Department of Energy: Methane Emissions Grant

Societies worldwide are increasingly recognizing the urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, particularly methane, which holds about 30 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide. Despite its economic value, methane leakage poses a significant challenge due to its fugitive sources, such as leaks from natural gas infrastructure, which are difficult to detect and control remotely. Both industry and government stakeholders are invested in identifying and mitigating these emissions to ensure the sustainability of the oil and gas sector. However, current technologies lack standardized approaches for effectively integrating multiscale measurement and modeling methods to accurately estimate and reduce methane emissions.​

To address this challenge, our project aims to develop a comprehensive plan for deploying methane sensing, modeling, and data management processes. This initiative seeks to create an integrated monitoring platform capable of continuous methane monitoring and reporting, facilitating swift responses to detected emissions. By leveraging various technologies and methodologies, including advanced data analytics and machine learning, this platform aims to fill existing gaps in methane monitoring and provide actionable insights for achieving a "leak-tight" natural gas production system across the United States, serving as a blueprint for future integrated monitoring platforms.