Aerial Methane Detection and Quantification System
Approved for funding in ERA’s Methane Challenge in 2017, Insight M, formerly Kairos Aerospace, developed their LeakSurveyor technology, a methane detection solution using an airborne platform. By project completion in 2018, the project demonstrated and validated the aerial methane imaging and quantification platform in Alberta.
Methane is a very potent greenhouse gas, and leakages, called fugitive emissions, are difficult to measure and track. Improvements in detection technologies are necessary to identify all the methane that is emitted and its source, in an accurate and timely way, so that all methane emissions can be mitigated. Methane leaks can happen intermittently, over very large areas, and with varying leak sizes. Ground-based surveillance has limitations due to the geographic scale that must be inspected for effective leak prevention and emissions mitigation. Area detection can address these issues and inspect a number of potential emissions sources over vast geographical areas to help us identify large leaks and super emitters.
Insight M’s LeakSurveyor system combines aerial methane detection instruments and data analysis to provide the location and size of methane emissions. The technology is designed to survey wide areas for large leaks, up to 125 square kilometers per day, remotely detecting and quantifying fugitive emissions. By performing frequent surveys, the LeakSurveyor provides actionable information to find and repair large fugitive methane emissions from upstream oil and gas facilities earlier than other inspection methods. Alberta poses specific challenges for the LeakSurveyor technology, such as colder temperatures, lower ambient light levels, and lower sun angles. The project aimed to tune the system for Alberta conditions, terrain and meteorology.
LeakSurveyor Ready for Commercial Implementation in Alberta
During the project, Alberta cold weather data was collected and calibrated to test and improve the LeakSurveyor results related to provincial condition-specific challenges. The project conducted release testing and field demonstrations that enabled technical improvements to the system’s reliability, processing algorithms, and tools while reducing operating costs. The demonstration survey detected four fugitive emissions sources with leak detection rates exceeding targets.
Final test flights were unable to take place in Alberta, due to adverse meteorological conditions from forest fire smoke, but final validation and demonstration results were sufficiently robust to determine the system’s operational capability in Alberta. Technical improvements to the system during the project also helped to advance the technology. The project was successful in testing and modifying the LeakSurveyor system based on local data and proved the technology ready for widespread commercial use in Alberta.
What’s next?
Going forward, Insight M will continue to advance their technology and service offerings. Insight M plans to conduct additional pilot projects in Alberta, as well as improve data analysis, automate detection, and record methane emissions. Insight M will continue to engage with regulators such as the AER with an overall strategy to gain regulatory approval for fugitive emission monitoring requirements.
Since project completion, Insight M has partnered with GHGSat, another ERA-supported project, for a multi-scale monitoring of methane emissions combining airborne, satellite and modelled assessments in the US. In 2022, Insight M saved their oil and gas customers almost $280 million in gas value and mitigated 70 million metric tons of CO2. In February 2024, they secured $52M in a Series D funding raise to expand globally.