Onboard Dynamics

Unique, Patented Natural Gas Compression Technology for Driving Down Emissions

Methane

Methane Mitigation: The Value of Precise Reporting

by

Methane Mitigation: The Value of Precise Reporting

In efforts to mitigate methane emissions, the implementation of pipeline evacuation systems with integrated control systems for automated data collection has proven indispensable. These advanced systems enable companies to comply with current and future regulations, adhere to project timelines, support environmental initiatives, and achieve economic benefit in a safe and efficient manner.

Automated data collection is key to effective job performance planning. It empowers natural gas companies and service providers to manage their projects with greater efficiency, providing reliable service. By monitoring real-time data during evacuation projects, operators can gain immediate visibility into project success. This real-time information allows for timely field actions, significantly impacting project outcomes. Pipeline issues can arise during an evacuation project, but with precise data in hand, it is possible to determine where an issue needs to be addressed, positively influencing the project’s bottom line.

Dan Pedersen, Director of Engineering, Onboard Dynamics
Dan Pedersen, Director of Engineering, Onboard Dynamics

The recently concluded SGA Virtual Teaching Course, presented by Dan Pedersen, Director of Engineering at Onboard Dynamics, on August 28th, 2024, explored the necessity of natural gas pipeline evacuation systems. Equipped with automated controls like the GoVAC® Pipeline Evacuation System, these systems are vital for remote monitoring, allowing continuous oversight and management from distant locations. The benefits of real-time data collection provide immediate access to critical information and support informed decision-making.

Dan emphasized that the integrated data platform found in the GoVAC® System not only enhances operational safety by promoting early detection of issues but also enables efficient response mechanisms. The system generates detailed insights into operational diagnostics, aiding in timely maintenance and troubleshooting efforts. Moreover, accurate environmental impact reporting—a crucial feature of the GoVAC® System—ensures compliance with regulations while supporting sustainability initiatives.

Attendees gained a comprehensive understanding of the significant value that an integrated data platform provides. This type of system is essential for maintaining operational efficiency and streamlining project planning. The real-time actions facilitated by this technology offer critical insights to service providers, promptly informing them of conditions during pipeline evacuations and ultimately impacting project completion times. Additionally, it plays a vital role in delivering accurate project metrics, ensuring regulatory compliance, maintaining public trust, and reducing the environmental footprint of operations.

In summary, as the natural gas industry navigates the complexities of methane mitigation, the importance of precise reporting and automated data collection is becoming ever more critical. Dan Pedersen’s insights highlighted how embracing these technologies not only enhances operational efficiency but also contributes to a more sustainable and responsible approach to natural gas management.

If you are an SGA member, you can view the course on the SGA website here.

Matt Sievert to Present at the 2024 Western Regional Gas Conference

by

Matt Sievert of Onboard Dynamics to Present at the 2024 Western Regional Gas Conference

Title: The Critical Role of Accurate Reporting in Mitigating Methane Emissions

Presented by Matt Sievert, Director of Business Development
Date: Wednesday, August 21st
Time: 1:30 to 2:15 pm
Location: Western Regional Gas Conference (WRGC) in Tempe, AZ

At the upcoming Western Regional Gas Conference (WRGC) in Tempe, Arizona, industry experts will gather to discuss the critical role of accurate reporting in mitigating methane emissions in natural gas pipeline operations. Matt Sievert, Director of Business Development, will shed light on the importance of precise measurement and reporting in the context of environmental sustainability and regulatory compliance.

The Imperative for Methane Emission Reduction

The pressure on natural gas pipeline owners and operators to reduce methane emissions has never been greater. With heightened public scrutiny, evolving regulations, and a growing focus on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals, organizations are compelled to adopt measures that minimize methane releases into the atmosphere. This imperative has led to the adoption of various technologies aimed at capturing and recovering natural gas to reduce emissions during pipeline operations.

The Challenge of Accurate Reporting

While technologies for gas capture and recovery exist, not all solutions offer the capability to electronically track and measure these activities like the GoVAC® Pipeline Evacuation System. Accurate measurement and reporting of such activities are crucial for demonstrating compliance with regulations, meeting ESG goals, and potentially accessing economic benefits in the carbon credit marketplace.

The Role of Electronic Data Capture

Systems that electronically capture emissions data play a pivotal role in ensuring precise measurement and reporting. By eliminating manual processes prone to errors, these systems provide operators with verified project results and streamlined environmental reporting capabilities. The ability to receive third-party certification further enhances the credibility of environmental initiatives and facilitates compliance with regulatory requirements.

Securing Data Integrity

As companies navigate increasing public scrutiny and regulatory oversight, the need for secure data reporting becomes paramount. Control systems that communicate securely with the cloud enable remote monitoring and enhance data integrity. Verification and third-party certification processes help safeguard against unauthorized changes to emissions data, ensuring its accuracy, tamper-proof nature, and security.

Looking Ahead: Leveraging Technology for Environmental Accountability

In a landscape marked by growing environmental awareness and sustainability imperatives, the adoption of methane reduction tools with robust reporting features is essential. These tools not only help in documenting efforts to prevent methane emissions but also have the potential to generate tradable carbon credits in the carbon credit marketplace.

About the Presentation

Matt Sievert’s presentation at the WRGC promises to delve deeper into the critical role of accurate reporting in mitigating methane emissions. By exploring the intersection of technology, environmental accountability, and regulatory compliance, attendees will gain valuable insights into the future of sustainable natural gas pipeline operations.

As the industry continues to evolve, embracing technologies that ensure accurate reporting and data integrity will be key to advancing environmental stewardship and meeting the challenges of a rapidly changing regulatory landscape. Join us at the conference to be part of this important conversation and drive positive change in methane emission mitigation efforts.

Podcast: Methane Capture vs. Methane Venting

by

Rick Kay, COO of Onboard Dynamics, is the guest speaker on the Pipeliner’s Podcast Network. The host, Russel Treat will be having a conversation with Rick about methane capture vs. methane venting and discusses the methane capture process including the necessary tools and equipment needed, the pros and cons it has against methane venting, and how commonly it is used throughout the industry.

This is an important conversation during a time when pipeline operators are showing a growing interest in adapting new technology solutions and operating practices to reduce methane releases during pipeline operations and maintenance. 

Episode 259: Methane Capture vs. Methane Venting with Rick Kay

The podcast goes over how Onboard Dynamics got started and how their technology evolved from natural gas fleet refueling to pipeline evacuation.  There is a segment that describes how the GoVAC FLEX technology works and lists the benefits of using it like how it is self-contained and doesn’t need an outside fuel source to operate. Instead, it uses a small portion of the natural gas to run while performing an evacuation project. The podcast also details out the importance of the safe and secure environmental data that is gathered for reporting on emissions particularly in a time when growing regulations, public scrutiny and environmental stewardship are shaping the future of pipeline maintenance.   

Rethinking the Role of Methane as We Move to a Net-Zero Energy System

by

Methane is a greenhouse gas (GHG) that contributes to global warming. If we are to manage our global inventory of GHG’s, we must learn to balance the concentration of methane in the atmosphere, along with other GHG’s like carbon dioxide (CO2). Balancing methane concentration requires that we understand both the risks and potential benefits of the role of methane in our ever-evolving net-zero energy system.

In this article, we will attempt to re-frame the discussion about the future of methane in all its forms and sources. In future articles, we’ll dig into the details of some of the ideas presented here. For our society to prosper and thrive while meeting our environmental goals we believe that methane must be able to play an essential role going forward.

The Traditional Way of Thinking About Methane

Methane is traditionally thought of as an energy source produced by drilling into the ground whose value is primarily gained via combustion, thereby producing atmospheric CO2 as a by-product. (This ignores its use in making fertilizer, plastics, and other chemicals, but this is not the primary focus of this discussion.) Because it is produced from finite, geologic sources, its cost will be ever increasing as supplies become harder to extract.

Methane is most economical and practical when it is transported via underground pipeline and stored for seasonal use in numerous ways, but especially in certain natural underground “reservoirs”.  Other methods of shipping methane as a liquid (also known as LNG) or highly compressed gas (CNG) can also be economically attractive, especially where methane’s clean environmental profile is valued (compared to coal, for example, for producing electricity). Finally, methane can be very attractive as a clean, inexpensive transportation fuel (especially for trucks).

Source: BYU Daily Universe

How We Should be Thinking of Methane as we Move to a Net-Zero Energy System

Methane is an industrial chemical/energy system component that serves as a low/zero carbon energy source as well as a clean/renewable energy carrier and storage system. It is a molecule that occurs naturally but can also be produced at industrial scale.

Methane can be produced at an industrial scale by taking carbon dioxide (extracted from the atmosphere or other sources) and combining it with hydrogen produced by electrolysis of water. If the electrolysis process is powered by electricity from a carbon-neutral source, such as solar, wind, or nuclear, the resulting methane is also carbon neutral even if it is combusted without carbon capture at the end use.

Natural sources of methane include geologic deposits (i.e., natural gas); but also, many animals, bogs, and swamps; and coal seams (whether mined or not). Among animals, domesticated cattle are frequently cited as a major source, but, in fact, most herbivores from elephants to humans to termites also release methane. Common human commercial infrastructure, such as landfills and wastewater treatment plants, also release methane. Clearly, we cannot stop all methane releases into the atmosphere, so the issue is how they are managed to meet environmental and economic goals.

Source: IPCC

Methane can be a zero carbon, and even “negative” carbon, when envisioned as part of a net-zero energy system depending on its source and the technology through which the methane is converted to useful energy (such as heat, mechanical power, and/or electricity). Just as electricity can be carbon intensive or carbon neutral, based on how it is produced and used, so is the case with methane.

Carbon Negative Methane

Today, carbon negative methane is widely produced around the world from decomposing organic matter such as agricultural wastes (e.g., dairy manure), landfills, and wastewater treatment plants. Because methane from these sources would otherwise naturally escape into the atmosphere, capturing, cleaning, and shipping this methane in the form of renewable natural gas (RNG) is widely considered to be a form of carbon-negative methane.

Zero-Carbon Methane

Zero-carbon methane can be produced on an industrial scale by combining CO2 from the air with hydrogen that is produced via electrolysis driven by renewable or nuclear energy. In this scenario, the CO2 that is produced when the methane is burned is “recycled” as a carrier of the hydrogen. There are various process schemes that can be employed to produce methane in this general manner. Terms used to describe such zero-carbon methane include e-methane, synthetic natural gas (SNG) and methanated hydrogen. In these energy pathways, methane is simply carrying energy as a molecule, whereas electricity carries energy as an electron.

Source: Science Direct

Advantages of Storing Methane vs. Electrical Energy

It is much easier to store methane’s molecular energy, especially longer-term seasonally, than to store electrical (electron) energy. Methane simply needs an impermeable enclosure, such as a naturally occurring, subterranean salt dome or depleted natural gas reservoir that is not subject to significant deterioration over time. The technical reason for this ease of storage is that the methane is stored in original form without needing conversion to other temporary storage media. There are  currently over 400 such underground storage facilities in the US. Electricity, in contrast, needs a highly engineered and costly battery, in some cases comprising expensive (frequently toxic and flammable) materials that degrade over time. To be stored in a battery, the electrical energy needs to go through two conversions: from electrical (moving electrons) to chemical then back to electrical. The conversions are expensive and result in energy losses.

Source: Energy Information Agency

Synthetic Methane Can Transport Hydrogen Energy

There are several reasons why one might want to use synthetic methane to “carry” hydrogen energy:

  • Methane is completely compatible with the current gas infrastructure of transmission, distribution, and use. While pure hydrogen can be blended with natural gas in modest proportions (perhaps up to 20%) using the existing gas system, such blending would only partially decarbonize the gas distribution system.
  • Synthetic methane could serve industrial processes (e.g., steel, ammonia, cement, chemical industry) that would be hard to decarbonize if electricity were the only option.
  • Both hydrogen and methane are less dense than traditional liquid fuels, so, if they are not moved in a pipeline, each would need to be liquified or compressed, for example, for use as a transportation fuel. However, methane can be liquified for transport at a significantly warmer temperature (-160oC) than hydrogen (-253oC). Similarly, compressed to the same high pressure, compressed methane contains more energy than hydrogen. These afford an advantage for methane over hydrogen.
  • The technology and infrastructure for long term storage of methane is well established. However, it is not certain that hydrogen could utilize these same technologies and facilities due to its greater diffusivity (the ability to penetrate through, for example, the walls of an underground reservoir). This storage capability opens the door for large scale, seasonal storage of hard-to-forecast renewable energy, such as wind or solar.

In thinking about such “new methane” scenarios, it can be helpful if we simply think of methane as just another industrial chemical. Like most industrial chemicals, it affords benefits to society, but also risks. One could list hundreds, if not thousands, of other chemicals that fit this description: lead, mercury, alcohols, benzines, chlorine, radio-active isotopes, thousands of drugs…. as well as various sources of radiation such as X-rays and UV light. These chemicals are regulated to ensure their social benefits outweigh their risks. We need to start to view methane, either synthetic or natural, in the same way.

For this reason, our vision of methane in the future needs to be:

manage it, don’t ban it.