Project description

This report is an update of the June 2020 report titled “Overview of methane detection and measurement technologies for offshore applications”, prepared by Carbon Limits for Offshore Norge. It also builds upon the IOGP-Ipieca-OGCI Report 661 “Recommended practices for methane emissions detection and quantification technologies – upstream”, prepared by Carbon Limits. 

The report provides an overview of techniques and methods for methane detection and quantification for offshore applications, within the specific context of the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS). Recognizing that these technologies are often developed for use on land at onshore oil and gas facilities, technologies are assessed for current capabilities, and their relevance and/or limitations for offshore applications on the NCS. The report builds upon the 2020 report by both identifying technological updates and capabilities of previously included technologies and assessing more recent technologies, to track the progress of methane detection and quantification technologies over the past 3 years. Furthermore, increased focus on third party evaluations of technology performance for detection and quantification has driven the reliance on controlled release testing using standardized test protocols. These provide an evaluation of how technologies would perform when deployed, which moves beyond best-use-scenarios that may be marketed.