WVU gets $5.5M to study methane emissions and leaks from Marcellus Shale
Thursday, March 30, 2023
West Virginia University is receiving $5.5 million to study methane emissions and leaks from the Marcellus Shale, which stretches across Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, according to Pittsburg Business Times.
The project has been named Storage Tank Emissions Assessments in the Marcellus to Acquire New Knowledge with Science (STEAM TANKS). It will be led by the West Virginia University Center for Alternative Fuels, Engines and Emissions.
The focus of the study will be emissions of methane from liquid storage tanks because the tanks can emit in several different ways, including being vented into the atmosphere, drained, filled, leaks with control devices, and also just in day-to-day operations.
Learn more: Pittsburgh Business Times > WVU gets $5.5M to study methane monitoring
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Shale FAQ
What is fracking?
Fracking is a slang term for hydraulic fracturing. Fracturing is a process by which highly pressurized fluid is pumped thousands of feet into the ground to fracture rock formations. The goal is to release the natural gas that’s locked inside the rock.
Is it safe?
What most concerns people about fracturing is ground water contamination. The worry is that fractures underground, caused by the process, will extending upwards and into aquifers, releasing gas and chemicals into the ground water supply. There’s been no confirmed reports of such a thing happening. Though surface spills and drill site blowouts can lead to localized environmental concerns.
Will my water catch on fire?
Flammable water is caused by the release of methane gas into a drinking water supply. Methane gas occurs naturally and can be released by any kind of drilling, including water wells. In Pennsylvania officials fined Chesapeake Energy $1 million for contaminating ground water with methane. It was determined that the company had not properly cemented it’s boreholes and gas migrated up the well, between rock and into aquifers.