Efficient, large-scale on-site methane sniffing made possible with miniaturised sensors and equipment

Aeromon, specialists in drone gas leak detection, has made large-scale on-site methane sniffing possible through the miniaturisation of sensors and other related equipment. The smaller sizes of these devices have made it possible to use the technology in mobile measurement devices and to detect diffuse emissions using drones, cars, and handheld devices.

Permanently installed sniffers can monitor single valves or other risky spots, while mobile sniffers, such as classic analysers in which air samples are brought to a sensor, can be used across entire industrial sites or, for instance, oil rigs and gas transfer infrastructures, such as compressor sites and similar.

"Many companies have found drones very useful, especially for fulfilling the requirements of OGMP 2.0 Level 5. In just a few hours, they acquire a map of airborne leaks across an entire site. This is essential, especially at large industrial sites," said Matti Irjala, CTO of Aeromon.

Another advantage of utilising lightweight sensor technologies with a drone is the real-time information and possibility of acute reaction to found anomalies. However, cleaning and combining data and analysing it using proper models is just as important as collecting it. For instance, data collected from drones must be combined with weather data.

Several rules must be followed when sniffing methane with drones, including taking samples when the wind will not interfere with the flow of chemicals in the air and only taking measurements when wind conditions remain stable for the whole duration of the measurements. In addition, drones may need to avoid potentially explosive atmospheres (ATEX) and measurements are taken outside of these areas or other techniques are used.

As a specialist in drone gas leak detection, Aeromon has experience in OGMP 2.0 measuring and reporting. In addition to taking part in several global research projects, Aeromon has helped several clients in their efforts to minimize and report unintended emissions, while finding the most effective methods to detect leaks.