Methane Leaks From Arctic Drilling Can't Be Reliably Detected; Infrared Doesn't Work Well @ -40F
The most widely-used technology for detecting methane leaks from oil and gas operations does not work reliably in extremely cold weather—like on Alaska's North Slope, according to recent research and the industry's own reports.
When the weather hits the extreme lows common around Prudhoe Bay, when the winds whip and the sun dips below the horizon for a few months, the infrared technology required to look for methane leaks isn't always able to find them. "A lot of the equipment just doesn't function well at -40 or -50," said James Plosay, who manages the air permits program for the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation's Division of Air Quality.
Across the country, recent reports have found that methane leaks from oil and gas infrastructure are under-reported. One recent study by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) found that as much as five times more methane could be leaking from sites in Pennsylvania than industry reports to state regulators.
But what's happening on Alaska's North Slope represents a unique problem—one of a litany of challenges facing operators in the punishing conditions there—and raises questions about how accurate estimates of fugitive emissions are in a place where the climate change stakes are among the highest.
EDIT
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/31052018/arctic-oil-gas-methane-leak-detection-technology-reliability-problems-alaska-climate-change
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