PIPELINE INSPECTION
Super Emitters no match for Picarro solution Picarro continues to offer its unique analytics solution to reduce gas emissions and improve the safety of energy networks. Its innovative system identifies a gas network’s highest emitting leaks in order to conduct prioritised repair operations.
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icarro is a leading provider of hardwareenabled software solutions for the energy industry that has recently introduced its gas network assessment and pipeline replacement optimisation applications to the Australian energy market. One of the aspects that makes Picarro’s solution unique is the ability to collect and map emissions data to target repair or replacement works and precisely quantify the emissions reduction benefits. Picarro’s solution can easily quantify the amount of emissions from individual leaks or the total leakage emissions in a pipe section or area, while with traditional means it is extremely difficult and nearly impossible. Picarro’s solution enables emissions data to be taken rapidly at scale and its analytics uses this data to produce emissions related outputs which helps gas utilities focus efforts on higher emitting leaks and pipeline segments. Large or “Super Emitters”, which frequently contribute disproportionately to emissions reduction goals, can be easily identified so they are remediated first as part of an informed and cost-effective emission reduction strategy. In one case in the United States, a pipeline operator was able to detect more than 1,000 emission sources using the Picarro system, eight of which were classified as Super Emitters, being 10 ft3 (0.28 m3) or greater of emissions, which contributed 27 per cent of the system’s total emissions. Picarro Director of Gas Sales and Marketing Doug Ward says the top 5 per cent of sources contributed to 50 per cent of the total emissions in this case, a ratio which the company found was typical for gas networks. “Using our solution, finding and identifying the largest emitters and fixing that small percentage of leaks can have a huge impact on reducing greenhouse gas and methane emissions,” he says. “When you concentrate on Super Emitters, our data shows you are also focusing your resources and your efforts on your more hazardous below ground and high consequence leaks, and less so on your less hazardous and miniscule leaks. “This focus not only gives you the environmental greenhouse gas emissions reduction benefit, but from a public safety
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Picarro’s Emissions Quantification Analtyics dashboard used for super emitter leak identification and analysis. The dashboard allows gas operators to quickly look at repair scenarios, calculating aggregate emissions reduction benefits of different types, sizes and locations of leaks.
standpoint you’re able to mitigate risk associated with these predominantly hazardous risks being identified outside of your normal compliance leak survey activities.” Mr Ward says Picarro’s analytics have been developed to a point where it is the world’s leading system in terms of quantifying the amount of gas that is emitted from these sources. “Largely, other technologies can’t tell you how much is being emitted. The biggest differentiator for our solution is the ability to effectively and accurately quantify the amount of gas being emitted from the different sources that we can detect. “Without that ability, you cannot obtain the benefits of this kind of program,” he says. “Hand or foot-based crews don’t have the technology to do this, so this solution really is a game-changer for utilities from an environmental The Australian Pipeliner | October 2021
standpoint. We’re seeing many companies in the US and now companies in Australia taking up the Super Emitter and Emissions Reduction use case applications solution.” Mr Ward says the company continues to see a steady uptick in the use of its system around the world, with the company now increasing its focus in Australia. “We’re currently engaged in a project with a utility in Australia and are in discussions with our utilities, with demonstrations and pilot trials scheduled this year. It’s a matter of these companies seeing and understanding Picarro’s solution and offerings leading to new partnering relationships providing our services.”
For more information visit www.energy.picarro.com
