MIT Researchers Find Fugitive Emissions Findings Exaggerated

摘要

Cornell University researchers apparently did natural gas producers a favor when they released a scathing study last year on "fugitive" emissions linked to hydraulic fracturing. That report, co-authored by members of Cornell's ecology and environmental engineering departments, suggested shale well completion techniques -most notably hydraulic fracturing -causes shale gas to have a higher lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions profile than conventional gas, crude oil and even coal (NGW Apr.18'11). This is mainly due to a greater amount of methane being brought to the surface as fracturing fluids flow back up the well-bore. The researchers also found methane is released when the plugs separating fracturing stages are removed.