Source: University of Texas at AustinResearchers from the University of Texas at Austin, the Environmental Defense Fund, ExxonMobil, the Gas Technology Institute (GTI) and Pioneer Natural Resources Company are developing a network of sensors for emissions monitoring across the oil and gas production industry.

The collaboration, called Project Astra, seeks to develop a sensor network that would continuously measure emissions of the greenhouse gas methane (the primary ingredient of natural gas) to locate potential leaks. Located in real-time, the sensor network would expedite the time it takes to both identify and fix leaks, thereby reducing emissions.

The first step the collaborators intend to take to develop the sensor network is to test methane-sensing technologies in the Permian Basin region of Texas and determine if they are capable of operating autonomously. Meanwhile, the entire network would be designed in virtual reality (VR), simulating oil and gas production in that section of Texas.

Developed by researchers at the University of Austin, the simulation will model real-time concentrations of methane along with other components of natural gas present in the atmosphere under standard operating conditions. The simulation will also model instances when unintended emissions are present.

The simulated atmosphere will eventually assist users in identifying methane sensors that would be most effective in collecting data. The system will also evaluate techniques for assessing the sensor data to locate unintended emissions.

The VR simulation is expected to be completed by the end of 2020.