Heriot-Watt University Rockit technology
Fugitive Emissions
From Abandoned Wells
From Abandoned Wells
Methane (CH₄)
Methane is a significant contributor to global warming.
It blends well with other gases, makes it very difficult to measure and report.
It blends well with other gases, makes it very difficult to measure and report.
1 kg of CH₄ released into the atmosphere is equivalent to
84 kg of CO₂ over a 20-year period
84 kg of CO₂ over a 20-year period
200 Miles driven by an average passenger vehicle
40 kg (90 lb) of coal burned
At the end of its lifecycle, methane is transformed into carbon dioxide (CO₂) and water vapour, contributing further to climate change.
Methane emissions do not always get the attention that they deserve in the discussion on climate change.
Fatih Birol
Executive Director at International Energy Agency (IEA)
An Abandoned Well "Left As Is" Can Leak Methane Forever
A single orphaned site in California could have emitted more than 30 tons of methane (Bloomberg). Even very low risk leaks that are left unrepaired for many years or indefinitely, will lead to high levels of actual methane fugitive emissions.
Fugitive leaks represent one of the main sources of methane emissions from the gas and oil sector.
There are millions more like it.
There are millions more like it.
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More than 3.2 million abandoned oil and gas wells together emitted 281 kilotons of methane in 2018, according to the data, which was included in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s most recent report on April 14 (2020) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Source: EPA, via Reuters
We need you
What can be done?
While the problem is beyond what the oil & gas industry alone can solve, still the sector has an important role to play. We are seeking your help to frame the problem and understand what are the current barriers.
towards
NetZero
NetZero
Heriot-Watt University is working on a novel approach to remediate a wide range of well cement barrier’s integrity failures and therefore have significant direct reduction of fugitive methane emissions from leaking oil and gas wells.
