E-Learning

Precision, accuracy and robustness are key words and essential parameters to determine the effectiveness of any analytical application. Surveyors, refinery, and QC labs must determine the Nitrogen and Sulfur content with fewer personnel while the number of samples keep increasing and the time to report is under pressure. Moreover, all these analyses must be done in compliance with a variety of test methods, such as the ASTM D5453, ASTMD4629 and ASTM D6667. All these factors are pressing on...

There is both considerable opposition and support for unconventional hydrocarbon extraction, commonly known as 'fracking'. Opposition and hesitancy focuses on two primary issues: 1) aquifer contamination and 2) the increased greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint associated with such activity, particularly the fugitive CH4 emissions, but also CO2 associated with the CH4 can also be released. The occurrence of aquifer contamination is likely to be heavily-monitored as significant regulation generally...

Presented at PEFTEC

Hydrocarbon streams such as Styrene, Isoprene and Butadiene may form thermally unstable peroxide types on exposure to air, which could create hazardous plant conditions. Accurate monitoring is required to determine trace amounts of reactive peroxides. Most traditional analysis methods, such as ASTM D2340 and ASTM E299, are affected by oxygen (air) interference. Da Vinci Laboratory Solutions has developed the Fast Peroxide application that automates the analysis of active oxygen originated fro...

The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) is the agency responsible for regulating hydrocarbon resources in Alberta. We regulate over 80 per cent of Canada's petroleum industry including 431,000 km of pipelines and 50,000 oil and gas facilities. We ensure the safe, efficient, and environmentally responsible development of Alberta's energy resources. When the government of Alberta announced its Climate Leadership Plan in 2015, the AER was tasked with reducing methane emissions from the upstream oi...

Environmental sustainability has become one of the most relevant drivers for the future evolution of the energy mix in most countries. Carbon dioxide is the main greenhouse gas emitted by human activities, but it is not the only pollutant capable of causing harm to people and the planet. Natural gas presents clear advantages in terms of lower GHG emissions from combustion compared to other fossil fuels. However methane emissions along the entire value chain have been pointed out as a relev...

The use of natural gas in global energy systems has increased substantially over the last decade as countries are driven toward decarbonisation. Natural gas exhibits lower combustion emissions than coal or oil, but life cycle supply chain emissions are significant and highly variable. In particular, methane is the main constituent of natural gas and is itself a very strong greenhouse gas. Results from methane emissions studies are often conflicting and vary widely, rendering average emission...

There is a growing need for comparisons between emission estimates produced using bottom-up and top-down techniques at high spatial resolution. In response to this, a proof of concept study has been performed in which developed an inversion approach to estimate methane emissions for a region (East Anglia) in the South East of the UK (˜100 x 150 km) at high spatial resolution. We present results covering a 1-year period (June 2013 - May 2014) in which atmospheric methane concentrations were r...

Currently, methane emissions are generally estimated via theoretical calculations based on e.g., the IPCC guidebook rules. The assumption is that individual sources may vary widely but that the aggregated national total will be (more) robust. Some countries have developed regulatory frameworks to quantify the emissions, however no widely-approved methodology has emerged and mitigation projects remain rather limited due to lack of regulatory requirement and necessary capital investment. Privat...

Infrared (IR) gas finder cameras are increasingly used in leak detection and repair (LDAR) surveys for detecting fugitive volatile organic compound (VOCs) emissions from process components. In order to use the camera for identifying leaking process components which have to be repaired, it is important to:  (1) operate the camera under conditions in which the IR camera's detection limit is expected to be lower than LDAR's repair thresholds;  (2) use the camera for determining whether a lea...

Methane is a valuable energy carrier but also a very potent greenhouse gas (GHG). The reduction of greenhouse gas emission mitigation effect within the energy sector by possible methane emission from the biogas production process is one major point of discussion within the biogas sector. Although the number of studies concerning the GHG emissions from biogas plants increased during the last decade, it is still not possible to compare these results and to conclude the overall emissions prod...