Objectives: To evaluate the potential for environmentally responsible
development of unconventional natural gas from seeps near the remote
Alaskan village of Atqasuk for local space heating and power generation.
Research priorities include identifying and evaluating the quantity,
quality, and location of natural seeps, as well as determining potential
capture and transport mechanisms necessary for future resource
development.
Project Description: Methane (CH4) in natural gas is a major energy source
in the U.S., and is used extensively on Alaska’s North Slope, including
the oilfields in Prudhoe Bay, the community of Barrow, and the National
Petroleum Reserve, Alaska (NPRA). Smaller villages, however, are dependent
on imported diesel fuel for both power and heating, resulting in some of
the highest energy costs in the U.S. and crippling local economies.
Numerous CH4 gas seeps have been observed on wetlands near Atqasuk,
Alaska, (in the NPRA) and initial measurements have indicated very high
flow rates. Gas samples collected in 1996 indicated biogenic origin,
although more recent sampling indicated a mixture of biogenic and
thermogenic gas. This study will: 1) quantify the amount of CH4 generated
by these seeps and evaluate their potential use as an unconventional gas
source for the village of Atqasuk, 2) collect gas and analyze its
composition from multiple seeps several miles apart to see if the source
is the same, or if gas is being generated locally from isolated biogenic
sources, and to identify the source of CH4 (decomposition of biomass, CH4
from coal seams, dissociating gas hydrates, or deep conventional gas) and
3) assess the magnitude of natural CH4 gas seeps for future use in climate
change modeling.
Potential Impact: Potential benefits of the project are: i) Reduction in
the consumption of diesel fuel in Atqasuk both for power generation and
home heating (approximately 500,000 gallons per year); and ii) better understanding of the gas resources in
the NPRA area, with potential larger markets; iii) on the climate change
side, quantifying natural seeps to atmospheric CH4 sources may change our
understanding of the global balance between human and natural sources.
Recent work revealed that seeps may contribute as much as 50-70 million
tones of atmospheric CH4 per year, or ~10% of global sources.
Additionally, capture and use of CH4 from seeps mitigates global climate
change in two ways: Combusting CH4, a potent greenhouse gas (CH4 is 25
times stronger than CO2 on a per molecule basis), converts it to the
weaker greenhouse gases, CO2 and H2O; and use of local CH4 reduces energy
consumption associated with diesel usage and shipping to remote villages.
Project Description: Methane (CH4) in natural gas is a major energy source
in the U.S., and is used extensively on Alaska’s North Slope, including
the oilfields in Prudhoe Bay, the community of Barrow, and the National
Petroleum Reserve, Alaska (NPRA). Smaller villages, however, are dependent
on imported diesel fuel for both power and heating, resulting in some of
the highest energy costs in the U.S. and crippling local economies.
Numerous CH4 gas seeps have been observed on wetlands near Atqasuk,
Alaska, (in the NPRA) and initial measurements have indicated very high
flow rates. Gas samples collected in 1996 indicated biogenic origin,
although more recent sampling indicated a mixture of biogenic and
thermogenic gas. This study will: 1) quantify the amount of CH4 generated
by these seeps and evaluate their potential use as an unconventional gas
source for the village of Atqasuk, 2) collect gas and analyze its
composition from multiple seeps several miles apart to see if the source
is the same, or if gas is being generated locally from isolated biogenic
sources, and to identify the source of CH4 (decomposition of biomass, CH4
from coal seams, dissociating gas hydrates, or deep conventional gas) and
3) assess the magnitude of natural CH4 gas seeps for future use in climate
change modeling.
Potential Impact: Potential benefits of the project are: i) Reduction in
the consumption of diesel fuel in Atqasuk both for power generation and
home heating (approximately 500,000 gallons per year); and ii) better understanding of the gas resources in
the NPRA area, with potential larger markets; iii) on the climate change
side, quantifying natural seeps to atmospheric CH4 sources may change our
understanding of the global balance between human and natural sources.
Recent work revealed that seeps may contribute as much as 50-70 million
tones of atmospheric CH4 per year, or ~10% of global sources.
Additionally, capture and use of CH4 from seeps mitigates global climate
change in two ways: Combusting CH4, a potent greenhouse gas (CH4 is 25
times stronger than CO2 on a per molecule basis), converts it to the
weaker greenhouse gases, CO2 and H2O; and use of local CH4 reduces energy
consumption associated with diesel usage and shipping to remote villages.