METEC 2.0 – Underground Pipeline


METEC’s Underground Controlled Release Testbeds

METEC’s first underground testbed was installed in 2017, with two additional testbeds being added over time. Research on these testbeds have informed our understanding of how gas plumes develop and spread underground and how environmental conditions impact detection of underground methane leaks.

Now, in 2025, as new research questions arise and as operators share ongoing challenges with underground leak detection and quantification, the METEC Research Group identified the need for a larger, more complex testbed allowing for tests under multiple soil and bedding types, as well as complex environmental conditions. The construction of this new testbed is a component of the METEC 2.0 Site Redesign.

Aerial view of pipeline testbed upgrades

Underground Pipeline Solution Showcase – 2025

Join us at the new METEC Underground Pipeline Test Center as Solution Developers demo their latest advanced leak detection technologies on live, controlled leaks.

Tuesday, October 7, 2025 (stay for the CH4 Connections Conference beginning on Wednesday, October 8 at Colorado State University).

Learn More

METEC 2.0 – New Underground Testbed – 2025


Planned Design

The newest underground pipeline at METEC, when complete, will cover over 4.5 acres and have six separate pipelines at varying depths and with assorted soil backfill, totalling over half a kilometer of pipeline available for various testing needs.

The image to the left shows the location of the pipeline testbed adjacent to METEC’s above ground test center. When complete, the testbed will include simulated distribution, transmission, and gathering pipelines at varying depths. Soil backfill types will include:

    • Native soil, clay, silty loam, and sand
    • Natural soil bed with vegetation
    • Homogeneous Sand Bed
    • Layered Sand Bed

Overlaid on the image is the local wind rose data. Prevaling winds are NW and SE, perpendicular to the nearby above ground METEC test site, which will allow extended releases and limited gas interference between the pipeline facility and the above ground METEC facility pictured to the northeast.

Aerial view of Colorado State University's METEC research site in Fort Collins, CO. The image includes the above ground test area (in the upper right of the image) and the underground pipeline testbed imaged in the lower left corner of the image.

Project Timeline

  • Summer & Fall 2025: Expand research testing. Additional pipelines installed as readiness allows.
  • July 2025: Begin research testing on the testbed, including PHMSA projects.
  • June 2025: Complete commissioning of the testbed for testing.
  • May 2025: Testbed construction. Initial trenches. Installation and testing of the initial gas supply line along first test pipeline.
  • January- April, 2025: Finalize testbed and pipeline release design.  Begin constructing pipeline release points.
  • December 2024: Secure land for testbed.
  • Sept – Nov 2024: Prelimnary plans and rationale for need.

PHMSA Research Projects

The following two research projects sponsored by PHMSA are currently in progress:


Contact us to schedule your testing! Or, do you have questions?

Email us at: [email protected]