Cartoon showing the 3 steps in the Dawn Discovery process.
CALGARY, Alberta – Project Dawn Discovery, the unofficial nickname for a new Alberta energy and sustainability initiative created in conjunction with its energy regulatory arm, the Alberta Oil and Gas Regulator (AOGR), is about to get underway. Following a three-month study and feasibility review, the project has been finalized and approved. The project, Dawn Discovery, relies on a simple chemical engineering premise: Dawn dish soap will bubble in contact with gaseous leaks, akin to checking automotive or bicycle tires with a soapy solution to see bubbles and identify leaks. The government plans to soak down Alberta and see what is leaking.
From an engineering point of view, the rollout is about as simple as the chemistro-physics behind the idea: use crop dusting and firefighting water bombers to soak areas of intense oil and gas well density with a Dawn dishwashing solution. This phase will be followed by using other planes, drones, and helicopters to visually identify the largest bubbles appearing on the ground, and target those wells for methane leak remediation. Simple. The key, however, is to ensure that the leaky spots can be identified before the wind blows the evidence into a different area. The timing details from the AOGR’s models suggests that with a 5km/hr wind, we should be able to identify the leak’s location to within two LSDs if the bubble detection aerial vehicles are there within 120 seconds.
An engineer with the AOGR showing how the local minimum Dawn dish soap concentration index is calculated based on atmospheric pressure and temperature.
The dream of long-time eco-advocate, Moon Starwing, Dawn Discovery was years in the making.
Moon Starwing, P.Eng., Project Dawn Discovery’s brainchild.
“I know soap solution bubbles around gas or air leaks, and we use it to wash oil off birds and other animals when oil spills in their habitat, so what could go wrong. Soak the ground and watch for leaks. It is so easy, and clean, and it can smell very nice if you choose the right product.” – Moon Starwing P. Eng.
Initially, there will be 14 Townships targeted with the spray, excluding all urban areas with a population density greater than 10 people per section. The area considered in the trial includes three watershed areas, and one ecologically sensitive wildlife preserve. These areas were chosen to specifically investigate the negative effects, if any, on local wildlife and fish populations. If the initial results show that the minimum dawn concentration index is too damaging to wildlife habitats, another trial will be engaged in a new area with a slightly different mixture, continuing with trials until a suitable chemistry is determined.
The specified surfactant solution requires special eco-safe properties and the ability to retain surface tension on larger bubbles until they are observed and recorded. Initial product tests used approximately 10m3 of fluid dumped into a known marshy wetland with natural quaternary natural gas leaks. Some of the products had little observable response to the testing, but liquid Dawn detergent responded incredibly well and was selected for the trials. Dawn is a brand under control of Proctor and Gamble, who has signed contracts with the AOGC to supply $2.3M dollars of product before December 1, 2024.
