Advanced gas detection technology will be instrumental to getting methane back on track

Rising methane levels risk turning back the clock on the environment. According to data published by the Global Carbon Project in its Global Methane Budget 2024, methane concentrations in the atmosphere are at the highest point on record for at least 800,000 years.[1]

Despite the efforts being made to bring emissions under control, anthropogenic methane emissions have increased by a fifth over the last 20 years, and now stand at an atmospheric concentration of 1,923 parts per billion. This is 2.6 times higher than levels from before the Industrial Revolution, and according to the researchers is incompatible with international targets to limit climate change. With human activity accounting for around two thirds of all emissions, the biggest contributors – including oil and gas operators – have a duty to act now.
Urgent measures are required to bring methane levels back under control, and nowhere is this need both more pressing and achievable than in the energy sector. The advances being made in infrared gas detection technology mean it is easier than ever for oil and gas operators to start reducing their contributions to the global climate crisis. All they need is the impetus to act.
 

Rising pressure

Methane is one of the most potent greenhouse gases known to man. In the first 20 years after it is released, methane has more than 80 times the heat trapping potential of carbon dioxide, and levels are rising faster in relative terms than any other significant greenhouse gas. However, its comparatively short atmospheric lifespan means that preventing further emissions now will have an outsized impact on future climate change.
The Global Methane Pledge, signed by more than 150 countries, aims to achieve a 30% reduction in methane levels over the next six years. However, the stark figures contained in the Global Methane Budget 2024 show that this target now appears a distant prospect. Researchers found little evidence that progress is being made to address methane emissions, and in some regions, atmospheric concentrations have even increased.
 A particularly large rise has been recorded in the last five years, meaning methane is now the second largest human-made contributor to global warming. Failure to act now could lead to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate’s most pessimistic predictions being realised, including a global temperature rise of more than 3°C by the end of the century.[2]
 

The fossil fuel sector

After agriculture, fossil fuel production is the largest contributor to global methane emissions, representing more than a third (34%) of all anthropogenic figures. This sector also has some of the greatest potential to act, with the Global Carbon Project singling it out with recommended strategies for reducing emissions. In many cases, such action could be implemented today at no net cost to businesses by selling captured gas that would otherwise be wasted.[3]
There are currently no technologies capable of taking methane directly out of the atmosphere. Instead, businesses seeking to stop it must focus on preventing further emissions at the source, and in the oil and gas industry, this will mean preventing leaks and minimising flaring and venting activity.
However, achieving this will be easier said than done. The energy sector finds itself facing a significant barrier to action – the quality and availability of its data. Without accurate, up-to-date information on emissions sources, identifying leaks across the vast infrastructure that most businesses operate is almost impossible.
The issue of data on methane emissions from oil and gas operations is a long-acknowledged problem in the industry. For years, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has highlighted discrepancies between official estimates of methane concentrations, and figures supplied by businesses involved.[4] This difference can sometimes be as large as 95%.
Access to robust, verified data on methane is essential to taking decisive action. Not only does data inform reduction targets, baselines, and ongoing progress tracking, it enables companies to better plan their maintenance programmes to prevent future leaks. Leveraging data analytics powered by connected senses and AI algorithms supports businesses in scheduling risk assessments, identify hazards, and provide staff with appropriate training.
The solution to this problem will be found in the world of the infrared.
 

Infrared gas detection technology

Turning a corner on methane emissions means the high degree of uncertainty regarding current data supplied by businesses must be overcome. In practical terms, this will require investment in advanced gas detection technologies.
Laser absorption spectroscopy (LAS) is one of several promising technologies emerging in the field of gas detection and analysis. Based on the way that light is absorbed by particular gases, such sensors can tap into the world beyond human senses with sensitivity ranging in the order of parts per billion.
Many gases strongly absorb infrared light, meaning they are easy to detect in this wavelength. As a result, LAS sensors are designed to monitor how much infrared light is absorbed by a gas sample as it passes through a medium. These devices pass a laser though a sampling chamber containing an advanced filter that blocks all but those wavelengths being absorbed by the target gas from passing through to a detector. This detector records reductions in intensity and enables precise measurement of the concentration of gas present.
This technique offers rapid responses, enabling precise measurements and notification in real time. It is less affected by environmental conditions or the presence of other gases than alternative technologies and can be used to detect multiple gases or particles by changing the filter. Deployed in concert as a fixed network and an array of portable detectors, this technology could help operators to rapidly identify leaking infrastructure to facilitate immediate action. Its high degree of accuracy.
 

Sensing a brighter future on methane

The power provided by LAS sensors means today’s fossil fuel operators have access to a gas detection system for every conceivable scenario. Deploying this equipment at local and national levels will provide a better understanding of where leaks are occurring as well as the collective understanding of methane emissions. In combination with satellite imaging, LAS provides a powerful weapon in the fight climate change.
Advances in filter and coating design mean this sensing technology is only becoming more powerful over time. Custom-designed precision optical filters such as the ones created by Umicore Coating Services are improving the precision and affordability of gas detection equipment. With the growing importance of high-performance gas sensors in addressing methane emissions, this technology has the potential to prove revolutionary for the oil and gas industry’s climate actions.
 

References

[1] Global Carbon Project (2024), Global Methane Budget 2024
2 IPCC (2018), Special report on global warming of 1.5°C
3 IEA (2023), Methane abatement
4 IEA (2024), Global methane tracker 2024: Methane abatement