Events

This event showcased research and measurement data on methane emissions, which contribute to policy development and strategies for reducing emissions. By sharing new information across various sectors, the goal is to accelerate emissions reductions. Supported by the Government of Canada's Methane Centre of Excellence, the symposium gathered top research programs from universities, government laboratories, and the private sector. Process Ecology has been working with ECCC on methane reductions in the oil and gas sector, and we are proud to have been invited to share our success story using TEAM to develop a roadmap for achieving Net Zero in Canada.

Alberto Alva-Argaez, Managing Partner, presented on "Techno-Economic Analysis of Methane Mitigation Pathways for the Upstream Oil & Gas Sector in Canada." Our involvement underscored our commitment to advancing Canada’s National Methane Strategy.

Event Overview

Event: 2024 CanCH4 Symposium
Theme: Methane by the Numbers
Date: May 13th to 15th
Location: Carleton University, Ottawa.
Host: Government of Canada's Methane Centre of Excellence

Key Highlights

• One of the main topics discussed was the top-down, bottom-up reconciliation and the creation of measurement informed inventories.

• ECCC included data from measurements provided by Carleton (first jurisdiction ever to do this) in their latest National Inventory (NIR submitted to IPCC).

• There has been a consensus that top-down measurements are “better” than bottom-up measurements due to the interpretation that top down is measured while bottom up is estimated. The reality is that both are estimates.

• Carleton is working on a 2023 update - 15k facilities with Bridger.

• In Saskatchewan, they found a lot of venting from CHOPS from wellheads, sheds, and tank-combustors. They also detected a large portion of venting directly from separators but was unclear why.

• BC has been more proactive and electrified 1/4th of all compressors. Methane slip was also addressed with catalytic converters by Waukesha. Flares were also consistently detected, but this is an easy fix.

• Modern West study on tanks- identified many single well batteries with no separators at about 1,200 sites. Also reported how tanks with separators display a highly intermittent pattern which can be problematic for VRUs. Tanks without separators would not have this problem as vent flows remain steady.

• Colorado researcher Arvind Ravikumar proposes the need for operational data to supplement top-down measurements, this would add necessary information for emissions event frequency and duration required for root cause analysis.

• Dan Zimmerle, also very active in Colorado, referred to maintenance events by operators during flights and that aircraft attribution to sources can be misleading. Plumes can be detected far from point source (free floating plumes) and this was likely due to blowdowns. Top down is getting very good at detection; however, quantification is difficult.

• Underground leaks are very challenging to quantify (transmission and distribution).

• Telops is another sensing company that has a different approach in their use of hyperspectral cameras - they can measure temperature of the plume vs background temperature and can work with no sunlight. Cloud coverage does not pose any problems.

• Bridger continues to improve their system and they are reporting that companies are achieving 33% methane reduction via aerial surveys and repairs.

• GHG Sat focuses on super emitters and is able to detect 100kg/h releases. Coverage is great with satellites and machine learning is used for image recognition and detections with photographs of the sites.

• METEC testing site in Colorado - detection is getting much better, but quantification still needs work. Wind affects the detection on fixed sensors.

• Overall, an interesting trend to recognize that top-down measurements are not "the solution" and that process data is key. It appears that actual leaks may be small relative to "process upsets".

The symposium offered valuable insights into the various projects and trends in methane reduction efforts to date. Sharing this data is essential for advancing emissions mitigation and enables collaboration between industry and government. Transparency in data and projects fosters a more cooperative approach to reducing emissions. We are proud to be involved in this movement and are committed to remaining an active participant in this ongoing conversation.

This report summarizes our participation and key takeaways from the Symposium on Methane Emissions Reduction, highlighting Process Ecology's dedication to advancing methane reduction technologies and collaborating towards sustainable environmental practices.