Estimating fugitive methane emissions from Metering and Regulating Stations in Ohio, U.S.

Fugitive methane emissions from the natural gas industry contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and cause loss of product. Effective emissions mitigation strategies are dependent on accurate emissions estimations from natural gas infrastructure components. While substantial research has been based on the methane emissions from the natural gas production and transmission sectors, less research been done in the distribution sector. Metering and Regulating (M&R) stations in the natural gas supply chain are the points at which natural gas is transferred from transmission pipelines to distribution companies. Massive amounts of natural gas are transferred to the local distribution companies at these stations. The objective of this project is to identify and quantify leaks from 30 M&R stations in the state of Ohio. Mobile surveying methods using a cavity ringdown spectrometer mounted in a sport utility vehicle (SUV) allow measurements of methane concentration downwind of the metering stations. Inverse Gaussian plume dispersion modelling and statistical analyses will provide emission rates estimates for M&R stations in Ohio.