28 Air Monitoring
METHANE: ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS POLLUTERS HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT
Faced with mounting pressure over climate change, businesses and governments worldwide have made reducing CO2
emissions a common feature
of their net zero action plans. However, for years, another problem has been growing in its shadow: methane.
As the core component of natural gas, methane is a common byproduct of energy production and is a potent contributor to global warming, second only to CO2
in its impact on climate
change. However, due its unique characteristics it is capable of trapping far more heat than CO2
, with 28 times the global
warming potential over a 100-year timescale. With methane concentrations in the atmosphere remaining stubbornly persistent, the need to act on this greenhouse gas is growing more pressing by the day.
Although natural sources such as wetlands account for a large proportion of methane emissions, human activity bears a much larger responsibility. Up to 60% of all global methane emissions are thought to come from anthropogenic sources, much of which stems from the energy sector. Data suggests that energy production is responsible for around a third of all human-caused methane emissions,[1] leaving oil and gas operators with the daunting task of leading efforts to address this problem.
Recent years have seen the sector begin to wake up to this problem. Commitments made by energy operators last year to invest in infrastructure and repair leaks could, if rigorously adhered to, go a long way towards fi nally bringing down the stubbornly persistent methane emissions fi gures. However, without signifi cant improvements in how data on methane is collected, this will be easier said than done. Decades of inaction and poor monitoring practices have led to a picture of global methane emissions that could be described as incomplete at best, rendering it diffi cult to effectively target action.
Advancements in gas detection technologies will be key to overcoming this problem. Today’s energy sector has access to more options than ever for monitoring harmful gases like methane across their infrastructure networks, enabling fast and effi cient action to address it. Connected networks of infrared (IR) devices are already providing a more accurate picture of methane emissions than ever before, providing a powerful tool for addressing one of the most dangerous greenhouse gases.
In plain sight
Methane represents an essential resource in the modern energy production landscape but comes with signifi cant drawbacks. As a colourless, odourless substance, it is invisible to the naked eye and the spectral range used by many monitoring satellites, render leaks diffi cult to detect without specialist equipment. Combined with the vast infrastructure networks in the energy sector, fi nding the source of leaks to conduct repairs can be almost impossible.
The hidden nature of the methane threat poses a signifi cant risk to health and safety. Exposure to methane has been linked to a wide range of health conditions, with severe cases often being fatal. In high enough concentrations, methane also presents an explosive risk. Preventing emissions is therefore essential to protecting employees and equipment alike.
Methane has a well-documented impact on global warming due to its high heat-trapping potential. At the same time, the atmospheric lifespan of methane is much shorter, typically only lasting 7-12 years in the air as opposed to centuries. This means that rapid action on methane presents one of the best available methods for improving air quality and addressing the global warming problem.
Improving understanding
However, this path forward is complicated by the fact that businesses still do not possess an exact understanding of how much methane is being released into the atmosphere. The existing picture of methane emissions is regrettably inconsistent. Signifi cant discrepancies exist between offi cial records of the amount of natural gas released into the atmosphere, and of measurements taken by industry bodies.
International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates suggest that almost 120 million tonnes of methane were released by the fossil fuel industry in 2023 and 10 million tonnes more were released by bioenergy – but these fi gures are projections based on reported emissions, which are often inaccurate. In many parts of the world, measurements of emissions are rarely founded on data, with total emissions reported to the UN Convention on Climate Change about 50% smaller than IEA estimates.
Clearly, this lack of information presents a problem. Methane leaks can happen almost anywhere across oil and gas infrastructure that most oil and gas companies operate, meaning large areas need to be inspected for prevention efforts to be effective. Often, these emissions occur in the form of accidental leaks during production and transport. Flaring and venting activity represent other common sources of emissions, with signifi cant quantities of methane either released or burned up as part of essential operating procedures.
Although some of these leaks are almost impossible to control, this makes it all the more important to act on those that can be controlled. To effectively target action on methane, operators need to understand where leaks are occurring. Increasing the quality of data on methane emissions through robust gas detection technology will be key to achieving this.
IR solutions
Advancements in sensor technology mean the picture of methane emissions is slowly being fi lled in. In particular, the advent of small form factor, cost-effective IR technology presents an invaluable opportunity to increase visibility over energy infrastructure.
Although methane is invisible to the human eye, cameras that operate in IR wavelengths can detect its distinct IR absorption lines. This means that IR-equipped satellites can be used to detect methane plumes from oil and gas operations from space, or smaller monitors can be deployed on the ground to provide accurate overviews of emissions at production facilities. Many of these sensors are based on technology known as laser absorption spectroscopy.
Laser absorption spectroscopy represents one of the most promising solutions to help oil and gas businesses build their data on methane. This technology exploits how gases respond to IR light to provide highly selective and sensitive gas detection, passing an IR beam to a detector through a chamber containing the sample gas and a precision fi lter. The fi lter enables certain wavelengths to continue on, only blocking those that are not absorbed by the gas being monitored. Any gas present between
Modern sensing technology is highly scalable and available in increasingly small form-factor devices thanks to advances in laser absorption spectroscopy
Umicore Coatings Services is one of the leading manufacturers and sup- pliers of infrared precision optical fi lters and coatings to some of the most demanding specifi cations and applications.
With over 35 years’ experience and more than 2,500 proven coating processes, Umicore Coatings Services’ extensive knowledge enables us to repeatedly manufacture optical coatings with exceptional spectral and environmental performance.
IET ANNUAL BUYERS’ GUIDE 2024/25
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