Natural Gas Emissions and Leakage

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Project Topics

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Environmental Assessment & Optimization Group

The group focuses on building tools to reduce the environmental impacts of energy systems. One focus is on understanding greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) from fossil energy systems. Also, we build optimization tools to improve the environmental and economic performance of energy systems. Our approach includes building engineering-based bottom-up life cycle assessment (LCA) models to generate rigorous estimates of environmental impacts from energy extraction and conversion technologies. In optimization areas, we focus on renewable-fossil hybridization and integration.

Grass field and cars in traffic

Jackson Lab

The Jackson lab examines the different ways that people affect the Earth. Our projects combine basic science and policy solutions to issues such as climate change, energy extraction, and land use. We're currently examining the effects of climate change and droughts on forest mortality and grassland ecosystems. We recently published the first studies looking at fracking and drinking water quality and used laser technologies to map thousands of natural gas leaks across cities such as Boston, Manhattan, and Washington, D.C.

Jackson Lab Website

Research results digram

Micro Structures & Sensors Lab

The group's research focus in the area of Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) leverages silicon microfabrication techniques to create micro-devices that include ultra-stable timing references and high-performance sensors. Recent work encompasses the design, optimization, and effective realization of high-performance MEMS devices, as well as the integration of various types of sensors.

Micro Structure & Sensors Lab Website

Faculty & Researchers

Adam Brandt

Adam Brandt

NGI Director

Rob Jackson

Rob Jackson

Michelle and Kevin Douglas Provostial Professor and Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment and at the Precourt Institute for Energy

Tom Kenny

Tom Kenny

Professor, Mechanical Engineering

Michael Wara

Michael Wara

Director, Climate and Energy Policy Program and Senior Research Scholar, Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University

Find Courses

Discover Engineering: How to Aim High, Embrace Uncertainty, and Achieve Impact
ENGR 193 (Spr)
Introduction to Mechatronics
EE 118, ME 210 (Win)
Introduction to Sensors
ME 220 (Spr)
Want to Be an Engineer?
ENGR 1 (Aut)

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Related Publications

Chen, Y., Sherwin, E., Berman, E. S., Jones, B., Gordon, M., Wetherley, E., Kort, E., & Brandt, A. (2022). Quantifying Regional Methane Emissions in the New Mexico Permian Basin with a Comprehensive Aerial Survey. ACS Publications, 4317-4323.
Liu, R., Ravikumar, A., Bi, X. T., Zhang, S., Nie, Y., Brandt, A., & Bergerson, J. (2021). Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Western Canadian Natural Gas: Proposed Emissions Tracking for Life Cycle Modeling. American Chemical Society.
Boness PhD, N. (2021). The Interplay of Hydrogen and Natural Gas. Energy Dialogues.
Powell, J., Boness, N., Seamon, D. B., Chen, J., & Bracci, J. (2021). Workshop Brief: Decarbonizing Heavy-Duty Transportation. Stanford Energy.
Field, R. J. S. C. C. (2020). Methane removal and atmospheric restoration.
Ar, R. A. W. B. C. Z. B. (2020). "Good versus Good Enough?" Empirical Tests of Methane Leak Detection Sensitivity of a Commercial Infrared Camera.
Al, G. S. P. A. R. V. E. (2019). Advancing Scientific Understanding of the Global Methane Budget in Support of the Paris Agreement.
Al, F. J. O. A. H. P. P. P. E. (2019). Global Carbon Budget 2019.
R., W. T. R. M. B. Z. S. B. (2019). Machine vision for natural gas methane emissions detection using an infrared camera. Applied Energy.
Brandt, A. R. S. S. J. W. J. E. D. R.-S. C. B. D. Z. D. L. I. M. B. R. A. (2019). Single-blind inter-comparison of methane detection technologies - results from the Stanford/EDF Mobile Monitoring Challenge. Elementa.
Brandt, A. R. S. S. J. W. J. E. D. R.-S. C. B. D. Z. D. L. I. M. B. R. A. (2019). Supplemental Material 2 Single-blind Inter-comparison of Methane Detection Technologies 3 - Results from the Stanford/EDF Mobile Monitoring Challenge. Elementa.
Grubert, E., & R.Brandt, A. (2019). Three considerations for modeling natural gas system methane emissions in life cycle assessment.
Plata, D., Jackson, R., Vengosh, A., & Mouser, P. (2019). More than a decade of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling research.
B., E. B. C. L. J. (2018). Aerial Interyear Comparison and Quantification of Methane Emissions Persistence in the Bakken Formation of North Dakota, USA.
Al, A. R. Z.-A. L. D. A. D. B. Z. B. A. E. (2018). Assessment of methane emissions from the U.S. oil and gas supply chain..
Improved characterization of methane emissions from the U.S. oil and gas supply chain. (2018).
Brandt, A. R. A. A. (2017). Designing better methane mitigation policies: the challenge of distributed small sources in the natural gas sector.
Brandt, R. A. A. (2017). Designing better methane mitigation policies: The challenge of distributed small sources in the natural gas sector.
Sweeney., G. E. K. M. S. P. J. S. A. B. T. R. (2017). Methane, black carbon, and ethane emissions from natural gas flares in the Bakken Shale, ND..
Gvakharia EA. Kort, A Brandt, J Peischl, TB Ryerson, JPSchwarz, ML. Smith, and C.Sweeney, A. (2017). Methane, Black Carbon, and Ethane Emissions from Natural Gas Flares in the Bakken Shale, North Dakota.