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jim van blaricumOnce water vapor is removed, about half of landfill gas is methane. Almost all of the rest is carbon dioxide, but there are also small amounts of nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen. There are usually trace amounts of hydrogen sulfide and siloxanes, but their concentration varies widely. Landfill gas cannot be distributed through natural gas pipelines unless it is cleaned up to the same quality. It is usually more economical to combust the gas on site or within a short distance of the landfill using a dedicated pipeline. Water vapor is often removed, even if combusting the gas on site. If low temperatures condense out the water from the gas, siloxanes can be lowered as well because they tend to condense out with the water vapour. Other non-methane components may also be removed in order to meet emission standards, to prevent fouling of the equipment or for environmental considerations. Co-firing landfill gas with natural gas improves combustion, which lowers emissions.

Biogas is usually produced using agricultural waste materials, such as otherwise unusable parts of plants and manure. Biogas can also be produced by separating organic materials from waste that otherwise goes to landfills. This is more efficient than just capturing the landfill gas it produces. Using materials that would otherwise generate no income, or even cost money to get rid of, improves the profitability and energy balance of biogas production.

jim e van blaricum

Anaerobic lagoons produce biogas from manure, while biogas reactors can be used for manure or plant parts. Like landfill gas, biogas is mostly methane and carbon dioxide, with small amounts of nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen. However, with the exception of pesticides, there are usually lower levels of contaminants.

Jim Van Blaricum

Commission NORM Survey of Equipment at Leases and Facilities - Jim Van Blaricum

Staff of the Commission district offices performed field surveys from December, 1999 to mid-March, 2000. The purpose of the survey was to measure levels of NORM in equipment being used at production leases and other associated oilfield facilities to estimate the number of sites at which NORM-contaminated equipment may be located and to estimate an approximate range of the level of NORM at various sites across the state. The leases were chosen randomly to ensure a representative sample. Measurements were collected using an energy-compensated pulse rate “micro-R” meter that provides a scaled reading in microroentgen per hour (µR/hr.) Equipment measurements were taken at locations where gamma radiation most likely would be detected if present such as flow lines, tanks/vessels, pipe, pumps, valves, and injection headers. Background readings were also collected for comparison. More than 5900 readings were collected on more than 600 leases and other oil and gas facilities. Jim Van Blaricum

The majority of the readings of oil and gas equipment collected during the field survey demonstrate that the radiation levels are typically below the regulatory limit for release of equipment for unrestricted use (use for purposes other than oil and gas activities.) Of the 612 sites surveyed, only 59 sites had equipment with readings above 50 µR/hr, the limit above which the equipment cannot be released for unrestricted use. Out of over 5900 readings, only 203 readings were above 50 µR/hr. The survey, however, indicates that specific geographic areas tend to have elevated NORM levels. The geographic distribution is evident from the randomly-selected leases and facilities surveyed in each commission district at which NORM readings of equipment were greater than 50µ/hr. Jim Van Blaricum