Recently, the European Union (EU) announced its long-awaited legal requirement regarding methane regulation. Unlike the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Methane Leak and Oil and Gas Emissions (LDAR) standards from late last year, this standard is much stricter and requires both the detection and quantification of methane gas. With this additional level of detail, companies can better understand the impact of their emissions and build more accurate inventories of methane emissions.
This requirement builds on the final approval that EU ministers gave to their respective governments to impose limits on methane emissions on European oil and gas imports from 2030, putting pressure on international suppliers to reduce leakage of this potent greenhouse gas.
This latest announcement puts into effect the rule, which mandates methane leak detection capabilities specifically to upstream exploration and production, including all types of wells, along with the collection, processing, transmission, distribution and underground storage of fossil gas, including liquefied natural gas terminals. These regulations also apply to operating underground and surface coal mines, as well as closed or abandoned underground coal mines.
The regulation reflects the EU's long-term commitment to reducing emissions. According to data from the EU's Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory Report, more than half of the energy sector's direct methane emissions are due to the unintentional release of emissions into the atmosphere. As such, EU authorities believe that focusing on locating and repairing methane leaks, or LDARs, can make a substantial dent in emissions towards achieving their respective climate goals.
FLIR gas detection cameras comply with the European Parliament and Council regulation on methane reduction in the energy industry.
Understanding timeframes, leak types, and metering
Now that the standard is in place, affected organizations must consider various timelines for performing different types of leak testing as part of a comprehensive LDAR program. For all overhead and underground components, excluding transmission and distribution networks, leak detection and repair studies shall be carried out in accordance with the following deadlines:
The following table shows the minimum frequencies of leak detection and repair studies for all components of transmission and distribution networks:
In the tables above, Type 1 LDAR inspections generally refer to inspections to detect and repair coarse leaks, essentially the largest leaks that have the greatest influence on the environment, and therefore generally require more frequent inspections. In contrast, LDAR Type 2 inspections are concerned with locating smaller, granular leaks, so those inspections typically have a longer frequency.
QOGI – The Most Effective Technology for Performing Type 1 LDAR Inspections
For LDAR Type 1 inspections, in particular, QOGI (Quantitative Optical Gas Imaging) offers an extremely effective and efficient method to quickly locate large leaks, defined as those of "17 grams/hour at standard temperature and pressure", as stated in Article 14 of the regulations. In contrast, Type 2 LDAR leaks are defined as 5 grams/hour at standard temperature and pressure.
To achieve effective Type 1 LDAR inspection capability, QOGI offers numerous advantages. First, inspectors will not only have to detect methane leaks, but they will also need to detect the size of such leaks and act quickly to remediate leaks of 17 grams/hour or more, as indicated above.
In addition, the standard states that inspectors must measure emissions at "each potential source of emissions," and as closely as possible, meaning inspectors cannot rely solely on aerial inspection tools. Instead, inspectors will need QOGI devices to get close enough to detect and measure the exact leak points for repair, but still remain at a safe distance. This problem is compounded by the fact that the standard requires repairs to be attempted quickly, within 5 days of detection and completed within 30 days.
According to Steve Beynon, Director of Sales for FLIR's Optical Gas Imaging vertical division, utilizing the latest OGI technology has always been at the forefront of enabling companies to meet regulatory goals.
"We have been working with all aspects of the EU for years to help the industry harness technology in mitigating methane emissions and we believe that Optical Gas Imaging has a critical role in the future of methane mitigation in the EU," said Beynon.
Tools such as the FLIR QL320 OGI companion device, as well as the built-in quantification of the latest FLIR G-Series cameras, provide effective methods to comply with the latest EU regulations on methane leak detection and mitigation. These highly advanced solutions allow operators to quantify emissions from a safe distance through advanced analytics that leverage FLIR's OGI camera technology.
Images using FLIR's Gx320 in-camera quantification feature (L: Methane emission measured in grams/hour; A: Large emission measured in concentration – PPM-M).
However, the use of these tools requires some technological knowledge, understanding of the application, and training on the science of OGI and the use of the cameras. This regulation requires LDAR operators to be trained. There are other considerations to take into account when purchasing the most effective tool for the job.
Organizations interested in learning more about how to leverage FLIR's QOGI tools to comply with EU regulations can visit the Infrared Training Center (ITC): Contact Us for more information.
To learn more about how QOGI works, visit https://www.apliter.com/blog/qogi-en-la-industria/.
APLITER Gas Inspection Service
Apliter, in addition to selling this type of cameras for the detection of biogas and other gases, we also carry out inspections with specific cameras for different gases and a qualified operator for this type of work in hazardous environments, capable of finding the source of gas leaks in petrochemical and industrial plants. Learn more about this gas leak inspection service.
