Investigating the Environmental Impacts of Western Canadian Tight Oil Resources

In the past decade, Western Canada has seen the emergence of an unconventional resource known as tight oil. In 2017, oil production from this resource reached 430 thousand barrels per day, accounting for approximately 10% of all Canadian crude produced. Despite rapid development, the environmental impacts associated with the production and use of this resource are still being understood. Production is spread widely across multiple provinces, varying in production characteristics and facing unique environmental and operational challenges. The objective of this thesis is to investigate the environmental impacts associated with the production and use of Western Canadian tight oil. Three environmental impacts are considered in the comparison of thirteen different tight oil formations; life cycle ‘well to wheels’ (WTW) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions intensity, freshwater use and induced seismicity. The impacts are assessed spatially and the trade-offs between the formations are considered. An attempt is made to address the drawbacks of previous crude oil life cycle assessments (LCAs), through the consideration of multiple impacts and a rigorous evaluation of resource variability. A tool is developed using public data, enabling the estimation of upstream emissions intensities for a broad range of Canadian resources down to the individual producing well. Annual emissions from tight oil production are forecast, and the influence of uncertain factors such as economics, regulations and sweet spot targeting (targeting different areas of the resource) are investigated. The results show the complex relationships between physical characteristics, operational characteristics and environmental performance, and demonstrate the need for more comprehensive modelling to facilitate better decision-making in the development of Canadian resources.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MSc)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Engineering – Chemical & Petroleum

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Schulich School of Engineering

Year dc:date.issued

2020

Author dc:creator

• Bradley, Alexander Christopher

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Bergerson, Joule

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• McCoy, Sean
• Chen, Shengnan

• Life Cycle Assessment
• LCA
• Tight Oil
• Emissions
• Venting
• Fugitives
• Shale
• Well to Wheels
• Induced Seismicity
• Water Use
• Oil and Gas

Statement dc:rights

• University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.

Language dc:language.iso

eng

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/37653

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ucalgary.scholaris.ca:1880/111763