The Ashton Hall Cary and Freeman H. Cary Lectureship 

David T. Allen, Norbert Dittrich-Welch Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, and Director, Center for Energy and Environmental Resources, The University of Texas at Austin

"Increased Oil and Natural Gas Production, Methane Emissions, and Climate"

Abstract:

Hydrocarbon products derived from horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing of shale formations (shale gas and shale oil) have greatly expanded US oil and natural gas production, and have made the US the world’s largest natural gas and petroleum producer. Collectively, these resources have transformed the global energy landscape, but their production and use also has environmental impacts.  This presentation will focus on one of the environmental issues associated with shale gas and oil production: the emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.  The magnitude and climate impacts of methane emissions from the energy sector will be described and data from recent field studies measuring methane emissions will be summarized. The roles of both routine and “super-emitting” sources in accounting for methane emissions will be defined.  Super-emitting sources are often due to equipment malfunction, so quickly identifying and repairing these sources can significantly reduce emissions. The design and deployment of multi-scale methane emission measurement networks to identify and mitigate emissions will be discussed.

Bio:

Dr. David Allen is the Norbert Dittrich-Welch Chair in Chemical Engineering and the co-Director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Systems Analyses at the University of Texas at Austin.  He is the author of seven books and over 300 papers, primarily on issues at the intersection of energy and the environment.  Dr. Allen has been a lead investigator for multiple air quality measurement and modeling studies, which have had a substantial impact on the direction of air quality policies.  He directs the Air Quality Research Program for the State of Texas, and he was the founding Editor-in-Chief of the American Chemical Society’s journal ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering. He has developed environmental educational materials for engineering curricula and for the University’s core curriculum, as well as engineering education materials for high school students. He led the development of a year-long high school engineering course, Engineer Your World, which is used in hundreds of high schools nationwide.  The quality of his work has been widely recognized and in 2017 he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering.  In 2020 he was recognized with the ENI Energy Transition Award, which has been referred to as the Nobel Prize in energy. He has served on a variety of governmental advisory panels and from 2012 to 2015 chaired the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Science Advisory Board.  He has won teaching awards at the University of Texas and UCLA and the Lewis Award in Chemical Engineering Education, from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Dr. Allen received his B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering, with distinction, from Cornell University in 1979. His M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Chemical Engineering were awarded by the California Institute of Technology in 1981 and 1983. 

Austin, TX