Kenneth J. Craig, Josette E. Marrero, Ryan C. Moffet, and Justin S. Dumas, Sonoma Technology, Inc.
December 7, 2018
Abstract
A three-week field study was undertaken during summer 2018 at a well pad near Drayton Valley, Alberta, to demonstrate the application and utility of an innovative, portable methane sensor to characterize emissions from small-scale sources at upstream oil and gas (O&G) facilities. This work helps address the Alberta Upstream Petroleum Research Fund’s research priorities to develop practical solutions for identifying potential methane sources and quantifying methane emissions in the field. From this pilot project, a high-quality dataset was obtained that demonstrates the capabilities of these sensors. We found the data from these sensors to be suitable to support a wide range of applications, and to provide useful information that can be coupled with emission quantification methods to identify emission sources and quantify emission rates at upstream O&G facilities. These measurements also provide a benchmark upon which data quality objectives can be established for similar new and emerging methane sensor technologies.
Two Aeris Pico series methane sensors were tested and deployed during this pilot study. The Aeris sensor uses next-generation technology that collects data at a sufficient rate with sufficient accuracy and sensitivity, and supports a broad range of applications at upstream O&G facilities. The sensor also measures coincident ethane concentrations, and the use of ethane data to identify natural gas sources was demonstrated. Meteorological instruments were also deployed to provide context for the methane measurements and support data analysis. A series of controlled methane release experiments were conducted at the well pad to provide additional data to evaluate and demonstrate the sensors’ capabilities and limitations. Finally, data from the deployment and controlled release experiments for select periods were used to demonstrate application of an inverse dispersion modeling approach that can be used to quantify methane emissions at upstream O&G facilities.
# 17-ARPC-09