Detection and Quantification of Natural Gas Leaks using Mobile Measurements in Amsterdam

Abstract

Fast mobile detection of gas leaks in urban natural gas networks results in speeding up leak detection and repair procedures, thus reducing methane (CH4) emissions and safety in urban areas. In this study, we carried out mobile measurements in the city of Amsterdam using high-precision methane analyzers installed in a van. As a result, 44 potential gas leaks were identified, i.e., leak indications (LIs), out of which 31 were quantified. Similar to other studies, a few large leaks in Amsterdam were contributing to a large proportion of the estimated total emissions. Two of the quantified LIs contributed to 76% of total emissions and these two leaks were fixed by the local gas distributor after locations were shared with the utility. The detection probability of significant CH4 enhancement (more than 10% above background) on single passages was, on average, about 70% for the smaller leaks and increased to 100% with bigger estimated size. Overall, 73 % of the confirmed leaks were already detected on the first pass by the measuring van. Our results indicate that mobile CH4 surveys can be a useful method that could be implemented in the management of natural gas (NG) distribution systems for faster detection of leak locations compared to common methods, and for leak quantification and repair prioritization in order to mitigate CH4 emissions. Further mobile measurements and improvements in the data analysis process of this method in collaboration with local gas distributors will improve detection and emission quantification of gas leaks in the natural gas network.