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Dot Earth - New York Times blog ... Two Ways Infrared Cameras Have Boosted the Case for E.P.A. Rules Cutting Methane Leaks

Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

ABOUT Dot Earth - New York Times blog Two Ways Infrared Cameras Have Boosted the Case for E.P.A. Rules Cutting Methane Leaks

I first realized the enormous value of infrared imagery in pollution detection in 2009, when I co-wrote “Curbing Emissions by Sealing Gas Leaks” with Clifford Krauss. In the related Dot Earth post, I included some remarkable video shot for the Environmental Protection Agency showing the difference between looking at an oil or gas facility with a standard camera and one tuned to the infrared wavelengths absorbed by gases like methane — the main constituent of natural gas:

Now it’s becoming clear that this simple and affordable technology has played a two-pronged role in helping the Environmental Protection Agency, in the face of perpetual industry resistance, move toward clamping down on leaks of methane and other compounds from oil and gas wells, tanks and other facilities.

First, the cameras have made leak detection and repair work far more affordable, helping create what a report for the Environmental Defense Fund recently described as a “new and rapidly emerging methane mitigation industry.” It’s an industry because, unlike other pollutants and greenhouse gases, methane is a valuable commodity if kept in a pipeline.

There are other technologies, like laser systems. But infrared video has played a second special role, starkly revealing plumes of gases that are otherwise invisible, have made public leak patrols possible and built pressure on politicians and regulators at local and national level.

The Obama administration has been inching toward the release of “guidance” on methane. Last month, Gina McCarthy, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, told Politico’s Michael Grunwald that a mix of mandatory and voluntary approaches is nigh:

[M]ethane doesn’t need to be an emission or a waste. It is a product, and there are some tremendous cost-effective opportunities for us to recapture that and get it into the system for sale. We need to get at that issue, so we’re going to be putting out a methane strategy across the administration…. You will see both regulatory actions, as well as some significant opportunities for voluntary action.”

The oil and gas industry has been contending that leaks are a tiny percentage of United States greenhouse gas emissions and are already being sharply cut even with rising production of gas and oil (see Oil & Gas Journal for more).

My reporting since 2009 has convinced me that federal rules are justified, given scant evidence that best practices, which are out there, are being aggressively spread by the industry on its own.

After I wrote about the need for methane rules in December, I was contacted by Jonathan Banks of Clean Air Task Force, an environmental organization that has been using infrared videos to help make the case for pollution rules. Here’s his “Your Dot” contribution:

Making the Invisible Visible

By Jonathan Banks

When most people think of infrared imagery they think of night vision goggles they see in the movies — detecting a bad guy running through the woods — or cameras that detect heat and cold.

But a specially type of infrared photography has created a breakthrough in efforts to cut pollution from the expanding oil and gas industry, resulting in reduced greenhouse gas emissions, less local air pollution and less wasted natural gas.

Infrared cameras are now being deployed that can make invisible leaks of natural gas visible. Take a look at the storage tanks in the two pictures below. The first is with a regular camera, or the naked eye, the second is utilizing a FLIR GF 300 infrared camera (FLIR is the manufacturer). The plumes of what appear to be smoke coming out of the top of the tanks are actually invisible gases: methane and other hydrocarbon pollutants.

Photo

Petroleum storage tanks look unremarkable with a conventional camera, but air pollution is visible with an infrared device. Petroleum storage tanks look unremarkable with a conventional camera, but air pollution is visible with an infrared device.Credit Clean Air Task Force

Methane and other pollutants, like benzene and toluene, that are released from oil and gas operations absorb infrared radiation at certain wavelengths on the electromagnetic spectrum. For use in oil and natural gas operations, the camera is specifically designed and calibrated to “see” those wavelengths.

Companies and government inspectors have typically employed devices that “sniff” methane leaks directly from places most likely to leak when held up against those places. These devices can produce accurate readings of the concentrations of various gases, but the process is time consuming and each piece of equipment must be inspected individually. In contrast, infrared cameras allow inspectors to detect leaking gas in real time — rapidly inspecting entire components and facilities, not just the most likely culprits.

The emergence of the camera technology has reduced cost and time associated with leak detection and repair programs and is leading to significant reductions in emissions and wasted natural gas with very little cost. In a recent study, the Clean Air Task Force estimated that finding and fixing leaks could reduce methane emissions by around 1.7 million metric tons per year, cutting leaks by at least 60 to 80 percent.

The costs of such surveys is very reasonable for two reasons: the cost of inspecting facilities is low with these cameras and, once leaks are found, the cost of repairing the leaks is largely (often entirely) paid for by the value of the gas conserved by fixing the leaks. Multiple sources report that survey costs are low. A recent study by the energy consultancy firm Carbon Limits found that it cost $400 to $1,200 to have an external firm detect and repair leaks at a well facility, depending on the facility’s size. Likewise, several studies have shown that repair costs are almost – or even entirely – paid for by the value of the gas conserved by the repairs. The Carbon Limits study, which analyzed records from over 4,000 surveys of oil and gas facilities, reported that 97 percent of the volume of leaks comes from leaks which are economic to repair — i.e., the revenues from the additional gas are greater than the cost of the repair.

The infrared camera, though, is doing more than just cutting emission and reducing costs; it’s changing the attitudes of the public and policy makers about the need to reduce emissions from the oil and gas sector. For communities living on the front lines of oil and gas development, these cameras have become a valuable tool to help convey the serious local impacts of air pollution from this industry. A recent video by Earthworks paired infrared footage with resident interviews, and calls on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to set national standards to curb this dangerous air pollution.

The camera is putting power into local residents’ hands, enabling them to see the leaks near their own homes and around their communities, and share the information with others. Another recent video by Clean Air Task Force is aimed at policy makers, and highlights the industry’s release of 9 million tons of invisible pollutants every year, including footage of methane and volatile organic compounds shown escaping from a hydrocarbon storage tank.

(More infrared videos of methane leaks are available here.)

The footage of the waste and pollution could already be having an impact on policy makers and the public. A recent poll by the American Lung Association found that 67 percent of voters want the E.P.A. to establish standards for methane emissions from oil and gas operations. The E.P.A. promised an announcement before the end of the year.

Time is up. Keep the pressure on.

Update, 3:55 p.m.| For more, make sure to read John Schwartz’s excellent recent overview of issues and opportunities related to leaking methane, which noted, among other things, how Colorado state regulations now require use of infrared imaging.

Andrew C. Revkin on Sustainability By 2050 or so, the human population is expected to pass nine billion. Those billions will be seeking food, water and other resources on a planet where humans are already shaping climate and the web of life. In Dot Earth, which moved from the news side of The Times to the Opinion section in 2010, Andrew C. Revkin examines efforts to balance human affairs with the planet’s limits. A Times reporter for 14 years, Revkin is the Senior Fellow for Environmental Understanding at Pace University's Pace Academy for Applied Environmental Studies. Conceived in part with support from a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, Dot Earth tracks relevant developments from suburbia to Siberia. Click for a narrated slide show on the roots of Revkin's journalistic journey.

Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Operations Home Videos Playlists Channels Discussion About All activities

Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Operations uploaded a video 1 month ago 1:17 #cutmethane by Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Operations 1 month ago1,068 views The Environmental Protection Agency needs to set strong public health and environemental protections that cut methane pollution from oil and gas operations, from the well pad to distribution. This...

Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Operations uploaded a video 8 months ago 2:10 Natural gas emissions at Black Hawk Central Facility in Eagle Ford Shale by Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Operations 8 months ago197 views Here we see an arial inspection using the IR camera to identify leaks and venting emissions from a large natural gas facility.

Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Operations uploaded a video 8 months ago 1:11 ETC Godley Gas Plant Unlit Flare by Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Operations 8 months ago59 views Here again we see an unlit flare. To the naked eye it appears there are no emissions. However, with the IR camera you can see the emissions venting from the flare. Flares are designed to destroy...

Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Operations uploaded a video 8 months ago 1:16 Crosstex Energy Blue Mound Compressor Station Tank Vent by Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Operations 8 months ago70 views This video shows emissions venting from a tank. This video is from an official Texas Commission on Environmental Quality investigation.

Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Operations uploaded a video 8 months ago 1:07 Devon Energy SH Griffin Estate Well 4 Controller Box by Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Operations 8 months ago111 views This video shows fugitive emissions coming off the controller box for a well in Texas. Here again, there is both a regular camera view where we see nothing, followed by the IR camera view which sh...

Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Operations uploaded a video 8 months ago 1:31 Crosstex Energy Services Justin/Devon Plant Unlit Flare by Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Operations 8 months ago45 views This video shows an unlit flare with a regular camera view then with the IR camera. This is from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality inspection.

Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Operations uploaded a video 9 months ago 0:21 GasSTAR Valve Emissions by Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Operations 9 months ago80 views This FLIR IR camera video shows fugitive methane emissions from leaking valves.

Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Operations uploaded a video 9 months ago 0:35 GasSTAR Centrifugal Compressor Wet Seal Vent by Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Operations 9 months ago149 views In this video the FLIR IR camera is used to detect emissions from a centrifugal compressor's wet seal vent.

Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Operations uploaded a video 9 months ago 2:04 GasSTAR Condensate Storage Tank Emissions by Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Operations 9 months ago111 views This short video from the GasSTAR program shows FLIR IR video footage of methane emissions from a condensate tank.