ExxonMobil, an American multinational oil and gas corporation, is reportedly conducting field trials of 8 emerging methane detection technologies at over 1,000 sites in New Mexico & Texas. The technologies adopted to reduce the emissions of methane include satellites, motor vehicles, and aircraft, among others.
Sources familiar with the matter have stated that the field tests will be conducted to evaluate the scalability and effectiveness of a range of next-gen detection technologies. Several deployment methods and technologies will be adopted to identify leaks as well as present solutions that can prove useful to other oil and gas operators as well.
According to Staale Gjervik, senior VP of unconventional at ExxonMobil, the company is taking aggressive steps and applying scientific rigor to discover commercially scalable & affordable and viable solutions for all oil and gas operators to reduce the level of methane emissions. Mr. Gjervik further added that the trials have discovered several methane sources that would have been difficult to be efficiently and quickly detected under the existing methods and technologies prescribed by the regulations. During the trial, any methane emission issue will be immediately investigated and fixed by the company.
Different trial methods are being validated by ExxonMobil through a combination of field observations, portable methane-detection instruments, and optical gas-imaging cameras. The technologies for the field trials have been provided by 8 independent companies.
Bridger Photonics, SeekOps, Leak Surveys Inc., Kairos Aerospace, and Scientific Aviation are the companies that employ various types of aircraft to gather technologies, which include open-path imaging systems and air sample chemical analyzers. Scientific Aviation has equipped its airplanes with sensors as well as atmospheric and weather information to effectively measure methane emissions. Additionally, Leak Surveys adopts gas imaging surveys that are helicopter-mounted and SeekOps uses gas sensors that are drone-mounted to detect & quantify rates of methane emission.
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https://www.oaoa.com/news/local/article_e28dc8e6-7e75-11ea-b614-3b67f435c413.html
