Research Information
- O.U.R. Research Program: Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP)
- Major(s): Civil Engineering
- Anticipated graduation year: Spring 2022
- Title: Understanding the Behavior of Natural Gas Leaks in the Subsurface Under Varying Environmental Conditions to Better Inform First Responders
- Faculty Research Mentor: Dr. Kathleen Smits and Michelle Schwartz
- Faculty Academic Department: Civil Engineering
Abstract
Over the past 40 years, 50 natural gas pipeline incidents were reported to the National Transportation Safety board. These incidents led to injuries and fatalities while also causing significant infrastructure damage. The goal of this project was to design test beds that simulate gas leakages in rural and suburban areas under varying environmental conditions that can be used to better inform first responders and industry partners of the behavior of methane in the subsurface. A literature review was conducted to identify causes of the gas leaks, sizes of natural gas leaks that led to the incident, and the behavior of the natural gas in the subsurface. This information was used to determine patterns in incidents from gas distribution lines and select scenarios most commonly observed to replicate in a test site at Colorado State University’s Methane Emissions Technology Evaluations Center. Several common scenarios identified included natural gas movement through preferential pathways (e.g., severed pipes and poorly packed soil) and natural gas movement under impermeable surfaces (e.g., asphalt and concrete). The data collected from this testbed will be used to inform best practices for first responders and industry partners to aid in the detection and handling of gas leaks.