The methane intensity of liquefied natural gas (LNG) is of increasing interest to importers in Asia and Europe, as sourcing lower-carbon energy supports their decarbonisation strategies. This is evidenced by initiatives such as Coalition for LNG Emission Abatement toward Net-zero (CLEAN) and the European Methane Regulations and necessitates a particular focus for Australia’s future energy exports on acquiring credible data to demonstrate the lower-methane intensity of LNG supply chains. Methane emissions can result from many sources such as leaks, venting and incomplete combustion. The ability to accurately report these fugitive emissions enables credible disclosures and effective mitigation prioritisation. To identify and report fugitive sources, screening and quantification are required, which relies on the generation of high-quality, trusted data. For operators and regulators, the question arises: which measurement technologies are worth the investment? Third-party evaluation to independently test, assess and qualify technologies is a key enabler. The Future Energy Exports Cooperative Research Centre (FEnEx CRC) is currently leading an initiative to establish an ongoing testing capability in Australia with a view of ultimately providing a fit-for-purpose facility that incorporates training and knowledge transfer between government, industry and academia; this will build on previous efforts domestically and internationally. This paper highlights some of our initial findings when assessing the efficacy and usage of a set of leak detection and repair (LDAR) candidate technologies including both quantitative optical gas imaging (QOGI) cameras and high-flow samplers. The quantification capabilities of these systems were compared against ‘white’ controlled releases, up to 10 kg/h, at both the lab and pilot scales using facilities located at the University of Western Australia’s (UWA) Crawley and Shenton Park campuses.
Li et al. (Wed,) studied this question.