategic Development Chad Zamarin also made introductory remarks. The industry’s leading experts shared critical insights on the urgent need to expand natural gas infrastructure to accelerate a clean energy future.
March 7, 2023 - Leading thought leaders and professors from one of the most distinguished universities championing new initiatives in energy technology, raising questions, and developing solutions to the energy challenges facing us.
The panel discusses developments in energy and sustainability research and education across campus. S&P Global's Coralie Laurencin interviews Arun Majumdar, dean, Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability; Yi Cui, director of Precourt Institute for Energy; Thomas Jaramillo, director of the SUNCAT Center for Interface Science & Catalysis; and Naomi Boness, managing director of Stanford’s Natural Gas Initiative.
Hydrogen in the Golden State:
California's ambitions
March 9, 2023 - California has led the clean energy transition for decades. Low-carbon hydrogen is one of the main pillars of the state’s ambitious 2045 net zero goal and the Inflation Reduction Act only accelerates this trend. What are the different initiatives and projects, both public and private? What sectors is California targeting for hydrogen use? Who will invest the necessary billions of dollars?
Speakers: Naomi Boness, Jennifer Hamilton, Katie Ellet, Wolfgang Moehler
NGI's Dr. Evan Sherwin Interview with German Public Television
German public television broadcaster 3sat interviewed NGI researcher Dr. Evan Sherwin in a segment about methane emissions from oil and gas activity in the Permian Basin.
About 3sat
3sat (German pronunciation: [ˈdʁaɪ̯ˌzat]) is a free-to-air German-language public service television channel. It is a generalist channel with a cultural focus[1] and is jointly operated by public broadcasters from Germany (ZDF, ARD), Austria (ORF) and Switzerland (SRG SSR). The coordinating broadcaster is ZDF, at whose Mainz facility the broadcasting centre with studios for in-house productions is located.
Save the Dates
Stanford Energy Solutions Week
May 1-4, 2023
By Invitation Only
In-Person at Stanford University
Stanford NGI Affiliates Meeting
May 1, 2023
By Invitation Only
In-Person at Stanford University
Energy Dialogue: Carbon Accounting
June 2023
By Invitation Only
In-Person at Stanford University
Oil and Gas Real Decarbonization Roundtable
August 30, 2023
Methane Emissions: Advances in Detection Technology and Policy
November 8, 2023
Repurposing the Natural Gas Infrastructure
November 9, 2023
NGI
Stanford Natural Gas Initiative
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