Assessing the Performance of Emerging and Existing Continuous Monitoring Solutions under a Single-blind Controlled Testing Protocol

Continuous Monitoring (CM) solutions have been identified as one method to address methane emissions at oil and gas (O&G) facilities, as these solutions may facilitate faster emission detection and repair than traditional survey methods. This study tested 13 CM solutions over 12 weeks using single-blind controlled testing. Controlled release rates ranged from 0.08 to 6.75 kg CH4/hr and lasted 18 minutes to 8 hours. Six solutions demonstrated 90% detection limits (DLs) within the range of controlled releases, 0.5 [0.3, 0.6] kg CH4/hr to 6.8 [5.9, 8.0] kg CH4/hr. Of the six solutions, 4 had False Positive (FP) rates of 7.8-14%, and four had False Negative rates (FN) of 8-34.1%. Compared with Ilonze et al., these results show retested solutions balancing method sensitivity and FP and FN rates. All scanning/imaging solutions had high localization (≥ 40%) precision and accuracy to the equipment unit. Eleven of 13 solutions were tested for quantification; three had a mean relative quantification error ranging from 33.4 [0.85, 66.0] % to 96.1 [63.4, 128.9] %, 95% CI for leaks between 0.1 – 1 kg CH4/hr. For larger emissions (> 1 kg CH4/hr), nine solutions had a mean relative quantification error ranging from 2.8 [-20.3, 25.9] % to 32.8 [17.2, 48.5] %, 95% CI. Relative to previous studies, uncertainties in quantification estimates decreased, as did FN and FP rates, with improved detection limits for 2 of the four retested solutions. These findings highlight that continuous, rigorous testing enhances solution performance, with notable improvements observed across multiple test programs using the same test protocol.