Storage tanks are a complicated source of methane emissions. Despite reports using the emission factor approach suggesting that tanks are among the least significant sources of methane emissions, direct measurements indicate they are among the most significant. GTI’s Storage Tank Emissions Assessment and Quantification project, funded by the DOE, is focused on clarifying the nature of methane emissions from storage tank batteries through enhanced physical surveys and independent measurements. The objective of the project is to understand the causes, frequencies, and rates of tank emissions, including their variations across different basins, meteorological conditions, production types, and facility ages.
To achieve its objective, GTI required a tool capable of accurately and consistently measuring these emissions across a diverse range of conditions. GTI identified the methane lidar (laser imaging, detection, and ranging) camera from SEES as one of the technologies to measure methane emissions from tanks. This camera was selected because of its advanced technology and exceptional performance in measuring methane emissions, as evidenced and validated by third-party tests conducted by the Methane Emissions Technology Evaluation Center (METEC) at Colorado State University. The camera is a continuous methane monitor, which employs laser imaging, detection, and ranging technology to create a picture of the methane plume, unambiguously identifying the emission source and quantifying the emission rate.
METEC’s tests—detailed in a study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology—demonstrated the SEES methane lidar camera technology’s superior detection and quantification of methane emissions from tanks. During METEC’s Advancing Development of Emissions Detection (ADED) study in 2023, blind testing evaluated the performance of multiple technologies to detect and quantify emissions from a variety of sources, including tanks. Analyzing these results, particularly for controlled releases from tanks, identified the SEES methane lidar camera as an ideal tool for GTI's comprehensive emissions assessment and quantification project.
The findings from this project are expected to offer significant advancements in the precision of methane emission quantification from oil and gas storage tanks. The results will contribute to more effective guidance on enhancing the efficacy of tank monitoring and control systems, ultimately leading to the development of more effective strategies for mitigating methane emissions.
