NevadaNano Collaborates with National Gas to Implement MethaneTrack™ at Bacton Gas Terminal for Enhanced Methane Emissions Monitoring
The UK’s gas transmission network aims to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, in line with the national target for the entire economy. To reach this goal, National Gas Transmission plans to focus on several key strategies:
Decarbonizing the gas supply is a priority, involving an increase in the use of low-carbon gases such as hydrogen and biomethane. Upgrading infrastructure and implementing new technologies to improve leak detection, mitigation, and reduce emissions are all crucial in reducing the environmental impact.
As part of the measures to reduce the carbon footprint of the gas transmission network and to support the UK’s broader net zero objectives, NevadaNano collaborated with National Gas to explore use of a novel emissions detection and reporting technology, MethaneTrack™, for use at the Bacton Gas Terminal.
What is the Bacton Gas Terminal?
The Bacton Gas Terminal, located on the coast of Norfolk, England, is a crucial hub in the UK’s gas supply infrastructure. Owned and operated by multiple companies, Bacton Gas Terminal includes facilities managed by Shell, Perenco, and National Gas Transmission.
Bacton receives natural gas from offshore fields in the North Sea through pipelines, the gas is then processed to remove impurities and ensure it meets quality standards before being sent to the National Transmission System (NTS). Additionally, Bacton plays a role in international gas trade, with interconnectors linking the UK to continental Europe for gas import and export.
Key Carbon Footprint Reduction Strategies at Bacton
National Gas Transmission Bacton team are committed to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, using variety of strategies, including:
- Efforts to reduce methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas, through advanced leak detection technologies ensuring rapid repair.
- Comprehensive leak detection and repair (LDAR) programs are in place, utilizing cutting-edge technology to swiftly identify and fix leaks.
- Investing in infrastructure upgrades, including replacing old pipelines and components with more durable materials, enhances resilience and reduces leaks.
- Enhanced monitoring systems provide real-time data on emissions, supporting prompt issue resolution and ensuring transparency and regulatory compliance.
So how can MethaneTrack™ help?
MethaneTrack™ is an Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) system that enables companies to cost-effectively meet their emission reduction goals by accurately locating and quantifying methane emissions. MethaneTrack™ automates the emissions detection, quantification, and reporting process with high security, cloud-based software.
MethaneTrack™ utilizes Close-Proximity Continuous Monitoring™, a breakthrough approach that allows detection and elimination of fugitive and operational emissions. This makes MethaneTrack™ highly cost effective for oil and gas operators:
- Automated 24/7/365 leak detection for rapid detection of emissions.
- Reliable low-cost electronics for optimal Return-On-Investment.
- Rapid installation on existing infrastructure – no disruption of production or expensive infrastructure projects.
- Automated data analysis pushes alerts to the repair team, enabling rapid repairs to minimize emissions.
- Comprehensive emissions reports save time and money by automating the emissions tracking process.
MethaneTrack™ Hardware
MethaneTrack™ consists of an array of compact, battery-powered sensor modules called “endpoints” that measure the methane concentrations across the site and send encrypted data to an on-site gateway that transmits the data to the cloud for analysis. The endpoints use the industry standard, low power LoRa (Long Range) radios for reliable communication in the field. A LoRa enabled anemometer is also part of the MethaneTrack™ system, supplying wind data that allows the system to calculate and display the location and size of the methane leak. Both the endpoint and anemometer run on battery power enabling rapid, low-cost installation and long life. The gateway transmits encrypted data to the cloud via cellular, satellite, Wi-Fi or ethernet connections.
MethaneTrack™ Software
The MethaneTrack™ system includes time saving cloud software that automatically analyzes the data from the field to enable leak repair and emissions tracking. The software features:
- High security software prioritizing robust encryption, multi-factor authentication, and stringent access controls to ensure the protection of sensitive data.
- Automated leak analysis using “Close-Proximity, Continuous Monitoring™” and Leak Source Isolation™ algorithms to determine the location and size of leaks.
- User customizable alert settings to notify company personnel of emissions.
- Automatic calculations of emissions volume for individual leaks as well as total emission volumes for individual sites, regions, countries, and the enterprise.
- Features to separately track fugitive and operational emissions to improve understanding of emission types and aid operational improvements.
- Data output features to enable integration with existing enterprise tools.
- User configurable reports enabling the system to integrate with existing processes and procedures.
The secret in all of this is NevadaNano’s proprietary cloud-based technology called Leak Source Isolation™ (LSI™) which assembles, integrates and arbitrates the time-series sensor readings and anemometer data coming from the field and calculate the location and size of the emission. The user interface displays the results, and the software transmits alerts per user specified settings.
MethaneTrack™ at Bacton
A successful deployment of NevadaNano’s MethaneTrack™ system at Bacton facility in Q3 2023, marked a significant advancement in methane monitoring technology for National Gas.
The goals of the demonstration were straightforward, MethaneTrack™ was required to detect, locate, and determine the size of leaks occurring at the Bacton Gas Terminal. Additionally, each detected leak would include start and stop times and be visualized in an easy-to-read manner that could allow Bacton engineers to investigate the causes of the leak and, if possible, address the cause and fix the leak.
With such a large site, 155 endpoints were installed to monitor 7 key leak areas, with 2 anemometers, all connected to 2 LoRa gateways, for seamless data integration and cloud connectivity. Due to the battery enabled endpoints, installation of 155 endpoints was in just 3 days, and required no additional wiring or affected any operational teams on site.
Independent Verifications of MethaneTrack Performance
Bacton engineers and operators were able to verify several LSI™ Leak Events using other detection methods, and round-trip LSI™ events by:
- MethaneTrack™ detected, located, and quantified emissions, an LSI™ event
- Site engineers selected an LSI™ leak events for verification.
- Site engineers went to the calculated leak location and assessed the area for known fugitive emissions and/or processes that could cause operational emissions.
- Results were summarized and shared.
Once commissioned in October 2023, MethaneTrack™ began detecting emissions and generating LSI™ events with leak rates between 0.1 – 0.2 kg/hr and all had short durations (<6 hours).
The site team were able to perform site verifications, started with 7 LSI™ Leak Events reported near Feeder 7 from late October to early November 2023
Observations from the on-the-ground verification:
- Three small persistent leaks from valve stabbings were identified.
- Locations indicated with red x’s on the lower figure.
- Qualitative leak rate information provided by aspirating gas monitor.
- One leak produced no readings, but could be heard audibly.
- Two of leaks produced 12% LEL and 23% LEL readings when the gas meter was 50 mm from the source.
Verification demonstrates that MethaneTrack™ leak location and rates agree closely with the ground-truth:
- 5 of 7 locations within the 5m design target.
- Leak rates qualitatively verified.
Summary MethaneTrack™ deployment at Bacton
During the 6-month deployment at the Bacton Terminal, NevadaNano’s MethaneTrack™ system has detected a total of 161 leak events ranging from less than 1 scfh (0.03 kg/hr) up to 9.1k scfh (231 kg/hr). Total emissions from the monitored portions of the site were 9,990 kg during this period.
The 161 leaks that were detected were those normally present at the site, ranging from seals beginning to leak, operational venting and recompression, and fugitive emissions. On-the-ground investigations performed by site engineers confirmed that the MethaneTrack™ location was typically within 5 m of known leak locations.
These round-trip verifications provided anecdotal evidence that MethaneTrack’s™ probability of detection at Bacton increases substantially for leaks greater than 0.2L/min (of 0.4 scfh). MethaneTrack™ has been able to consistently detect persistent emissions greater than 1.0 L/min and occasionally detect leaks as small as 0.2L/min.
National Gas Transmission & NevadaNanos thoughts
Alistair Carvell – Hydrogen Innovation Engineer at National Gas Transmission, said ‘the methane aspect of the project was a great success – we have shown that the system can be deployed with relative ease across our AGI sites, which will ultimately enable significant reductions in methane emissions from the network. Additionally, the live field work to test the system’s hydrogen capabilities is a truly innovative first step towards the safe operation of a hydrogen network – ensuring we can minimize emissions from future hydrogen sites. More work is needed across the industry in the hydrogen detection space, and we are proud to work with Nevada Nano to develop their promising technology’.
Gary Collins – VP of Sales & Marketing from Nevada Nano, said ‘NevadaNano appreciates the partnership with NGT, and the chance to continually develop and innovate our close proximity system with hydrogen blends.’
Next steps
National Gas Transmission have extended the trials of both sensor deployments, using the Bacton install to learn more about how the system can be integrated with site operations, and the Future Grid install to develop the hydrogen and hydrogen-blend detection capabilities of the system. The collaboration will now run until the end of March 2026.