Rapid Detection of Super-Emitters Utilizing an IoT-Enabled Continuous Methane Emissions Monitoring System

Abstract

Large methane emissions occur from a wide variety of sites with no discernable patterns thus requiring methodologies to frequently monitor for these releases throughout the entire production chain. To cost-effectively monitor widely dispersed well pads, we describe a continuous monitoring system based on the Internet of Things (IoT) to leverage cost-optimized methane concentration sensors permanently deployed at facilities and connected to a cloud-based interpretation platform. Testing at controlled methane release facilities enabled the validation of the sensor performance; fidelity of the atmospheric dispersion modeling underlying our interpretation; and the overall system performance in detecting, localizing, and quantifying methane releases.