Natural Gas Fugitive Leak Detection Using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle: Localization and Quantification of Emission Rate

Golston, Levi M.; Aubut, Nicholas F.; Frish, Michael B.; Yang, Sangsik; Talbot, R. W.; Gretencord, Christopher; McSpiritt, James; Zondlo, M. A.

doi:10.3390/atmos9090333

Cited by 78 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Accurate top-down flux quantification from facility-scale sources requires a combination of wind vector measurements along with in situ measurements of atmospheric methane mole fraction (Dlugokencky et al, 1994;Rigby et al, 2017). Facility-scale emission fluxes can be derived from near-field sampling (less than 500 m from the source), which may be acquired from an unmanned-aerial-vehicle (UAV) platform (Gottwald and Tedders, 1985). UAVs are cheap, versatile and relatively easy to use (Villa et al, 2016) compared to large, manned aircraft (Illingworth et al, 2014;Lehmann et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Testing the near-field Gaussian plume inversion flux quantification technique using unmanned aerial vehicle sampling

et al. 2020

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Abstract. Methane emission fluxes from many facility-scale sources may be poorly quantified, potentially leading to uncertainties in the global methane budget. Accurate atmospheric measurement-based flux quantification is urgently required to address this. This paper describes the first test (using unbiased sampling) of a near-field Gaussian plume inversion (NGI) technique, suitable for facility-scale flux quantification, using a controlled release of methane gas. Two unmanned-aerial-vehicle (UAV) platforms were used to perform 22 flight surveys downwind of a point-source methane gas release from a regulated cylinder with a flowmeter. One UAV was tethered to an instrument on the ground, while the other UAV carried an on-board prototype instrument (both of which used the same near-infrared laser technology). Both instruments were calibrated using certified standards to account for variability in the instrumental gain factor, assuming fixed temperature and pressure. Furthermore, a water vapour correction factor, specifically calculated for the instrument, was applied and is described here in detail. We also provide guidance on potential systematic uncertainties associated with temperature and pressure, which may require further characterisation for improved measurement accuracy. The NGI technique was then used to derive emission fluxes for each UAV flight survey. We found good agreement of most NGI fluxes with the known controlled emission flux, within uncertainty, verifying the flux quantification methodology. The lower and upper NGI flux uncertainty bounds were, on average, 17 %±10(1σ) % and 227 %±98(1σ) % of the controlled emission flux, respectively. This range of conservative uncertainty bounds incorporate factors including the variability in the position of the time-invariant plume and potential for under-sampling. While these average uncertainties are large compared to methods such as tracer dispersion, we suggest that UAV sampling can be highly complementary to a toolkit of flux quantification approaches and may be a valuable alternative in situations where site access for tracer release is problematic. We see tracer release combined with UAV sampling as an effective approach in future flux quantification studies. Successful flux quantification using the UAV sampling methodology described here demonstrates its future utility in identifying and quantifying emissions from methane sources such as oil and gas extraction infrastructure facilities, livestock agriculture, and landfill sites, where site access may be difficult.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some studies have used UAV remote-sensing measurements to derive emission fluxes (Golston et al, 2018;Yang et al, 2018). However, to our knowledge, only Nathan et al (2015) have derived fugitive methane emission fluxes using UAV in situ measurements.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Testing the near-field Gaussian plume inversion flux quantification technique using unmanned aerial vehicle sampling

et al. 2020

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“…Barchyn et al (2019) tested a leak detection algorithm, by flying in single transects downwind of a controlled release, measuring in situ methane mole fraction with ±0.05 ppm precision. Golston et al (2018) sampled at a fixed height above a controlled release, using remote sensing methane measurements in equally sized grid squares, to identify and quantify emissions using mass balance box modelling. Yang et al (2018) flew in circles around the rough location of a controlled release and used remote sensing measurements to identify the source location and quantify emissions, using mass balance box modelling.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unmanned aerial vehicle observations of cold venting from exploratory hydraulic fracturing in the United Kingdom

Shah

Ricketts

Pitt

et al. 2020

Environ. Res. Commun.

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Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) surveys allow for rapid-response near-field sampling, downwind of emission sources, such as gas extraction sites, without the need for site access. UAVs can be used in emission source identification alongside instantaneous flux estimation. A UAV was used to sample downwind of the UK's first and only gas extraction site to use exploratory onshore horizontal hydraulic fracturing (fracking) of shale formations, in Little Plumpton, Lancashire. In-situ calibrated UAV methane mole fraction measurements were made from a neighbouring field on five sampling days between October 2018 and February 2019, during fracking, flow-back and flow testing. Methane emissions were identified on one of the five sampling days (14 January 2019), associated with known cold venting, following fluid unloading using a nitrogen lift. A near-field Gaussian plume inversion approach was used to calculate four instantaneous fluxes on this day (from four separate intermittent UAV flight surveys) with lower and upper uncertainty bounds of between 9-80 g s −1 , 23-106 g s −1 , 16-82 g s −1 and 34-156 g s −1 , respectively. The cold venting emissions observed on this single day were at least an order of magnitude higher than UAV methane fluxes calculated for nearby dairy farm buildings, also presented here. Identifying and quantifying these methane emission sources are important to improve the national emissions inventory and to regulate this developing UK industry.

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“…It is important to have some estimates of methane emission from natural gas extraction in hand as natural gas extraction contains a range of leaks which is varying in levels, from very low to high . Alvarez et al found that in USA emission of methane only in natural gas production is 7.6 Tg/y and total process emission of methane in natural gas industry is 13 Tg/y, which is 60% more than EPA standard. Significant gap in technology is found to be one of the important concerns in identification and mitigation of methane leakage from natural gas field…”

Section: Natural Gas As a Transitional Fuel: The Conceptmentioning

confidence: 99%

Natural gas: A transition fuel for sustainable energy system transformation?

Safari

Das

Langhelle

et al. 2019

Energy Science & Engineering

184

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Current discourse on the transition to a decarbonized energy system future is dominated by renewable energy solutions. Initial conditions for this transition may vary across different regions and countries. There are, however, also opportunities for innovative solutions that utilize other low‐carbon energy sources and technology mix. Sustainable development is a contested concept and varies with priorities attached to social, economic, and environmental goals. Therefore, the one‐size‐fits‐all type of solution paradigm needs to be broadened, to accelerate action in the short to medium term. Our argument is that natural gas can be an important complementary transition fuel to support renewable energy in the short‐ and medium‐term transition phases. This means that the goal of zero fossil fuel as a short‐ and medium‐term solution needs to be reconsidered. This takes us to the next argument that innovation and upgraded technology in the low‐carbon fossil fuel sector will provide an important impetus for low‐carbon transition, which we see as a phase lasting until the middle of the century. However, the transition toward a sustainable energy future of gas‐fueled solutions has challenges from the social, technical, economic, geographical, and political points of view. Suitable local solutions should, however, also be assessed. These should take into consideration infrastructure, local demands, resources, and economic aspects as well as national energy policies. An analysis based on the experiences of four countries, both developed and developing, is presented in this study. The countries selected for this study can be placed in two categories: those with an abundance of natural gas reserves (Iran and Norway) and those that are import‐dependent (India and UK). The cross‐country analysis will help us to understand the realistic challenges and opportunities of natural gas as a transition fuel.

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Natural Gas Fugitive Leak Detection Using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle: Localization and Quantification of Emission Rate

Cited by 78 publications

References 24 publications

Testing the near-field Gaussian plume inversion flux quantification technique using unmanned aerial vehicle sampling

Testing the near-field Gaussian plume inversion flux quantification technique using unmanned aerial vehicle sampling

Unmanned aerial vehicle observations of cold venting from exploratory hydraulic fracturing in the United Kingdom

Natural gas: A transition fuel for sustainable energy system transformation?

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