Creating a Technology Roadmap to Methane Measurement and Mitigation

As industrial companies scramble to reduce and eliminate unnecessary methane emissions, technology that can monitor and quantity methane emissions has become more important than ever. But choosing the right combination of technology from a vast technical landscape is a challenging endeavour. How can industrial companies better navigate the complex and changing technology environment?

That was one of the questions that industry professionals were discussing at our Methane Mitigation Summit in Houston last week. Over 150 industry insiders and technology vendors gathered to get up to the minute thinking on regulations and industry best practice, explore new technology to improve the quantification and reliability of methane emissions data and share ideas on how to operationalize methane mitigation strategies.

In a panel discussion at the event, Rebecca A. Steinmann, Global Director Emissions Control at industrial manufacturer John Crane, explained that the explosion of technology in this space can be quite overwhelming to companies when they start the process of looking for solutions.

She says that it’s critical for companies to really define and articulate their overall goals and strategies for methane reduction first and then to identify the drivers for their key methane emissions sources.  

Those two critical first steps are essential to helping “prefilter” the over 300 possible technological solutions that companies may wish to explore.

“It’s not a pick your technology providers and then you’re done. It’s a journey,” she says, so you need constantly re-evaluate the mixture of technology you need based on site needs, constraints, and emissions profile.

Your assets, people, and emissions profile in Angola, for instance, are going to look very different from your operations in Colorado, she explains.

Measurement is key to understanding your emissions profile and how it’s evolving over time. However, Steinmann says that you don’t want to focus unduly on how accurate your measurements are.

“The whole point is to reduce your emissions, not just to know what they are,” she explains, adding not to let concerns about whether the math is perfect “before taking action and assigning meaningful corrective actions to mitigation and abatement.”

In another session, Daniel Zimmerle, Director of the Methane Emissions Program at Colorado State University, discussed implementing a test & acceptance protocol for technology/method combinations to help select the methane monitoring technology mix that works best for your organization.

In a pre-conference interview with our sister publication Oil and Gas IQ, Zimmerle explained that there are three components to methane monitoring technology: sensors (to detect methane, e.g. optimal gas imaging), delivery systems (how those sensors are deployed, e.g. satellites, drones, flyovers), and analytics (the software to analyze the data collected by the sensors).

He also explains why he believes leak detection should be your last resort. 

“[Leak detection is] roughly the equivalent to detecting overloads on your household circuits with smoke alarms. It comes a little late in the process,” he says. “There are other things oil and gas operators should be doing with regards process monitoring and site design. Leak detection is the smoke alarm.”

Our next methane mitigation summit will be held in Amsterdam 27-29 March 2022.

Interested in learning more about this topic?

If you’re responsible to reducing methane emissions at your organization, join us this spring in Amsterdam at our Methane Mitigation Europe summit or in June in Houston at our Methane Mitigation Global Summit. Monitor our website for further updates.