Natural Gas Pumps & Front Range Air Pollution

Trevor Hughes of The Coloradoan reports that Colorado State University researchers are working to improve the efficiency and cleanliness of the thousands of engines used to pump natural gas from fields beneath Colorado and beyond.

Natural gas emissions from those natural gas wells and the engines that pump them are considered a significant cause of Front Range air pollution.

Last Friday, the Front Range violated federal ground-level ozone standards, which will likely bring requirements for tighter emission controls in the future.

Colorado State Universities’ Engines & Energy Conservation Lab is conducting the research in partnership with EnCana Oil & Gas Corp. and with Cummins, a major manufacturer of the engines that pump natural gas. The engines used at wells and on pipelines range from 50 to 2,500 horsepower.

"We know Colorado, along with other states, are going to be reducing their emissions over time. Everybody is," said Robin Bremmer, Cummins' director of engineering for high horsepower engines. "The effort with Colorado State is to continue to help us understand the effects of natural gas types as we drive our engine designs to meet lower and lower emission standards."

Natural gas pumped from wells also powers the engines driving the wellhead and pipeline compressors. The quality of that gas can vary widely before it's refined into commercial fuel.

Using the unrefined gas means no one has to refuel the compressor engines, but it also means they must be able to run cleanly and efficiently on fuel that might contain a wide variety of naturally occurring contaminants such as methane and nitrogen, according to experts.

Researchers and students at CSU's Engines & Energy Conversion Lab are using an engine donated by Cummins to model what happens when different contaminants are added to the natural gas.

Lab director Bryan Willson said the work of professor Daniel Olsen and his students has major implications for Colorado, given the "frantic" pace of natural gas exploration and pumping.

"The work really reflects that production of natural gas in Colorado has just boomed in the last five years and ... there are concerns about the impacts of natural gas production on air quality," Willson said.

Bremmer said Cummins has worked with CSU for several years, and one of the project engineers for the company is a recent CSU graduate. He said it's powerful for students to see that their work in class will translate into the real world.

"The fun side is we get to work with the students and prepare them for entering the working world," Bremmer said.

The lab is also working with EnCana to investigate fuel additives that can increase efficiency and lower emissions for existing engines.