Carbon

Linde North America has upgraded its carbon dioxide (CO2) plants in Corpus Christi, TX, and Woodward, OK, to better serve the Midcontinent and Eagle Ford Shale regions with expanded CO2 availability. “Linde has brought these plants on stream to supply the surging demand for CO2 in the oil and gas industry,” said Lauren Porambo, CO2 product manager. “The use of CO2 in fracturing completions displaces the use of water, reduces formational damage and enhances well production.” CO2 is injected in a liquid state and converts to a gaseous state down-hole, mitigating formational damage and fluid on formation, while enhancing well clean-up and flow-back, Linde said. Conventional liquid pumps are used, so service companies require no specialized equipment.

Efforts to replicate in Europe the United States’ shale gas success took another blow Friday when French President Francois Hollande said that a ban on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) would remain in place during his five-year term. Hollande, the candidate of the Socialist party, became president following a two-round election earlier this year.

Pavillion, WY — where the federal government’s testing of water led to early concerns about the use of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in nearby natural gas wells — has begun a state-sponsored mitigation program installing cisterns for residents who have been, or potentially could be, impacted by contaminated water. To date, there is no conclusive evidence one way or the other.

Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead on Tuesday kicked off what he hopes will be a public discussion on the establishment of a network of carbon dioxide (CO2) pipeline corridors that ultimately could be used to site all other types of energy pipelines, including natural gas, oil and liquids.

ExxonMobil Corp. CEO Rex Tillerson on Friday said North America is in the midst of an “historic energy transformation.” And “the world is watching.”

Contrary to some previous reports, natural gas offers greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions advantages compared with coal-fired power generation, according to a recent study by Worldwatch Institute and Deutsche Bank Climate Change Advisors. Earlier this year the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency updated its methodology for estimating methane (CH4) emissions from natural gas systems, but gas-fired generation still releases 47% less GHGs than coal from source to use, the researchers said. A controversial study by Cornell University earlier this year reported that CH4 leaks were a particular concern for gas produced from shale formations using hydraulic fracturing (see Shale Daily, April 13). But even counting higher estimated emissions of CH4 from shale gas production activities, gas-fired power generation still beats coal-fired power by a wide margin when it comes to overall GHG emissions, according to a subsequent study published by the gas-friendly American Clean Skies Foundation (see Shale Daily, April 21). IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates in August said GHG emissions from shale gas production likely are “significantly overstated” (see Shale Daily, Aug. 25). Another recent study by the National Center for Atmospheric Research found that burning natural gas emits “far less” carbon dioxide than coal but even so, more reliance on gas won’t significantly slow climate change.

Pennsylvania plans to invest $7.9 million in 21 alternative fuel projects, several to be powered by compressed natural gas (CNG), which could cut the state’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 14.5 million pounds, Gov. Ed Rendell said Tuesday.

Williams Partners LP has ramped up operations on the fourth cryogenic processing train (TXP4) at the Echo Springs natural gas processing plant in Carbon County, WY.

As new technology has increased output and because of its small carbon footprint, natural gas will play a bigger role in the world’s energy consumption as long as government policies give the go-ahead to take over more demand, Royal Dutch Shell plc CEO Peter Voser said Monday.