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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2024

Satellite NO 2 Trends and Hotspots Over Offshore Oil and Gas Operations in the Gulf of Mexico

The Outer Continental Shelf of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) is populated with numerous oil and natural gas (ONG) platforms which produce NO x (NO x = NO + NO 2 ), a major component of air pollution. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is mandated to ensure that the air quality of coastal states is not degraded by these emissions. As part of a NASA-BOEM collaboration, we conducted a satellite data-based analysis of nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) patterns and trends in the GOM. Data from the OMI and TROPOMI sensors were used to obtain 18+ year records of tropospheric column (TrC) NO 2 in three GOM regions: (a) Houston urban area, (b) near shore area off the Louisiana coast, and a (c) deepwater area off the Louisiana coast. The 2004–2022 time series show a decreasing trend for the urban (−0.027 DU/decade) and near shore (−0.0022 DU/decade) areas, and an increasing trend (0.0019 DU/decade) for the deepwater area. MERRA-2 wind and TROPOMI NO 2 data were used to reveal several NO2 hotspots (up to 25% above background values) under calm wind conditions near individual platforms. The NO 2 signals from these deepwater platforms and the high density of shallow water platforms closer to shore were confirmed by TrC NO 2 anomalies of up to 10%, taking into account the monthly TrC NO 2 climatology over the GOM. The results presented in this study establish a baseline for future estimates of emissions from the ONG hotspots and provide a methodology for analyzing NO 2 measurements from the new geostationary TEMPO instrument.

NO2↗
NASA NTRS2015

Crosscutting Airborne Remote Sensing Technologies for Oil and Gas and Earth Science Applications

Airborne imaging spectroscopy has evolved dramatically since the 1980s as a robust remote sensing technique used to generate 2-dimensional maps of surface properties over large spatial areas. Traditional applications for passive airborne imaging spectroscopy include interrogation of surface composition, such as mapping of vegetation diversity and surface geological composition. Two recent applications are particularly relevant to the needs of both the oil and gas as well as government sectors: quantification of surficial hydrocarbon thickness in aquatic environments and mapping atmospheric greenhouse gas components. These techniques provide valuable capabilities for petroleum seepage in addition to detection and quantification of fugitive emissions. New empirical data that provides insight into the source strength of anthropogenic methane will be reviewed, with particular emphasis on the evolving constraints enabled by new methane remote sensing techniques. Contemporary studies attribute high-strength point sources as significantly contributing to the national methane inventory and underscore the need for high performance remote sensing technologies that provide quantitative leak detection. Imaging sensors that map spatial distributions of methane anomalies provide effective techniques to detect, localize, and quantify fugitive leaks. Airborne remote sensing instruments provide the unique combination of high spatial resolution (<1 m) and large coverage required to directly attribute methane emissions to individual emission sources. This capability cannot currently be achieved using spaceborne sensors. In this study, results from recent NASA remote sensing field experiments focused on point-source leak detection, will be highlighted. This includes existing quantitative capabilities for oil and methane using state-of-the-art airborne remote sensing instruments. While these capabilities are of interest to NASA for assessment of environmental impact and global climate change, industry similarly seeks to detect and localize leaks of both oil and methane across operating fields. In some cases, higher sensitivities desired for upstream and downstream applications can only be provided by new airborne remote sensing instruments tailored specifically for a given application. There exists a unique opportunity for alignment of efforts between commercial and government sectors to advance the next generation of instruments to provide more sensitive leak detection capabilities, including those for quantitative source strength determination.

hyperspectral↗
NASA NTRS1972

Applicability of NASA contract quality management and failure mode effect analysis procedures to the USGS Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas lease management program

An approach that might be used for determining the applicability of NASA management techniques to benefit almost any type of down-to-earth enterprise is presented. A study was made to determine the following: (1) the practicality of adopting NASA contractual quality management techniques to the U.S. Geological Survey Outer Continental Shelf lease management function; (2) the applicability of failure mode effects analysis to the drilling, production, and delivery systems in use offshore; (3) the impact on industrial offshore operations and onshore management operations required to apply recommended NASA techniques; and (4) the probable changes required in laws or regulations in order to implement recommendations. Several management activities that have been applied to space programs are identified, and their institution for improved management of offshore and onshore oil and gas operations is recommended.

Dyer, M. K.↗
NASA NTRS2026

SCOAPE-II: A 2024 Multiplatform Measurement Campaign off the US Gulf Coast to Assess Oil and Gas Emissions on the Outer Continental Shelf

Nine years ago, the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the Agency with Air Quality (AQ) jurisdiction over the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) of the US Gulf Coast west of 87.5° W longitude, asked NASA to determine the feasibility of using satellite data to measure offshore emissions in a region of concentrated oil and natural gas (ONG) operations. To study this issue NASA and BOEM conducted the May 2019 Satellite Coastal and Oceanic Atmospheric Pollution Experiment (SCOAPE) cruise in the Gulf. SCOAPE addressed both technological and scientific issues related to measuring nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 , a common air pollutant), including contrasting near-shore and deepwater regimes. Given the April 2023 launch of the geostationary Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) AQ satellite, a 2024 SCOAPE-II was conducted in the Gulf with both ship and aircraft measurements. We present an overview of the SCOAPE-II campaign, analysis and validation of satellite-observed NO 2 , and evaluate measurements of methane from ship, aircraft, and satellite near ONG platforms. Our SCOAPE-II results are as follows: 1) Satellite NO 2 measurements (∼13:30 local time) from the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) are more accurate than TEMPO’s hourly scans (8.6% vs. 23.6% mean absolute bias); a new version of TEMPO data is currently being processed; 2) ship and aircraft measurements captured dozens of NO 2 and methane plumes from ONG operations, showing that they are persistent emitters; 3) satellite measurements of methane failed to replicate ship and aircraft measurements, presenting ongoing challenges for operational emissions monitoring over the Gulf.

satellite validation↗
NASA NTRS1974

Hydrocarbons identified in extracts from estuarine water accommodated no. 2 fuel oil by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Results are presented on a computerized gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer analysis of methylene chloride and n-heptane extracts of a No. 2 fuel oil accommodated estuarine water sample. The analytical method is briefly described, and the limitations on the identifications are categorized. Some attempt was made to determine major and trace constituents in the water accommodate. Altogether 66 hydrocarbon compounds were identified specifically, and 75 compounds were partially identified. Seven compounds could be recognized as major constituents of the water accommodated oil and ten were present only as traces. The aromatic compounds found were alkyl benzenes, naphthalene, tetralin, indane, biphenyl, fluorene, anthracene, and some of their alkyl substituted isomers in the range of carbon numbers C7 to C15. Four n-alkanes, C10 to C13, were found along with four other assorted hydrocarbons.

Lewis, B. W.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Late diagenetic indicators of buried oil and gas. 2: Direct detection experiment at Cement and Garza fields, Oklahoma and Texas, using enhanced LANDSAT 1 and 2 images

The author has identified the following significant results. The Cement oil field, Oklahoma, was a test site for an experiment designed to evaluate LANDSAT's capability to detect an alteration zone in surface rocks caused by hydrocarbon microseepage. Loss of iron and impregnation of sandstone by carbonate cements and replacement of gypsum by calcite were the major alteration phenomena at Cement. The bedrock alterations were partially masked by unaltered overlying beds, thick soils, and dense natural and cultivated vegetation. Interpreters, biased by detailed ground truth, were able to map the alteration zone subjectively using a magnified, filtered, and sinusoidally stretched LANDSAT composite image; other interpreters, unbiased by ground truth data, could not duplicate that interpretation.

Donovan, T. J.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Characterization of an Experimental Referee Broadened Specification (ERBS) aviation turbine fuel and ERBS fuel blends

Characterization data and comparisons of these data are presented for three individual lots of a research test fuel designated as an Experimental Referee Broadened Specification (ERBS) aviation turbine fuel. This research fuel, which is a blend of kerosene and hydrotreated catalytic gas oil, is a representation of a kerojet fuel with broadened properties. To lower the hydrogen content of the ERBS fuel, a blending stock, composed of xylene bottoms and hydrotreated catalytic gas oil, was developed and employed to produce two different ERBS fuel blends. The ERBS fuel blends and the blending stock were also characterized and the results for the blends are compared to those of the original ERBS fuel. The characterization results indicate that with the exception of the freezing point for ERBS lot 2, which was slightly high, the three lots, produced over a 2 year period, met all general fuel requirements. However, although the properties of the fuels were found to be fairly consistent, there were differences in composition. Similarly, all major requirements for the ERBS fuel blends were met or closely approached, and the properties of the blended fuels were found to generally reflect those expected for the proportions of ERBS fuel and blending stock used in their production.

Seng, G. T.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Aerospace Oil and Gas: Technologies for New Horizons

Innovative partnerships will enable NASA to achieve more of its technological goals with less resources Cooperative development with other industries will expand the scope of advanced technologies that will be available to future missions.

Interbartolo, Michael A.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Prognostics & Health Management: A NASA Perspective

How can advanced automation techniques developed by NASA to perform Fault Detection, Isolation, and Recovery (FDIR) in space missions be used here on Earth in the Oil & Gas industry? Whether on a Mars orbiter or an oil platform, having an intelligent machine to back up the crew/operators to help monitor and diagnose the systems for possible problems and aid in determining a corrective action/response is an important and useful attribute for multiple industries.

Boyer, Roger L.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Observations of VOC Emissions and Photochemical Products over US Oil- and Gas-Producing Regions Using High-Resolution H3O+ CIMS (PTR-ToF-MS)

VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) related to oil and gas extraction operations in the United States were measured by H3O (sup plus) chemical ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (H3O (sup plus) ToFCIMS/PTR-ToF-MS (Time of Flight Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometry/Proton Transfer Reaction-Time of Flight-Mass Spectroscopy) from aircraft during the Shale Oil and Natural Gas Nexus (SONGNEX) campaign in March-April 2015. This work presents an overview of major VOC species measured in nine oil- and gas-producing regions, and a more detailed analysis of H3O (sup plus) ToF-CIMS measurements in the Permian Basin within Texas and New Mexico. Mass spectra are dominated by small photochemically produced oxygenates and compounds typically found in crude oil: aromatics, cyclic alkanes, and alkanes. Mixing ratios of aromatics were frequently as high as those measured downwind of large urban areas. In the Permian, the H3O (sup plus) ToF-CIMS measured a number of underexplored or previously unreported species, including aromatic and cycloalkane oxidation products, nitrogen heterocycles including pyrrole (C4H5N) and pyrroline (C4H7N), H2S, and a diamondoid (adamantane) or unusual monoterpene. We additionally assess the specificity of a number of ion masses resulting from H3O (sup plus) ion chemistry previously reported in the literature, including several new or alternate interpretations.

mass spectrometr↗
NASA NTRS2010

Stiffness and Damping Coefficient Estimation of Compliant Surface Gas Bearings for Oil-Free Turbomachinery

Foil gas bearings are a key technology in many commercial and emerging Oil-Free turbomachinery systems. These bearings are non-linear and have been difficult to analytically model in terms of performance characteristics such as load capacity, power loss, stiffness and damping. Previous investigations led to an empirically derived method, a rule-of-thumb, to estimate load capacity. This method has been a valuable tool in system development. The current paper extends this tool concept to include rules for stiffness and damping coefficient estimation. It is expected that these rules will further accelerate the development and deployment of advanced Oil-Free machines operating on foil gas bearings

DellaCorte, Christopher↗
NASA NTRS1992

Improved Regenerative Sorbent-Compressor Refrigerator

Conceptual regenerative sorbent-compressor refrigerator attains regeneration efficiency and, therefore, overall power efficiency and performance greater than conventional refrigerators. Includes two fluid loops. In one, CH2FCF3 (R134a) ciculates by physical adsorption and desorption in four activated-charcoal sorption compressors. In other, liquid or gas coolant circulated by pump. Wave of regenerative heating and cooling propagates cyclically like peristatic wave among sorption compressors and associated heat exchangers. Powered by electricity, oil, gas, solar heat, or waste heat. Used as air conditioners, refrigerators, and heat pumps in industrial, home, and automotive applications.

Jones, Jack A.↗