According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the oil and gas industry is the main source of global methane emissions. Data of the total methane emissions from the oil and natural gas industry from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggests that the Production segment (including onshore and offshore exploration and production) accounts for 60%, the Transmission and Processing segment accounts for 25% and the Distribution segment accounts for 6%.
Methane, the main component of natural gas and a byproduct of fossil fuel drilling, has more than 80 times the Global Warming Potential (GWP) value of carbon dioxide. In order to control methane emissions, it is necessary to quickly identify and accurately quantify the concentration of methane.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has put Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) regulations into place, which targets to minimize the fugitive methane emissions. With more rigid regulations, Method 21 and other traditional approaches for methane detection are less efficient and less accurate (more details shown on the table below). In order to allow LDAR to meet the most authoritative OGMP2.0 level 5 currently, the site-level continuous methane emissions sensing technology is rapidly forging ahead, which improves the accuracy and transparency of methane emissions reporting from organizations in the oil and gas industry, and lays a solid foundation for methane emissions mitigation.
| Comparison | Routed-Based Monitoring (e.g.OGI) | Continuous Monitoring (e.g.TDLAS) |
| Technical Route | Periodic monitoring of selected equipment. | Real-time online measurement of methane. |
| Using a plane, drone, vehicle or maintenance personnel walking a defined route. | Fixed point detector unit and network deployment. | |
| Data Integrity | Incomplete "picture" of system performance - momentary snapshot. | 24/7, 365 "picture of system" performance can isolate momentary excursions to a specific date. |
| Not data-rich, only a series of measurements in a defined time period. | Data-rich, methane measurements and atmospheric data can show system degradation over a period of time. | |
| Quantitative Ability | High wind speeds, low ambient air temperatures, and low background contrast pose challenges for OGI. | Through advanced optical sensing technology such as TDLAS to realize reliable quantitative continuous monitoring. |
| Environmental Compatibility | The resolution is greatly affected by wind speed and extreme weather. Gas leakage cannot be detected in extreme weather with heavy rain or snowfall. | The integrated waterproof and dustproof design eliminates the negative impact of extreme weather such as heavy rain, snow, and sandstorms. |
Cubic, a leading manufacturer of gas sensors and gas analyzers, has leveraged diverse mature optical technology platforms of Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy (TDLAS), Non-dispersive infrared (NDIR), and Laser Raman Spectroscopy, and has innovatively developed superior and reliable methane gas sensors and methane emissions monitoring system to offer complete solutions for the supply chain of oil and gas industry.
English
