Case Study: Uncrewed Aerial Measurement Systems Target Effective Methane Reduction
2 August 2024
Taking climate action has become a strategic priority for corporations worldwide. bp, a global energy company and Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI) member, is aiming for net zero operations by 2050 or sooner and has been actively seeking and adopting technologies that enable this over several years.
This was how bp first identified Austin-based SeekOps, a technology company that takes a scientifically-robust approach to advanced methane detection, localization, and quantification using uncrewed aerial systems. bp’s partnership with SeekOps has empowered it to help manage its global methane emissions with confidence, furthering its net-zero ambitions.
Geographic coverage and applicability
Globally applicable onshore and offshore – across all six major continents – through an established network of top-tier regional drone service providers (DSPs), trained and certified in the deployment of the SeekOps sensors. Current market segments include upstream (onshore and offshore), midstream and downstream oil and gas, biogas and biomethane production, and landfill and landfill gas production/upgrading.
Customer benefits and value
- Cost savings: Achieves 50%-70%+ cost savings compared to current industry-standard Optical Gas Imaging (OGI) camera surveys
- Ultra-sensitive detection: Detects emissions as low as 0.02 kg/hr, surpassing aerial surveys’ capabilities of 2-5 kg/hr; No false positives or negatives
- Enhanced precision: Pinpoints methane emissions with unprecedented accuracy, ensuring thorough monitoring and mitigation
- Compliance assurance: consistent with reporting requirements, including OGMP 2.0 Level 5 Gold Standard, and upcoming EPA regulations
- Other relevant sector applications:
- Maximizes carbon credits and accelerates revenue for biogas and biomethane producers
- Detailed emission distribution analysis for landfill owners
- Optimizes upgrader sizing and gas collection well placement
Awards/ Certification/Compliance
- ADIPEC Start Up of the Year (2022)
- ONE Future Technology of the Year (2022)
- SPE Aberdeen Offshore Achievement Award winner
- Hart Energy 40 under 40 (Brendan Smith, SeekOps’ Co-Founder and CTO)
- ISO 9001-Certifed Operations and Workflows
- Regulatory Approvals: Alberta AltFEMP and Colorado Alt-AIMM
Key Customers
Leadership:
Iain Cooper
Website:
seekops.com
Contact person:
Paul Khuri
pkhuri@seekops.com
A collaborative journey
The journey began in 2018 when bp was considering options for managing fugitive emissions and leaks in its onshore business in the US. Having tested several potential technologies, SeekOps emerged as a preferred partner. Initial studies highlighted the significant difference between bp’s qualitative observations and field-proven measurements. SeekOps’ accurate direct quantification of methane (at the part-per-billion level) not only pinpointed ‘where am I emitting?’ but also ‘how much?’.
To explore the technology’s ability to provide consistent results for ‘apples-to-apples’ comparisons of emissions rates at the asset level, SeekOps surveyed bp’s large onshore facility in Oman. The results confirmed historical reports, revealing that on permanently crewed sites, response to leaks is faster than on uncrewed sites. SeekOps’ detailed, equipment-level quantitative approach provided insights into process-related emissions, identifying opportunities for intervention.
“Our partnership with SeekOps has successfully supported and improved bp’s emissions monitoring,” said Peter Evans, Senior Engineer – Methane Measurement and Reduction at bp. “Its breakthrough technology provides accurate, field-proven measurements, allowing us to quantify emissions with greater confidence.”
Venturing Offshore
By 2019, the partnership extended offshore, with SeekOps improving its highly sensitive sensors for detecting and quantifying methane emissions from bp North Sea offshore platforms via a project with the Net Zero Technology Center (NZTC) in the UK. SeekOps’ detection sensitivity demonstrated that offshore facilities could be measured with its sensors despite the rigors of the offshore environment, allowing precise measurements up to 500m from platforms, whilst significantly improving detection limits. To date, SeekOps has surveyed 11 bp offshore facilities of different designs, regularly repeating tests. Its capability extends to challenging measurements, such as emissions during tanker loading. Leveraging this success, SeekOps has taken its technology worldwide, surveying over 100 unique offshore facilities with different oil and gas producers, thereby expanding its technological capability and geographic reach.
Meeting sustainability goals
Two years into the partnership, in 2020, bp prioritized measuring methane as a crucial aspect of its sustainability goals. bp is also a member of the United Nation’s Oil and Gas Methane Partnership’s (OGMP) voluntary framework, which aims to enhance transparency in reporting oil and gas emissions (OGMP 2.0). Working with SeekOps, bp has demonstrated its readiness to provide credible, site-level quantification, meeting OGMP requirements. Subsequently, bp signed the OGCI-led Aiming for Zero Methane Emissions Initiative and was one of the 50 founding signatories of the Oil and Gas Decarbonization Charter (OGDC) launched during COP28 in Dubai, reinforcing its commitment to methane reduction.
SeekOps utilized the new reporting expectations to enhance its measurement campaigns at bp’s major gas processing facility in Azerbaijan. Owing to the complexity of the site, SeekOps created a ‘playbook’ that divided the large site into smaller subgroups, enabling easy measurement of each subgroup and providing the total asset level emissions. The analysis revealed the importance of having a reliable solution that could identify emissions at the equipment group level. While OGMP reporting requirements were met, the surveys highlighted some variation from bottom-up source level measurements.
“SeekOps’ methodical approach to our challenges not only helps bp meet the OGMP2.0 reporting requirements but also reveals valuable and actionable insights into emissions and mitigation opportunities at the equipment group level,” said bp’s Methane Advisor, Isabella Stocker.
Towards standard monitoring services
While previous surveys were exploratory and aimed at understanding emissions profiles, consistent methodologies and performance metrics are essential for site-level measurements to effectively mitigate methane. Recognizing the differences between site-level measurements and reported values is not enough – a systematic investigation is necessary for reconciliation.
In 2021, additional controlled release experiments with the Net Zero Technology Center (NZTC) helped understand measurement uncertainties and influencing factors. This understanding has informed OGMP guidelines on uncertainty and reconciliation.
SeekOps has also obtained ISO 9001 accreditation, ensuring adherence to quality standards in technology and service delivery, thus guaranteeing a globally consistent workflow, critical for the transition from research to an accepted methodology for bp’s routine operations.
Systematic global expansion
With the success achieved, bp and SeekOps continue to expand their collaboration globally. Recent measurements in territories including Trinidad and the Gulf of Mexico have led to a systematic global approach to aerial surveys. Additionally, bp’s collaboration with UK’s Queen Mary University to assess emissions complexity and the importance of weather patterns and SeekOps’ work in Indonesia, focusing on plume dispersion in low wind conditions, highlight the continuous improvement mindset of both organizations to optimize both the number of measurements and when to do them, enabling improved operational planning.
The transition from R&D to regular repeat surveys is now being rolled out globally across the bp organization, with SeekOps providing a standard of service and consistency of measurements facilitating transparent reporting and enabling rapid abatement, based on a collaborative scientific relationship.
“The partnership between Climate Investment investor, bp, and our investee SeekOps exemplifies a collaborative journey built on trust, paving the way for emission reduction,” said Daniel Palmer, CI’s Managing Director for Commercialization.
“SeekOps’ innovative technology, coupled with bp’s unwavering commitment to sustainability, has resulted in significant advancements in methane detection and reporting. Together, they are forging a path towards a more sustainable future, one measurement at a time.”
SeekOps currently operates on six continents and extends beyond oil and gas, with active engagement in the biogas, landfill, and waste management sectors. Through its adaptable technology, SeekOps provides accurate methane detection solutions across industries, fostering sustainability improvements for multiple corporations. In 2023, across all operations, SeekOps measured 421,822 metric tonnes/year of methane emissions globally (11,875,920 metric tonnes CO2e/year1) from oil and gas, biogas, and landfill operations—equivalent to over 2.8 million gasoline-powered cars on the road for a year.
1Calculated as hourly rate in kilograms x 24 (hours per day) x 365 (days per year) x 29.8 (IPCC Assessment Report 6 GWP for methane)/ 1000 for tonnes of CO2e per year.
