Seminar by Dr. David Allen, Chemical Engineering chair at UT Austin, Thursday, September 12
Dr. David Allen, Gertz Regents Chair in Chemical Engineering, and Director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Resources at The University of Texas at Austin, will be giving a public talk on Thursday, September 12, 2019, in 130 Koffolt Lab of the CBEC building (151 West Woodruff Avenue), at 11:00 am.
The talk, sponsored by the William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Graduate Program, is titled Increased Oil and Natural Gas Production, Methane Emissions, and Climate.
Additional information, including the abstract for the talk and Dr. Allen's bio, can be found on the attached PDF flyer.
Abstract:
Hydrocarbon products derived from horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing of shale formations (shale gas and shale oil) have greatly expanded US oil and natural gas production, and, in 2014, made the US the world’s largest natural gas and petroleum producer. Collectively, these resources have transformed North America’s energy landscape. However, the environmental impacts associated with ‘‘fracking’’ for shale gas and oil have made the process controversial. This presentation will focus on one of the environmental issues associated with shale gas and oil production: the emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Data from recent field studies will be summarized and measurements made using top-down methods (aircraft, satellites) will be compared with bottom-up measurements (direct measurements of emissions at their source). The data will be used to assess the net climate impacts of more widespread use of natural gas.