Monitoring fugitive emissions from oil and gas methane and natural gas emissions PERF London May 2016 Rod Robinson National Physical Laboratory UK rod.robinson@npl.co.uk Welcome to the National Physical Laboratory
Outline of Presentation Introduction Remote sensing of methane and VOCs DIAL Validation of methods New standard Longer term monitoring
Optical remote sensing methods fugitive measurements Efficient way to measure total emissions from complex sites Can cover all emission sources from a site, including fugitive and point sources Measure downwind and upwind concentrations separate out sources Do not need to access hazardous areas Monitor diffuse sources e.g. landfill, lagoons etc. Measurements can be used for Impact assessment, Regulatory compliances Established techniques, NPL have been using the DIAL technique in such applications for over 25 years.
DIAL technique Differential Absorption Lidar Laser Radar system targeted on gas measurements. Gives range-resolved concentration along optical path. Measurement beam can be scanned to map concentration distribution. Able to measure wide range of species : VOCs including methane, ethene, methanol, and general hydrocarbons SO 2, NO 2, NO, Hg, HCl Benzene, Toluene, Xylenes Spatial resolution <8 metres Range typically 300-800m in IR, UV > 1km
DIAL can identify and quantify emissions in complex industrial plant wind
DIAL can identify and quantify emissions in complex industrial plant wind
DIAL measurements DIAL has been used for measuring emission rates from a range of sources for over 25 years Refineries Flares, tanks, Landfills Onshore oil production Emission plumes Gas stations Lots of previous validation Infrared Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) measurements of hydrocarbon emissions J. Environ. Monit. 2011.13.2213. Rod Robinson, Tom Gardiner, Fabrizio Innocenti, Peter Woods and Marc Coleman.
DIAL summary The DIAL technique provides a method to identify and quantify fugitive emissions of key industrial species and GHGs Few assumptions /models One of the most direct methods to quantify fugitive emissions flux Concentration path length resolution of few meters Know where the concentration is to apply wind Can work in most conditions active less effect from ambient conditions Non intrusive remote steerable measurements Scale of few hundred meters means good compromise between top down and bottom up middle up or down Often identifies emission sources which are not known to the operators. DIAL currently being used for: Routine reporting and regulatory monitoring Research studies - eg emission factors Validating other techniques tracer techniques for landfill
New NPL DIAL Launched 2014 Twin DIAL (UV and IR) Improved lasers, detection systems New software Analysis algorithms Many other improvements to usability/performance And it looks nice and shiny
Onshore oil well Measurement of emissions from (conventional) well Flare, well head, separators/tanks Carried out from outside facility Demonstrator of capability to find and quantify leaks from small sources Only one measurement location from access road Small site expected low emissions Showed we could unambiguously locate and quantify emissions
Innovative Metrology for Pollution Regulation of Emissions from Stacks and area Sources The IMPRESS project addresses metrology needs in stack emissions monitoring, annual mass emission reporting area source emission quantification. - protocols and methodologies for measuring and monitoring emissions from area (including fugitive) sources. - Includes supporting method development and validation - Feeding into the development of European standard on fugitive emissions IMPRESS is funded through the European Metrology Research Programme.
AREA SOURCE EMISSIONS FACILITY A high flow gas blending system was constructed that allows gas species to be released at controlled rates comparable to small-medium industrial emissions: (1.1 55 kg.h 1 for C 3 H 8 ; 0.7 36 kg.h 1 for CH 4 ; and 2 99 kg.h 1 for CO 2 ). The system is entirely computer controlled, and is operated remotely via an umbilical cable. The system is housed within a 3.5 tonne trailer making it easily transportable. Gas dispersion from nodes has been validated using several techniques including DIAL and Optical Gas Imaging (OGI) technology. The system has been successfully utilised in a number of campaigns to date, including replicating emission sources from shale gas processing equipment. Work is continuing to develop larger diffusive emission nodes.
Field Campaign CEDAR (agricultural research centre) area source + 2 DIALS
Two DIALs measuring controlled release of methane
Innovate UK Study Controlled release replicated onshore facility release Use DIAL to verify emissions Aim of project is to develop a validation scheme for fugitive emission measurement techniques One elevated release and one low level Released methane at typical rates seen at UK site Series of repeats and a set of varying emission levels Showed we could replicate typical emissions DIAL gave good agreement Rel No ASF (kg/hr) DIAL (kg/hr) STDEV (kg/hr) 1 6.70 6.36 0.43 2 6.70 6.28 0.82 3a 6.70 7.42 0.98 3b 6.70 6.55 4 5.90 6.29 0.69 5 2.50 2.90 0.96 6 15.00 15.57 1.30
ASF release Real world site
DIAL results compared to controlled release (ASF)
Small source - well SCAQMD study - California
DIAL preliminary results VOC emissions from well
Climate KIC FuME project Quantifying Fugitive Methane Emissions from hard-to-tackle sites and sources Research project to develop measurement techniques to monitor methane emissions from Waste water treatment plant Gas transmission plant Shale gas sites Combining DIAL - detailed understanding of emissions Low cost sensor networks and models to give long term monitoring Open path TDL integrated
Outputs from FuME Methodology to combine the detailed but short term data from DIAL studies with long-term low cost monitoring Low cost sensors or multiplexed instruments around the boundary Dispersion model set up using source terms determined from DIAL study and site information Model runs in real time updating with information from the distributed sensors Provides hourly updates of site emissions Long term operation, detects changes in emissions NAME OF 14
Distributed sensor system Plots suggest methane emissions are from the south of the site.
European Standard Development Development of European standard to cover methods in refinery BREF Determine Fugitive and Diffuse emissions DIAL, SOF, OGI, Tracer, Sniffing (EN 15446), Flux box, Calculations Standard currently being developed I am chairing this committee (TC 264, WG38) Validate the standard with 2 field campaigns funded by EU One will also use the ASF aim is to design a more complex emission scenario Structure is a framework enabling user to select correct measurement methods Role and capabilities of each technique they do different things Performance characteristics and requirements QA/QC to carry out each technique
Leak quantification Component level Sniffing Bagging Hi-flow Issues Hi-flow sampler issues raised in US Currently assessing performance and developing improved methods and protocols Validating sensor Future quantification using OGI
Distributed leak detection Mobile leak detection Sensors in vehicles Airborne sensors Drones EDF and Google Earth Outreach Sensors in google street view vehicle Mobile Picarro methane surveyor EPA Method OTM-33 Issues currently working on Data handling and interpretation Source apportionment isotopic measurements, tracers (ethane) Need to threshold leaks Image Credit: EPA Eben Thoma Image Credit: Google
Future activities related to natural gas NPL programme of activities related to following areas: Quantification of emission sources Emission factors Long term cost effective monitoring Understand emissions over time Monitor for events Background sensing Mobile leak detection Find leaks in distributed systems Sensor and method validation Vehicle and drone mounted sensors Standardisation
Satellites - will they be the answer? To date there are no satellites able to deliver methane data with accuracy needed to assess facility scale leaks It took along time for any methane data products to emerge from satellites - ESA s SCIAMACHY instrument (envisat ended) - NASA - AURA TES methane provisionally validated - TERRA - MOPITT There is no operational MOPITT product for methane, due to a variety of problems with the methane-channel radiances (NCAR website) - GOSAT JAXA (2009) Satellite Launched Can Detect Methane From Oil and Gas Systems US STAR programme 2009 Current instruments only give regional scale needs inventory and ground measurement input Next missions Claire GHGSat Inc (due 2016) aim facility scale TROPOMI Sentinel-5P - 7x7 km (due 2016) Merlin Methane remote sensing mission ESA (2019) Image Credit: NASA/JPL- Caltech/University of Michigan Image Credit: ESA
Current/Future developments ARPA-E development programme (US) Monitor programme (Methane Observation Networks with Innovative Technology to Obtain Reductions ) Funding 11 projects point sensors, optical sensors, imaging sensors Aim is low cost screening and EDF methane sensor (US) Methane Detectors Challenge 4 (out of 5) sensors taken forward for testing Nasa / JPL methane drone (US) NASA s Open Path Laser Spectrometer (OPLS) Low cost sensor development EPA S-POD (US) Climate KIC Miriade project optical sensor on chip (EU) Molecular sieve methane? These developments look promising - but Technologies aren t methods need validated protocols Need similar advance in interpreting data Image Credit: ARPA-E DOE website Image Credit: NASA/JPL
Summary Currently have capabilities to: Quantify and characterise methane emissions Determine emission rates from facilties Provide long term monitoring from gas facilities Current and future work Programme of activities addressing natural gas Validation of lower cost sensors Demonstration of long term monitoring Standardisation of techniques for diffuse and fugitive monitoring Mobile measurement techniques
Thank you Any Questions?
DIAL and Controlled release in California The DIAL and the controlled release system deployed in the SCAQMD fugitive emissions project in California Series of controlled releases Varying elevations (3m to 8m) and release rates (1.5 25 kg/hr) of propane 11 different release configurations over a period of two days Operated by SCAQMD to keep release rates unknown by measurement teams Two nodes of release mounted on scissor lift to give slightly extended source Located in open area (car park) Measured by DIAL, two open path FTIR systems, and SOF All teams retrieved mass emission rates
Controlled release
DIAL results (preliminary) Controlled release DIAL was able to measure emission rates for all releases Between 6 to 3 scans per release Generally good agreement with release rate Agreement better than 15% for most releases (one low rate release within 30%) Which is within typical quoted uncertainty for DIAL Average Flux Standard Deviation Scans Controlled Rel kg/hr kg/hr # kg/hr 4.8 1.3 6 5.8 11.0 1.0 4 11.6 15.2 3.0 3 17.4 12.9 2.0 4 13.9 5.1 1.3 4 4.6 17.5 3.9 4 18.5 1.1 0.8 3 1.6 9.5 1.0 3 9.3 25.0 1.3 3 25.4 23.6 1.6 3 24.1
A large increase in U.S. methane emissions over the past decade inferred from satellite data and surface observations Geophysical Research Letters Volume 43, Issue 5, pages 2218-2224, 2 MAR 2016 DOI: 10.1002/2016GL067987 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2016gl067987/full#grl54021-fig-0002