Observations of VOC emissions and photochemical products over US oil- and gas-producing regions using high-resolution H₃O⁺ CIMS (PTR-ToF-MS)
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Date
2017-08-16
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Citation of Original Publication
Koss, A., Yuan, B., Warneke, C., Gilman, J. B., Lerner, B. M., Veres, P. R., Peischl, J., Eilerman, S., Wild, R., Brown, S. S., Thompson, C. R., Ryerson, T., Hanisco, T., Wolfe, G. M., Clair, J. M. St., Thayer, M., Keutsch, F. N., Murphy, S., and de Gouw, J.: Observations of VOC emissions and photochemical products over US oil- and gas-producing regions using high-resolution H₃O⁺ CIMS (PTR-ToF-MS), Atmos. Meas. Tech., 10, 2941–2968, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-2941-2017, 2017.
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This work was written as part of one of the author's official duties as an Employee of the United States Government and is therefore a work of the United States Government. In accordance with 17 U.S.C. 105, no copyright protection is available for such works under U.S. Law.
This work was written as part of one of the author's official duties as an Employee of the United States Government and is therefore a work of the United States Government. In accordance with 17 U.S.C. 105, no copyright protection is available for such works under U.S. Law.
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Abstract
VOCs related to oil and gas extraction operations in the United States were measured by H₃O⁺ chemical ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (H₃O⁺ ToF-CIMS/PTR-ToF-MS) 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⁺ 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⁺ 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⁺ ion chemistry previously reported in the literature, including several new or alternate interpretations.