Diffuse and Fugitive Emission Detection Solutions
August 8, 2022
In 2019, fugitive emissions accounted for over 5% of global emissions.
These emissions represent not only a climatic and environmental challenge, but also an economic one for the industrial sector. If left undetected, they can lead to a significant loss of profitability.
How do you ensure that an industrial plant is leak-free, so as to optimize its process as much as possible? CleanAir offers a wide range of equipment and technologies to help you control and detect fugitive emissions from your plant, in compliance with EN 15446 and EPA 21 standards.
Focus on Fugitive Emissions
Fugitive emissions are uncontrolled gas emissions that usually result from an industrial process. Indeed, the extraction and processing of fuels can lead to the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Approximately 5% of global GHG emissions come from diffuse and fugitive emissions. Three main activities contribute to these gaseous emissions:
- Activities using refrigerant gases (CFC, HFC, HCFC)
- Oil and gas activities
- The coal mines
In many industries, the use of refrigerants in mobile or stationary equipment (such as HVAC systems) results in the release of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), all of which are greenhouse gases under the Kyoto Protocol. These gas releases can occur during the manufacturing process, due to leaks during the use of the equipment, or when the refrigerant is disposed of at the end of the equipment's life.
In the oil and gas industry, methane (CH4) can be released during exploration, production, transportation, refining and distribution activities. These unintentional releases are caused by leaking equipment or faulty seals that may occur during the transportation and storage of fossil fuels. These GHG releases can also result from intentional venting, when natural gas cannot be used or recovered economically, and is therefore vented instead of sold or burned.
In the mining industry, methane and carbon dioxide (CO2) are trapped in coal formations. This trapped gas, better known as seam gas, is 95-97% pure methane. The gas is then released throughout the coal mining chain from underground and surface mines. Once oil, gas, and coal mining activities have ceased, abandoned wells and mines can also continue to emit methane.
The global warming potential of CH4, HFCs, PFCs and SF6 is a thousand times greater than that of CO2. Their environmental impact is therefore significant. This power, combined with the volume of unintentional and intentional GHG releases in sectors such as oil and gas and coal mining, makes fugitive emissions one of the largest contributors to GHGs in these sectors.
Analysis and Detection of Diffuse and Fugitive Emissions
Any industrial installation, whether oil, chemical or gas, can suffer from various types of leak. These leaks generally occur at pumps, flange connections, and static and dynamic valve seals. Although these diffuse emissions are very low-flow leaks, they are continuous. And it's the constant nature of these leaks that poses the problem. Over time, they will inexorably affect the efficiency and productivity of your processes, as well as their profitability. What's more, these leaks will eventually pose a danger to your staff and the surrounding air. Whether for regulatory compliance purposes, or to maximize your company's profitability, it is now more than ever essential to analyse and detect possible leaks in your installation.
For the petrochemical, chemical and refining industries, LDAR (Leak Detection And Repair) is a highly recommended tool for optimizing and securing these facilities. Implemented by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), LDAR programs must comply with certain regulations and compliance programs, such as Method 21. In France, environmental regulations are governed by ADEME, the French agency for ecological transition. The Group's expertise CleanAir Group Group's expertise enables us to offer you the latest tools and technologies to bring your plant into line with regulations (Bilan GES).
Flame Ionization (FID)
Flame ionization detection (FID) is the most widely used technique for monitoring and measuring fugitive emissions. Recognized worldwide by EPA and EN standards, FID has many advantages: high accuracy, wide measurement range, low instrument maintenance cost...
LDARtools phx42 - Portable VOC FID Analyzer
- Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) programmes
- ATEX certified
- Compact, lightweight, accurate and robust
- Extended range to 100,000 ppm
- Control of the instrument and data via Bluetooth
- 10 hours of autonomy
Photo-Ionization PID
Photoionization detection uses ultraviolet light to irradiate the gas sample to ionize it and cause the generation of an ionic current. The sensor measures this current to determine the gas concentration. Photoionization has the advantage of detecting a wide range of gases, both organic and inorganic. PID sensors are typically used to measure ppb to ppm concentration levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
MiniRAE Lite+ - Portable PID VOC Detector
- Increased detection of hydrocarbons (from 0.1 to 5000ppm)
- Simple & intuitive thanks to its LCD screen
- Detection speed less than 2 seconds
- 12 hours of autonomy
Thermal Conductivity
The ION GasCheck G instrument uses thermal microconductivity as its measuring principle, enabling fast, efficient detection of gas leaks down to levels of cc / s, mg / m³ or ppm. It detects a multitude of gases, and is particularly sensitive to helium, hydrogen, SF6 and argon.
ION GASCHECK G - Leak detector
- Detects almost all known gases or gas mixtures
- High precision
- Reliable, stable and reproducible reading
- Particularly sensitive to ammonia, argon, butane, helium, hydrogen and SF6
- Buzzer to indicate the presence of a gas leak
Ultrasound
Ultrasonic leak detection is used to detect and quantify leaks in valves. Ultrasonic leak sensors react to the noise generated by the escaping gas at ultrasonic frequencies. The leak rate depends mainly on the size of the leak and the gas pressure. High pressure gas leaks produce ultrasonic waves (25 - 100 kHz) which the sensors can detect despite the presence of audible noise.
Based on more than 10 years of research, the Mistras VPAC II leak detector is particularly well suited for harsh environments such as oil, gas and petrochemical facilities, power plants and offshore platforms. As the most sensitive instrument in this field, the Mistras VPAC II is the most widely used detector by organizations specializing in the detection of diffuse and fugitive emissions.
VPAC II - Gas Leak Detector
- Detects even the smallest leaks
- Stores readings for up to 500 valves simultaneously
- Calculation of leakage rates directly on the unit
- ID mode: selects an active valve and displays its parameters
- Data transfer to VPACwinTM via Bluetooth interface
- EPA 40 CFR 98 compliant
CleanAir has a wide range of equipment dedicated to the analysis and detection of fugitive and diffuse emissions. Our equipment is available for sale, as well as for rental for a customized and turnkey solution. Contact a CleanAir expert today, we will be happy to assist you in your project.