METEC Testing Programs and Field Campaigns

METEC Testing Programs

Evaluating methane emission detection solutions at METEC can occur in three different testing modes:

  • Ad-hoc or ‘white box’ testing provides an opportunity to conduct research and/or develop new and existing leak detection solutions by testing in a more complex environment. While performing ad-hoc testing, a METEC client controls where, when, and how large gas releases are, to support exploratory research or to validate product capabilities. Whether developing innovative technologies, refining algorithms, or rigorously testing solutions, ad-hoc testing is conducted without the constraints of protocol testing.
  • Data provisioning allows solution developers to passively test their sensors or solution while other testing is occurring—a test mode often called “piggybacking.” Data provisioning customers have no input over the controlled release planning but receive the controlled release data and site meteorology after testing. Data provisioning allows solution developers to gather large amounts of field experience at reduced cost. It also helps METEC by adding flexibility to the testing calendar.
  • Protocol testing is a single-blind test program—tested solutions do not know the location, size or timing of emissions. Currently, all protocol testing at METEC is performed to the ADED consensus protocols for continuous monitors and survey solutions. METEC typically offers one 3-month continuous monitoring test per year and survey testing based on request. Protocol testing is designed to rigorously evaluate LDAQ solution performance. All testers who complete a program receive an independent report of results.
  • During the expansion of capabilities effort, METEC will modify infrastructure to support hydrogen-natural gas blends. Initial focus will be on technologies that sense hydrogen and estimate hydrogen emissions. These technologies can be evaluated under the same programs (ad-hoc and protocol testing) as they are gas agnostic.

METEC Research Group – Field Campaigns

The METEC Research Group has a long history of directly measuring emissions at O&G facilities—and a few other locations—during extensive field measurement campaigns, frequently engaging in three types of campaigns.

  • Large national campaigns that characterize emissions in one sector and a specific type of facility. Examples include emissions from marginal wells and landfill natural gas plants, gathering compressor stations and transmission and storage sectors.
  • Intensive regional campaigns to compare multiple methods and characterize emissions from a basin or political jurisdiction. Completed projects include the Colorado Coordinated Campaign (C3) and the Fayetteville Study. Ongoing projects include SABER (Site-Aerial-Basin Emissions Reconciliation), a bottom-up, top-down reconciliation project in both the Denver-Julesburg and Upper Green River basins. And COBE (Colorado Ongoing Basin Emissions), which will fly multiple aircraft detection solutions in all major gas-producing basins of Colorado. These measurements will be combined with statistical modeling to produce emissions estimates for each basin that will be compared to state GHG reporting from operators. Both SABER and COBE involve significant operator participation to provide additional measurements (SABER only) and insight on causes of emissions.
  • Specialized informational studies conducted directly with industry. For example, a recent study characterized compressor emissions on production sites, assessed a measurement informed inventories at midstream facilities, and assessed leak detection and repair processes with distribution operators.

The METEC Research Group typically engages in complex field campaigns in direct cooperation with operators. Our hybrid measurement capability is especially suited to unusual or complex sources that require new method development and/or require multiple capabilities simultaneously.

METEC operates a mobile laboratory with a suite of instrumentation that can measure emissions from a variety of sources, using a variety of techniques. Emission rates of numerous species from stationary combustion sources can be quantified using customized methods and instrumentation (FTIR). A separate system measures atmospheric trace gases (CO2, CH4, C2H2, C2H6, H2O, N2O, NH3, etc.) using a variety of instruments. These measurements are coupled with supporting MET data to produce emission rates using standardized methods including OTM33, and dual tracer flux. Common LDAQ approaches including OGI and Hi-Flow sampling are also possible.

METEC researchers often coordinate multiple measurement teams on a project by developing the sampling plan and coordinating the program, rather than doing all the measurements ourselves. Recent and ongoing projects coordinated work by multiple universities and/or industrial measurement teams.

METEC, EEMDL, and MAES: A Foundational Approach to Emissions Modeling

Emissions modeling fills gaps between measurement campaigns and a full understanding of emissions. For example, if measurements were taken at a small number of facilities, emissions modeling can be used to scale those measurements spatially and temporally to an entire basin or region. Emissions modeling underlies all differentiated gas efforts, as it’s impractical to measure every step, at all times, of a differentiated gas supply chain. Robust emissions modeling includes uncertainty models for measurement methods (e.g. aircraft, continuous monitoring systems) and for scaling assumptions (spatial and temporal); this is a topic for active research.

METEC’s modeling effort is centered on Mechanistic Air Emissions Simulator (MAES) emissions model for oil and gas facilities, augmented by custom models as needed. Mechanistic modeling in MAES couples a physical understanding of fluid flows (how, when, and at what rate fluids flow through equipment) to where, how often, and how long failure modes (e.g. leaks) occur. MAES’ mechanistic modeling contrasts with traditional emission factors modeling, where each piece of equipment is assigned a set emissions factors that do not scale with fluid flows or change with equipment state or interconnections. MAES simulates a wide-variety of gas species in addition to CH4, and simulates how gas composition varies across facilities—something traditional models do not include.

Current modeling uses prototypical sites—example facilities developed in conjunction with operators—to simplify modeling.

MAES is available as a service for groups interested in a more realistic and flexible emissions modeling approach than emission factors modeling. Please contact Jerry Duggan ([email protected]).

Emissions modeling takes … well … a village. With that in mind, the METEC group is part of the Energy Emissions Modeling and Data Lab (EEMDL), and industry-funded consortium including the University of Texas at Austin, CSU, and Colorado School of Mines. EEMDL’s mission is to provide reliable, science-based, transparent, and measurement-based greenhouse gas emissions assessments of global oil and gas supply chains. The group is using three key approaches: developing community models and tools for greenhouse gas emissions assessments, making publicly available timely, high-resolution emissions datasets, and creating educational and training materials to enable widespread use of EEMDL’s models and data