Date of Award
9-12-2023
Publication Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Department
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Supervisor
Scott Mundle
Rights
info:eu-repo/semantics/embargoedAccess
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Abstract
Canada has set strategic goals to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions nationally by 2030, with a particular emphasis on reducing methane emissions. Methane emissions from well integrity issues are a recognized source of GHG in the energy sector. To obtain reliable bottom up GHG emission inventories, accurate molecular compositional analyses of the relevant GHG species must be measured. To achieve this, an in-depth assessment of the goodness-of-fit of analytical calibration data, as it pertains to gas chromatographs, was developed. The results demonstrated a ‘best practice’ for analytical calibration that provides definitive estimates of trueness, precision, and accuracy that improves confidence in the concentration estimates used for regulatory applications and Canada’s GHG inventory. The methane source(s) of surface casing vent flow issues (biogenic or thermogenic origin) play an important role in targeted mitigation strategies. Geochemical methods were developed to improve surface casing vent flow source delineation as either baseline biogenic gases or thermogenic gases related to energy recovery operations. Additionally, challenges were identified in distinguishing different types of well integrity issues, i.e., resulting from a zonal isolation issue or a casing failure. A novel approach using geochemical tracers was developed and successfully implemented to delineate different types of well integrity issues. Together, this dissertation provides a framework to quantify, identify the source of, and, ultimately, improve management of well integrity issues that will lead to reductions in GHG emissions from thermal oil operations.
Recommended Citation
Dominato, Karlynne, "Novel geochemical approaches to manage greenhouse gas emissions from thermal oil operations" (2023). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 9245.
https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/9245