SLB End-to-end Emissions Solutions (SEES) – a one-stop-shop to measure, monitor and eliminate methane emissions and routine flaring in energy operations
Country of development/application:
USA
Scope of innovation
☐ Office work
☒ Production / Service supply process
Sector-specific
☒ Yes / please, specify sector(s): Oil and Gas
☐ No (relevant for all sectors)
Description of the needs
The world is not making progress fast enough. Led by the UN, the world community is currently carrying out its first “Global Stocktake” to establish just how much, or how little, progress humankind has made in curbing greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris Agreement on climate change—to avoid irreversible damage to the planet’s climate.
The stocktake will conclude at COP 28 at the end of the year 2023, but the interim snapshots published so far have been disappointing. We’re way off track. And we’re starting to really see the effects. July was the Earth’s hottest month on record. Large parts of the world are suffering unprecedented heat waves. The arrival of these temperatures demonstrates the need to act now to reduce the warming we are experiencing today.
Much of the transformation needed is fundamental and complex. But there is one area where we can accelerate our progress now—and slow down warming in the near term. The clue is in the headline of this summary: methane. Direct methane emissions from energy operations continue to be the unpicked low-hanging fruit in the global fight against climate change. Picking it is increasingly feasible and economically viable, or even profitable.
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, with a much bigger short-term impact than CO2. It is also the main component of natural gas. Methane emissions from oil and gas operations are significant. Methane has caused 30% of all global warming, and the oil and gas industry is one of the largest sources of methane emissions. What’s more, the technologies needed to reduce these emissions are mostly available today. Unlike many other actions, which rely on changes to deeply ingrained infrastructure and behaviours or on technologies yet to be invented, a lot of oil and gas methane emissions can be eliminated today, using off-the-shelf technology.
And the cost is low. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that about half of the reductions are negative net cost due to the value of the gas saved. According to IEA estimates, the most expensive oil and gas methane project costs the same as the cheapest carbon capture and storage project. Against the backdrop of last year’s windfall profits, the industry can no longer ignore the fact that the most urgent, most impactful action to slow climate change is in its power—and within its means.
The important thing now is to simply start. Come COP 28 in November, the world’s eyes will be on the energy industry’s action on methane. A lot of the technologies operators need to get started are ready today, and others will need to be developed fast, in partnership. To start, the most important missing piece for most operators is a little help navigating what’s available and anticipating how it will scale. The wider support system is emerging fast (and includes me and my team), the standards (Oil & Gas Methane Partnership 2.0, for example) are established, and momentum is building.
Description of the solution
Managing methane emissions and routine flaring has quickly become a major focus for every oil and gas company worldwide. The landscape is filled with emerging technologies, and determining their effectiveness in reducing emissions makes an already challenging global dilemma more complex.
Companies’ decarbonization strategies can be simplified in terms of planning and execution. SLB creates amazing technology that unlocks access to energy for the benefit of all.
Companies’ assets, operations, and business economics are unique. That’s why SLB End-to-end Emissions Solutions (SEES) offers a one-stop shop for tailored solutions that work best for each particular company. SEES tackles methane and flaring challenges head-on with the tools and services needed to measure emissions, reduce methane, and achieve zero routine flaring.
SEES’ end-to-end approach: plan, measure, act. The SEES experience is built on these three pillars and is supported by a digital platform that helps companies unlock the full potential of their emissions management journey.
1) Plan
Whether the customer is looking to comply with Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0 reporting standards, satisfy regulatory requirements, earn certification, achieve zero routine flaring, or simply reduce emissions as economically as possible, the process begins by understanding customer’s asset and emissions management goals. SLB’s oilfield experts have a deep knowledge of emerging standards and technologies and have customized plans to help customers progress through all OGMP levels. Experts will work closely with the customer to develop his methane and flaring strategy.
2) Measure
SLB offers a full range of measurement technologies and use various approaches: bottom-up for OGMP Level 4, top-down for OGMP Level 5, and continuous monitoring. All SEES technologies provide quantitative emission rate measurements that are backed by extensive controlled release testing performed in partnership with multiple universities. Because no single technology is perfect, combining SEES measurements offers the benefit of trusted data from a single source. The end-to-end approach involves selecting technologies, performing the measurements, and reconciling the data.
3) Act
SLB performs measurements that provide actionable information and turn insights into action by fixing emissions. The team repairs leaks, performs facility audits to identify the root causes of emissions, and installs equipment to reduce or eliminate emissions. SLB does this keeping in mind the optimal methods that can eliminate methane emissions faster and with less cost. No matter the challenge, SLB is committed to implementing practical measures that have the biggest positive impacts on each customer’s business, and the planet.
SLB recognizes that managing emissions data can be manually tedious when information is spread across multiple sources, resulting in costly time spent. SEES methane digital platform is an emissions management software tool designed to integrate the data from all your measurement systems in a single location. SLB has built this tool to ensure that customer’s methane plans, measurements, and actions are easily accessible and facilitate efficient data management and reporting. With a full, accurate view of emissions across customer’s organization, he is empowered to make informed decisions and drive meaningful progress.
Description of the effect
Environmental benefits
• Sensors in SEES’ portfolio can detect leaks as small as 0.4 kg methane per hour, with location accuracy within six meters.
• Sensors installed at customer facilities have logged approximately 200,000 operating hours to date.
• SEES offers oil and gas producers a chance to eliminate a meaningful amount of the 120 mega-tonnes of methane emitted annually in the energy sector. More than 70% of emissions can be abated with existing technologies, after they are detected.
• SEES addresses emissions events that elude normal estimation based techniques. These include super-emitter sources of more than 10kg methane per hour that may be caused by malfunctioning equipment.
Financial benefits
• The cost of SEES measurement and abatement may be recouped in weeks or months based on the size and complexity of the emission source and the local price of natural gas.
• SEES provides a means to quantify the cradle-to-gate carbon footprint of existing natural gas production, giving consumers a powerful tool to force reduction of emissions in the energy supply chain
Company/companies that developed/implemented/offer the innovation
SLB is a global technology company driving energy innovation. To be a technology innovator stems from a common sense of purpose that unites the people of SLB. With a global footprint in more than 100 countries and employees representing almost twice as many nationalities, SLB works each day on innovating oil and gas, delivering digital at scale, decarbonizing industries, and developing and scaling new energy systems that accelerate the energy transition.
Headquarters: Houston, TX 77002, USA
Locations in 120 countries: https://www.slb.com/contact-us/locations
Website: https://www.slb.com/; SLB End-to-end Emissions Solutions (SEES)