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Summary Effective measurement of the presence and rate of methane gas migration (GM) outside the casing of energy wells is important for managing social and environmental impacts and financial liabilities in the upstream petroleum industry. Practitioners typically assess GM by above-background methane gas concentrations in-soil or at-grade; however, factors influencing the potential variation in these measurements are not well represented in industry-recommended best practices. Inexpensive chemoresistive sensors were used to record a 1-minute frequency methane gas concentration time series over 19 days. Time series were recorded at three soil depths (0, 5, and 30 cm) at two locations <30 mcm radially from a petroleum well with known GM, in addition to two “control” locations. Observed concentration variations ranged over several orders of magnitude at all depths, with generally lower concentrations and more variation observed at shallower depths. Varying concentrations were correlated to meteorological factors, primarily including wind speed and shallow groundwater table elevation. The gas concentration patterns were affected by a 3.5-mm rainfall event, suggesting soil moisture changes affected preferential GM pathways. Results indicate potential variability in repeated snapshot GM test results. Although, currently recommended GM detection methods would have effectively identified the presence/absence of GM, they would not have quantified the order of magnitude changes in concentration. GM detection success at this site was increased with measurement at more than one location spatially within 30 cm of the well casing, lower concentration detection limits, and greater measurement depth. These findings indicate that meteorological factors should be considered when conducting GM surveys (particularly for improving at-grade test reliability). The low-cost approach for long-term concentration measurement facilitates insight into variable gas concentrations and may be advantageous in comparison to snapshot measurements in some circumstances.

Effective measurement of the presence and rate of methane gas migration (GM) outside the casing of energy wells is important for managing social and environmental impacts and financial liabilities in the upstream petroleum industry. Practitioners typically assess GM by above-background methane gas concentrations in-soil or at-grade; however, factors influencing the potential variation in these measurements are not well represented in industry recommended best-practices. Inexpensive chemoresistive sensors were used to record a one-minute frequency methane gas concentration time series over 19 days. Time series were recorded at three soil depths (0, 5, and 30 cm) at two locations <30m cm radially from a petroleum well with known GM, in addition to two 'control' locations. Observed concentration variations ranged over several orders of magnitude at all depths, with generally lower concentrations and more variation observed at shallower depths. Varying concentrations were correlated to meteorological factors, primarily including wind speed and shallow groundwater table elevation. The gas concentration patterns were affected by a 3.5 mm rainfall event, suggesting soil moisture changes affected preferential gas migration pathways. Results indicate potential variability in repeated snapshot GM test results. Although currently recommended GM detection methods would have effectively identified the presence/absence of GM, they would not have quantified order of magnitude changes in concentration. GM detection success at this site was increased with measurement at more than one location spatially within 30 cm of the well casing, lower concentration detection limits, and greater measurement depth. These findings indicate that meteorological factors should be considered when conducting gas migration surveys (particularly for improving at-grade test reliability). The low-cost approach for long-term concentration measurement facilitates insight into variable gas concentrations and may be advantageous in comparison to snapshot measurements in some circumstances.

Detection of free-phase gas (FPG) in groundwater wells is critical for accurate assessment of dissolved gas concentrations and the occurrence of FPG in the subsurface, with consequent implications for understanding groundwater contamination and greenhouse gas emissions. However, identifying FPG is challenging during routine groundwater monitoring and there is poor agreement on the best approach to detect the occurrence of FPG in groundwater. In this study, laboratory experiments in a water column were designed to mimic nonflowing and flowing conditions in a groundwater well to evaluate how the presence of FPG affects water pressure and commonly used continuous field parameters. The laboratory results were extrapolated to interpret field data at an abandoned exploration well with episodic release of free-gas CO 2 . The FPG effect on water pressure varied between flowing and nonflowing wells, and depending on whether the FPG was above or below the sensor. Electrical conductivity values were decreased and/or behaved erratically when FPG was present in the water column. Findings from this study have shown that the combined measurement of water pressure, electrical conductivity, and total dissolved gas pressure can provide information about the occurrence of FPG in groundwater wells. Measurement of these parameters at different depths can also provide information about relative depths and amounts of FPG within the well water column. This approach can be used for long-term monitoring of groundwater gases, managing gas-locking in production wells with gassy groundwater, and measuring fugitive greenhouse gas emissions from groundwater wells.