Sponsored by ABBReviewed by Olivia FrostSep 5 2024
The European Union (EU) announced its first law around the restriction of methane emissions in 2024. The EU Methane Regulation requires suppliers of oil, coal, and gas to measure and report their methane emissions, prompting them to take appropriate action to reduce these where necessary.
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Increasing methane emissions have been recognized as a major factor in global warming, and there is increasing global awareness around the dangers this poses.
The EU thus introduced ambitious methane reduction goals in response to these risks, coupled with strict legislation designed to ensure that emitting organizations identify the source of leaks and promptly take action to fix them.
Environmental Impacts of Methane Emissions
Natural gas is still one of the key players in the energy mix. It is a prime candidate, bridging the gap between highly polluting coal and non-fossil, renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and green hydrogen. However, natural gas carries a significant environmental penalty in the form of one of its major constituents.
Natural gas is primarily comprised of methane (CH4), along with lower proportions of other hydrocarbons. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is well known for its contribution to atmospheric warming, but methane is the second most prominent greenhouse gas, making it a cause for increasing concern.
CH4 has a shorter lifespan than CO2, and because it is so readily broken down in the atmosphere, methane’s heating potential is approximately 84 times greater than that of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period.
The energy sector is responsible for almost 40 % of total methane emissions attributable to human activity, second only to the agricultural sector.
The Challenges of Methane Measurement
Industrial companies need accurate, effective, and rapid methods for detecting methane emissions and natural gas leaks.
However, conventional methods employed in gas leak detection have historically failed to meet these criteria. These methods are typically slow, lack the sensitivity and accuracy required, and perform especially poorly in their capacity to detect small or hidden leaks.
Technicians currently rely on handheld analog detectors to survey suspected gas leak areas. These devices require on-site calibration and have a relatively low detection rate.
This process requires users to move slowly across the investigation area, which significantly slows down the operation. Moreover, the need to manually input test data further extends the time required to analyze a potential leak.
High Sensitivity Gas Analyzer Technology
ABB has recently developed a gas leak detection system based on a high-sensitivity gas analyzer that is able to measure and report methane and ethane concentrations multiple times per second.
This powerful analyzer employs the Off-Axis Integrated Cavity Output Spectroscopy (OA-ICOS) principle, which leverages tunable laser sources to generate light at selected wavelengths to interact with the gases under analysis.
Each laser beam enters an extremely reflective mirrored cavity, where the beam is reflected thousands of times before exiting onto a photodetector. This process results in a very long optical path that is several kilometers in length.
The enhanced optical path length enables the use of telecommunications-grade near-infrared diode lasers, which are known for their reliability, durability, and long lifespan. These lasers produce very strong absorption signals, allowing target gas measurements to be recorded quickly with exceptional sensitivity, precision, and accuracy.
Measurements of target gases are rapidly recorded while maintaining exceptionally high sensitivity, precision, and accuracy.
The OA-ICOS method boasts sensitivity that is over 1,000 times higher than traditional leak detection technologies, meaning that the analyzer is able to rapidly detect single parts per billion (ppb) variations of target gases over ambient levels.
This enables the quick detection of natural gas leaks and methane emissions from long distances - something that legacy technologies are unable to achieve.
OA-ICOS technology is also highly robust, meaning that it can be deployed in various formats and enable data collection via an array of methods; for example, on foot, mounted on an aircraft or other vehicle, or used with a drone or other UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle).
This technology provides a number of advantages over older technologies, most notably its ability to collect data faster without sacrificing sensitivity or accuracy.
The availability of highly accurate and user-friendly methane detection technologies will play a crucial role in mitigating the impact of this significant greenhouse gas, contributing to a healthier environment for all.
Acknowledgments
Produced from materials originally authored by ABB Inc.
This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by ABB.
For more information on this source, please visit ABB.