SLB’s End-to-end Emissions Solutions (SEES) business has introduced its next generation methane point instrument, a self-installed continuous methane monitoring system that uses IoT-enabled sensors to quickly and cost effectively detect, locate and quantify emissions across oil and gas operations.
The methane point instrument provides operators with industry-leading leak detection sensitivity in a small, durable, first-of-its kind ‘plug-and-play’ solution. The technology automates continuous methane monitoring, eliminating the need for manual data collection during typical intermittent site visits, which only offers producers a small sample of their emissions.
Light and portable, the compact device contains an integrated solar panel, wind measurement and methane sensor. The instrument can be self-installed in minutes, mounted on existing infrastructure and deployed at virtually zero cost, much like a self-installed home security camera. It enables operators to more economically scale up and quickly roll out continuous methane monitoring across their facilities, says SLB.
The methane point instrument supports the reporting requirements of the Oil & Gas Methane Partnership 2.0, or OGMP, the flagship reporting and mitigation program of the United Nations Environment Programme. It also supports related reporting requirements in the EU and is aligned to satisfy the proposed US EPA rules for methane monitoring at active onshore US production facilities.
“Designed for ‘always on’, accurate measurement and fast, affordable deployment at any scale, our next generation point instrument widens the accessibility to continuous methane monitoring for the industry, providing producers with a practical pathway to achieve a more complete picture of their emissions profile,” said Kahina Abdeli-Galinier, emissions business director, SLB. “Having this level of insight, with a new level of deployability, is becoming increasingly important for producers as pressure mounts from regulators and the public across the globe to address the near-term warming effects of climate change caused by methane.”