Novel Laser Anlyzers for Natural Gas Leaks Detection

Novel laser analyzers for measurements and mapping of natural gas leaks while drivingAEIT 2016 – Capri, October 6th, 2016

B. Leen, J. Savee, M. Gupta, A. Gardner, D. Baer and N. Bonavita

Agenda

Leak Detection in Gas Distribution Rationale Traditional Solutions

Innovative laser analyzer-based integrated solution MobileGuard µPortable Analyzer

OA-ICOS: The Enabling Technology Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy (TDLAS) Off-Axis ICOS Advantages over other analytical technologies

Conclusions

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Natural Gas Distribution

October 24, 20163

Background

• Natural gas is a vital component of world energy supply, ~ 25% of U.S. energy

• First widespread U.S. distribution system in 1836 (City of Philadelphia)

• Today > 200 U.S. distributors, > 300k miles of pipeline• Cast Iron (early 20th century)• Steel (introduced in 1950s, bulk of existing pipeline)• Plastic (last 30 years)

• Aging infrastructure – leaks create significant safety and environmental hazard• 2010: San Bruno, CA (PG&E) – 8 dead, 38 injured, 40 homes destroyed• 2014: New York, NY (Con Ed) – 8 dead

• Regulation by Department of Transportation Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

• Survey once or more per year in business districts and populated areas; less frequent for remote areas

• Growing pressure for environmentally-focused regulation

Traditional Methods for Leak Detection

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Parts per million

• Natural gas is typically > 90% methane, remainder is primarily larger hydrocarbons

• Most utilized tools based on very old technology (flame ionization) – sensitive to methane in the parts per million range

• Current leak survey methods are slow and laborious:

• Operators must walk along mains/service lines

• Must be within 2-3 meters from the leak• Measurement time ~ 5 seconds• Many sources of naturally occurring methane

• Process is paper based and operator dependent

Representative Composition of Natural

Gas

Methane (95%)

Ethane (3.2%)

Propane (0.2%)

iso-Butane(0.03%)

Next Generation Mobile MonitoringSystem Requirements

1Lamb, Brian K., et al. "Development of atmospheric tracer methods to measure methane emissions from natural gas facilities and urban areas.“Environmental science & technology 29.6 (1995): 1468-1479.

Vehicle-mounted sensors have a long history and have been extensively vetted Allows for cost-effective surveys of large areas at a rapid pace Requires:

Manufacturable, easy-to-use gas sensors that do not require researchers Complete sensor suite - sensor, GPS, anemometer, gas inlet… Data aggregation, analysis and interpretation - leak detection software Data presentation - HMI

Agenda




Conclusions

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Natural Gas DistributionAn Innovative, Integrated Solution

Los Gatos Research Founded in 1994, acquired by ABB

in October 2013 Located in Silicon Valley (San Jose,

California) More than 50 employees, including

14 Ph.D. scientists Pioneer and world leader in laser-

based gas sensing Over 14 patents granted with >100

scientific papers/articles published in peer-review journals

Serves industrial, environmental, military, and medical markets

An innovative, integrated solution has been developed by Los Gatos Research

Innovative: based on latest generation laser spectroscopy

Integrated: it combines modern technologies to efficiently measure, identify and report gas leaks in urban areas

Two stage approach:I. MobileGuardTM for wide areas

coverageΙΙ. µPortable Analyzer for in-depth

local identification

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Natural Gas Leak Detection System (I)

October 24, 20168

MobileGuardTM Overview

Methane/Ethane Analyzer Anemometer(wind speed + direction)

GPSReal-time data analysis

• Mobile deployment → significant reduction in survey time• MobileGuard system offers powerful real-time leak surveying

tool• Discriminate against non-natural gas sources of methane• Estimated leak locations• Automated leak cataloging and reporting

• Customers: Atmos Energy, Sempra Energy, Enbridge Gas, …

MobileGuard

Graphically displays leak route, survey area and leak indications

Parts-per-billion (ppb) sensitivity

© ABB Group October 24, 2016 | Slide 9

Natural Gas Leak Detection System (I)Ultra-sensitive Mobile Monitoring

Geo-located mobile measurements

Sharable digital maps with estimated leak locations

Detect up to 150 m away

Survey quickly and efficiently

Easy to interface with existing GIS

Graphically displays leak route, survey area and leak indications© ABB Group October 24, 2016 | Slide 10

Natural Gas Leak Detection System (I)Map Display

Survey Area

Survey Route(Breadcrumbs)

Leak Indication(unknown source)

Leak Indication(thermogenic)


Natural Gas Leak Detection System (I)Measured Data and Automated Alarms

Leak Indications List

Real-time Status

CH4 History


Natural Gas Leak Detection System (I)Automated System Alarms

System Errors CH4 Alarm

System health notifications:

No warnings

High methane detected (> 2.6 ppm, settable)

Audible alarm

Natural Gas Leak Detection System (I)Example: Drive with 3 Leak Locations

Natural Gas Leak Detection System (I)Example: Expanded View of Leak Locations

3 distinct methane leak locations

Simplified leak detection algorithm

Use ethane measurements to identify natural gas leaks

Natural Gas Leak Detection System (I)Why Measure Ethane?

0,06

4,65

1,4

6

3,2 3,36

3,4

8,61

8,32

5,44

7,07

7,67

0 0

Ethane Fraction [%]

• Ethane is a fingerprint of natural gas leakage not found in biogas• Methane isotopes are not unique and ratios may change with soil migration• In ethane-poor regions, system can operate in methane-only mode


Controlled release of pure methane, 4% ethane/methane, and 9% ethane/methane Analyzer can readily detect ethane and quantify ethane/methane fraction


Preliminary demonstration at PG&E training facility in Livermore, California Ethane vs. methane slope = 3.2%, matches PG&E natural gas composition

Natural Gas Leak Detection System (I)Methane/Ethane Analyzer for Mobile Monitoring


Improvements: 19” Rack Compatible 4U High 12 VDC Integrated Pump Integrated GPS Receiver Water Trap Humidity Sensor Proprietary, 3D Printed

Inlet

Natural Gas Leak Detection System (I)Methane/Ethane Analyzer for Mobile Monitoring


Water Trap

ICOS EngineIntegrated Pump

Data Acquisition& Analysis

Natural Gas Leak Detection System (II)µPortable Analyzer Overview

© ABB Group10/24/2016 | Slide 20

CH4 sensitivity: single-digit ppb Fast data rate: 5 Hz Wireless user interface: Tablet or smartphone 13 lbs / 5.8 kg (with battery) 4 hour battery life 0-50º C operating temperature

Natural Gas Leak Detection System (II)Revolutionizing Walking Surveys of NG Leak Detection

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Current Technologies

- ppm-level sensitivity

- 30-45 min to find a leak

- Needs to be 2-3 meters from the leak

- Labor intensive

- Consumable required

µPortable

- ppb-level sensitivity

- 5-10 min to find a leak with the MobileGuard

- Can be far from the leak

- Reduces labor cost

- No consumables

Step 5:Compliance/Records


MobileGuard + µPortable AnalyzerIntegrated Detection, Pinpointing and Data Archiving

Step 2:Triage/Dispatch

Utility Command Center

Leak Investigator

Step 3: Investigation

Leak #1Leak #2…

Step 4:Investigation ReportWalking path w/CH4Leak GPS locationLeak GradeSurvey Notes/PicturesMobileGuard

Step 1:Mobile Survey

Methane/Ethane AnalyzerMobileGuardTM Performances


Feature Specification Advantage

Highly Sensitive Methane: 2 ppbEthane: 10 ppb

Observe and attribute small leaks from large distances

Fast Response Response time of up to 5 Hz Allows for driving speeds in excess of 40 mph

Highly Selective No interferences from ambient compounds or higher hydrocarbons

No false positives

Calibration-Free Utilizes Off-Axis ICOS – a first principles measurement technique

No need to calibrate the analyzer

Large Dynamic Range Methane: 1 – 100,000 ppmEthane: 0 – 100 ppm

Accurately quantify leaks independent of distance and size

Fast Warm-Up Time Less than 2 minutes from power on to data collection

Improves uptime and efficiency

Low Power Analyzer and pump only require 180 W Can power from a standard car battery power point

Wide temperature range Operates from -5 to +50 °C Can be deployed in a wide array of environments

Agenda




Conclusions

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The Enabling TechnologyTunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy

Beer-Lambert-Bouguer Law: ∆I/Io = 1-exp(-αLeff)

∆I/Io = fractional change in laser intensityα(λ) = absorption coefficientLeff = effective optical path length

TDLAS provides a direct measurement of gas concentration → little or no calibration Provides highly specific and very fast measurements with no consumables Open-path methods are non-intrusive: Ideal for monitoring in hostile conditions ABB uses conventional TDLAS for cross-stack measurements of O2, NH3, HCl, … May not provide sufficient sensitivity for all applications (e.g. H2S in natural gas, etc.)

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The Enabling TechnologyOff-Axis Integrated Cavity Output Spectroscopy (ICOS)

DetectorLens

HR mirrors (R~0.9999)

Diode Laser

Gas Inlet Gas Outlet(to vacuum pump)

T P

Data collectionand analysis system

laser controlelectronics

Small portion of laser power transmits through the front mirror Optical cavity provides an effective pathlength of 1 – 10 kilometers Allows for detection of very low concentrations → ppb-level sensitivity Very robust - exact alignment, gas pressure, and gas temperature are not critical Mirrors can be cleaned in the field by minimally-trained personnel in < 20 minutes Economical to manufacture without extensive infrastructure Off-Axis ICOS works at any wavelength from the UV through the mid-IR Couple multiple lasers into a single cavity for multi-species detection

Cavity mirrors easily serviced, if necessary.

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The Enabling TechnologyOff-Axis ICOS: Measured Data

Measure baseline, absorption, ringdown, detector offset, T and P every sweep Operate at low pressure to narrow lineshapes and improve selectivity Scan laser at 100–1000 Hz to provide complete measurement every 1–10 ms User-selectable data rate allows for averaging to improve precision

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The Enabling TechnologyOff-Axis ICOS: Calculated Results

Fit measured absorption to Voigt function(s) Area under peak is a direct measurement of gas concentration For many applications, analyzer does not require calibration Spectra provides verification of observed phenomenon

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The Enabling TechnologyAdvantages of Off-Axis ICOS

Feature Advantage Benefit1st principles measurement technology

Accurate,Calibration-Free

Accurate to better than 1% without calibration and only infrequent verification.

Provides very long optical pathlength (> 1000 m)

High Sensitivity Detect contaminants at ppb-levels

Scan laser at 100 – 1000 Hz Fast T90-10 times < 15 seconds allows for process control and real-time monitoring

High-resolution diode laser absorption technology

Highly Selective No cross-interferences between measured compounds or background matrices

Effective optical pathlength decreases with absorption

Large Linear Dynamic Range Can accurately quantify both trace and percent levels for measurements during routine operation and excursion events

Sample is directly measured by without conditioning

No Consumables Reduces cost of ownership associated with maintenance and consumables

Analyzer can be remotely accessed

Remote Operation and Diagnostics

Further reduces cost of ownership due to maintenance

Measured spectra includesbaseline

No Zero Drift No need to calibrate and correct for zero drift

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Agenda




Conclusions

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ConclusionsMobileGuardTM First Applications

Launched in Q1-2016 MobileGuard is already in use at several North America locations, for customers including: Atmos Energy Sempra Energy Enbridge Gas Google Environmental Defence Fund

A first European application is in progress in UK

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ConclusionsMobileGuardTM: Advantages


• Safety: Find dangerous leaks faster by surveying with ppb sensitivity while driving

• Labor Efficiency: Mains and services surveyed quickly while driving (up to 40 mph!)

• Ease of Use: System powers on and is ready to use in less than 5 minutes• Reduced false positives: MobileGuard measured methane and ethane

which allows differentiation of pipeline from naturally occurring gas (e.g., landfill, sewer, etc.)

• Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Methane has 20X the warming effect compared to CO2

• Reduction of Lost Product: 1 – 6% of product is lost• Digital Reports: Electronic data simplifies compliance reporting and

implementation of a fully digital survey process

ConclusionsµPortable: Opening Doors to ...

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µPortableMiniaturization & Cost Reduction

Environment & Research Going Further

Other Leak DetectionsNH3, HF, etc.

Low Cost Platform

Competitive with Existing Technologies

Conclusion New opportunities for improved process monitoring

OA-ICOS product line offers the ability to improve processes, increase product quality and save money.

1. Lowest cost of ownership

2. Highest overall performance (sensitivity/accuracy/precision)

3. Widest measurement range

4. Simplest to use and service

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Documents

Novel Laser Anlyzers for Natural Gas Leaks Detection