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Publication . Article . 2020

Developing a greenhouse gas life cycle assessment framework for natural gas transmission pipelines

Giovanni Di Lullo; Abayomi Olufemi Oni; Eskinder Gemechu; Amit Kumar;
Closed Access
Published: 01 Mar 2020 Journal: Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering, volume 75, page 103,136 (issn: 1875-5100, Copyright policy )
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Abstract

Abstract As demand for natural gas increases, it is important to understand its life cycle emission intensity. A framework is developed for performing bottom-up greenhouse gas (GHG) life cycle assessment of natural gas transmission pipelines to assist project environmental assessments. Three large-scale pipelines in Canada were examined: Alliance mainline (50 million m3/d, 3000 km), Prince Rupert phase 1 (PR1, 57 million m3/d, 878 km), and Prince Rupert phase 2 (PR2, 102 million m3/d, 878 km). Fundamental engineering principles are used for calculation accuracy, with a sensitivity analysis to identify key parameters. The model boundary includes pipeline construction, operation, and decommissioning. The resulting transportation GHG emission intensities are 1.49, 0.77, and 1.78 gCO2eq/GJ.km for the Alliance, PR1, and PR2 projects, respectively. The operating phase represents 78%–95% of the overall emissions. Operating at higher pressures could reduce emission intensity by up to 49% by increasing flow efficiency. The research provides a user-friendly open-source template that can be used to examine alternative scenarios.

Subjects by Vocabulary

Microsoft Academic Graph classification: Pipeline transport Environmental engineering Environmental science Life-cycle assessment Transmission (telecommunications) Natural gas business.industry business Emission intensity Greenhouse gas Pipeline (software) Nuclear decommissioning

Subjects

Energy Engineering and Power Technology, Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology, Fuel Technology

Related Organizations
Funded by
NSERC
Project
  • Funder: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
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