(Newswire.net — April 13, 2024) — According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration website, in the first quarter of 2022, the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved three projects aimed at increasing U.S. natural gas exports through pipelines and liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Among the projects approved by FERC are two connecting to LNG terminals in Louisiana. The first is the Evangeline Pass expansion project, a project of the Tennessee Natural Gas Pipeline Company with a scale of 1.1 billion cubic feet per day. The project includes 13.1 miles of new pipeline and two new compressor stations that will deliver natural gas to the proposed Plaquemines LNG project in Louisiana.
Another project, a 170 million cubic feet per day project being developed by TC Energy, will use the existing capacity of the Great Lakes Gas Transmission (GLGT) system and the ANR pipeline to add a new compressor station in Evangeline, Louisiana, Increased available capacity at LNG export facilities in the Midwest and U.S. Gulf Coast regions. The project also improves domestic gas infrastructure in these areas.
The third project approved by FERC is the Energia Costa Azul LNG export project, which will transport U.S. natural gas via pipeline to Baja California, Mexico, expanding production capacity by 500 million cubic feet per day.
For gas company personnel, the inspection of gas pipelines is mainly to detect the pipeline itself and the environmental conditions within one kilometer of the pipeline. Common methods include manual inspection and drone inspection.
How does a laser detect methane gas leaks?
It does this by emitting laser light in a specific spectral range while a sensor captures its reflection, quickly detecting trace amounts of methane gas in the air. When gas is present along the path of the laser, the light is partially absorbed. Then calculate the concentration of methane.
Natural gas pipelines are usually distributed linearly, with pipeline lengths often reaching hundreds of kilometers.
Inspection of natural gas pipelines mainly monitors the pipeline itself and the environmental conditions within one kilometer of the pipeline. The use of drones in the oil and gas industry can effectively address these environmental constraints compared to traditional manual inspections and vehicle inspections. The drone is equipped with a high-precision laser methane telemeter, which can penetrate various complex environments and realize manual and accurate point-to-point detection, flight detection of gas pipeline routes, and scanning detection of key areas.
Advantages of Laser Methane Detector
- The UAV laser methane detector is a lightweight UAV-borne equipment adapted to UAVs. It has high sensitivity, fast detection response speed, reduced cost, and reduced operation risks.
- Laser methane gas detector based on semiconductor laser absorption spectroscopy technology. It can detect parameters such as methane gas concentration in various environments with high accuracy, fast response, high reliability, and low operating cost.
- Compared to fixed gas leak detectors, drones are not only a more cost-effective way to solve the problem but also a more effective method.
PURWAY CH-4 laser methane detector is a lightweight natural gas leak inspection payload.
The load uses tuned diode laser absorption spectroscopy technology to detect the methane (CH4) component in the air and is integrated into the UAV system to achieve non-contact detection. The load also integrates a visible light sensor and a laser rangefinder to realize visual inspection and accurately locate the leak point coordinates in real-time. The CH-4 laser methane telemeter has become a safe, efficient, and accurate productivity tool during natural gas inspection operations, greatly reducing the work intensity of inspection workers.