Evaluating Practical Detection Limits for Aerial Methane Technologies Using Large Scale Field Measurements

Mitigating methane from the oil and gas supply chain is a feasible and effective way to address global warming over the next decade. Aerial measurement campaigns have been extensively deployed to detect and quantify methane emissions from oil and gas facilities to inform and assess effectiveness of mitigation activities. While performance benchmarks of these technologies have been evaluated under controlled conditions, they have not been widely validated under field conditions. Understanding the impact of ambient conditions, such as wind, on the performance of aerial detection technologies is essential not only for assessing their ability to detect emission sources, but also for interpreting the measurements. Accurate quantification of emissions requires estimating the portion of emissions that may be missed. In this work, we present a method to determine a practical detection limit, which reflects the magnitudes of emissions that these technologies are capable of detecting under real-world operating conditions. Our results show that wind speeds have a more pronounced impact on minimum detection limits than predicted by analytical models or probability of detection curves built from controlled test results. We find that under varied field conditions, approximately 18% of emissions may not be observed, compared to what would be expected from detection limits established through controlled release experiments. A practical detection limit offers a more representative metric for evaluating performance and guiding interpretation of results from field measurement campaigns.