A Shift in the Energy Landscape
As Europe and others are making a shift towards cleaner energy, hydrogen is quickly emerging as a viable alternative to natural gas. Hydrogen’s potential to decarbonize heavy industries like steel manufacturing, cement production, and power generation makes it an essential part of the region’s sustainability strategy.
National Gas, a key player in this energy transformation in the United Kingdom, is leading the way with their innovative FutureGrid project, aimed at blending hydrogen into existing natural gas infrastructure. This ambitious project represents a critical step towards a hydrogen-inclusive future. NevadaNano is supporting National Gas by providing continuous real-time emissions monitoring and alerting with EmissionsTrack™, ensuring that hydrogen integration is not only safe but also efficient and emission-free.
The FutureGrid project marks NevadaNano’s second collaboration with National Gas (read the FutureGrid case study). The first was focused on methane emissions monitoring at National Gas’ Bacton facility (read the Bacton case study), providing an important foundation for the FutureGrid initiative.
The Importance of Real-Time Emissions Monitoring
As hydrogen is introduced into the natural gas mix, accurate and continuous emissions monitoring becomes essential for understanding how hydrogen behaves in the existing infrastructure. Traditional methods of emissions monitoring have typically been limited to periodic surveys, which often miss real-time leaks and can incur costly delays. EmissionsTrack™ addresses this gap by offering automated continuous monitoring that provides instant data on emissions levels, allowing immediate action to mitigate risks.
The Challenge of Hydrogen Emissions Monitoring
Hydrogen (H2) is a fundamentally different molecule from methane (CH4), which creates distinct challenges in the development of blended gas systems. H2 is a smaller, lighter, whereas methane is a larger, more complex molecule. This molecular difference affects their physical and chemical properties. For example, hydrogen is highly diffusible and can escape through smaller openings than methane. Additionally, hydrogen’s lack of a dipole moment means it does not interact with infrared (IR) light in the same way methane does. As a result, traditional emissions detection methods, such as IR laser spectroscopy, which work well for methane, are ineffective for detecting hydrogen.
EmissionsTrack™ not only detects hydrogen but also enhances this capability by providing real-time alerts on the quantification and localization of hydrogen leaks, enabling immediate action to mitigate potential risks.
What is Quantification?
Quantification goes beyond just detecting emissions—it involves calculating the exact volume of gases being released into the atmosphere. This process is typically expressed in units like kilograms, metric tons, or cubic meters. With accurate quantification, companies can make data-driven decisions on emissions reduction, helping them meet regulatory compliance and minimize environmental impact.
How EmissionsTrack™ Solves the Challenges of Multi-Gas Quantification
One of the most significant challenges in emissions monitoring is reporting on multi-gas leaks. Leaks from oil and gas facilities often consist of a mixture of gases like methane and hydrogen, each which behave differently in terms of leak rates, dispersion, and impact. The emissions monitoring system must understand the gas blend in the leaking asset and calculate the differences in leak rates of the individual gases to accurately quantify the leak.
EmissionsTrack™ utilizes the MPS™ sensor technology, which includes a unique Gas Classification feature that continuously analyzes the molecular weights and densities of gas molecules that interact with it, enabling precise identification and reporting of specific gases. Additionally, the system’s Leak Source Isolation algorithms combine gas readings from the endpoint devices with wind speed and wind direction data to calculate the location and size of the emission using a technique called Inverse Plume Modeling. In this technique, mathematical algorithms track the gas readings from the endpoints back to the source using the wind vector. These system features enable precise identification, quantification and localization of each gas in an emission event, providing operators with the data they need to prioritize repairs.
“The problem of effectively monitoring all of the time continues to challenge the limits of emissions technology – many solutions offer it, but not all deliver on the right scale or with the right accuracy, security, or accessibility. In particular, few, if any, solutions offer continuous monitoring and reporting for the H2 emissions that will be required as National Gas begins to blend this species with CH4. The MethaneTrack and EmissionsTrack software represents an attempt to better understand the emissions being generated across a site, to better inform repair operations and to prioritise them on a condition-based basis rather than a purely time-based arrangement. Where significant emissions occur, rather than waiting until the next survey to detect them (and incurring the loss of product and potential financial penalties of doing so), the emissions are reported in real time and can be prioritised into the ongoing site works.”
Doug Millington-Smith, Operational Innovation Lead for Measurement and Automation, National Gas
WHITEPAPER
The Future of Hydrogen: Safe, Efficient, & Emission-free
Explores the key opportunities and challenges surrounding hydrogen as a fuel source, with a focus on safety and efficiency
EmissionsTrack™ Features and Benefits
Endpoint Features
EmissionsTrack™’s endpoint continuous monitoring devices are designed for maximum precision with low-maintenance, quick installation features, making it ideal for remote oil and gas locations.
- Certified Intrinsically Safe for use in hazardous environments (Class 1, Div. 1 and Zone 0 certified and global safety certifications such as FM, CSA, IECEx, ATEX, and IP65+.), the endpoints can be placed close to the emission source, providing the most accurate measurements of emission location and emission rates.
- No field calibration
Immunity to saturation and poisoning and no field calibration eliminates the prohibitive cost of quarterly calibration trips & sensor replacements. - Highly accurate detection powered by The MPS™
Detection range from 50 to 1M ppm with built-in environmental compensation for temperature, relative humidity, and pressure for near-zero false positives. - Very wide operating range & self-testing capability
-40°C to 75°C operating range with up to 100% relative humidity. Built-In Self-Test (BIST) capability continuously evaluates the system to ensure it is operating to specification. - 5-year battery life and 15-year sensor life
No wiring and long battery and sensor life reduces the need for frequent on-site visits and ensures uninterrupted monitoring.
EmissionsTrack™ SaaS Dashboard, Analytics, Alerts, and Reporting
Simplified Emissions Monitoring
The EmissionsTrack™ SaaS dashboard allows operators to monitor emissions at various levels—enterprise, site, and asset levels. Visualize the location and size of emissions, enabling quick identification and prioritization of issues.
Real-Time Alerts and Notifications
Automated alerts notify the appropriate personnel when emissions exceed threshold limits. This ensures that actions can be taken immediately, reducing the risk of regulatory non-compliance or environmental damage.Efficient Emission Classification
EmissionsTrack™ distinguishes between operational emissions (normal operations) and fugitive emissions (leaks or anomalies), providing clear insights into where repairs are most urgently needed.Simplified Regulatory Compliance
EmissionsTrack™ simplifies compliance with regulations like OGMP, EPA regulations, and Fit for 55 by automatically tabulating emissions and generating customizable reports. Historical emissions data is stored, enabling easy validation of compliance and performance across sites, regions, and countries.
Conclusion
EmissionsTrack™ is setting a new standard for emissions monitoring, especially in the rapidly evolving hydrogen sector. By leveraging real-time and historical data with accurate emissions quantification and localization, EmissionsTrack™ helps companies better understand their emissions across a site, region, basin and enterprise, prioritize repairs and meet regulatory compliance while supporting their journey towards a more sustainable, emission-free future.
Explore how EmissionsTrack™ can streamline your emissions management process and accelerate your sustainability goals. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you monitor, detect, and reduce emissions in real-time.