Gas distribution network

The EU methane regulation requires operators to find and repair methane leaks under defined LDAR rules. It distinguishes two types of inspection: LDAR type 1 targets larger leaks from 7,000 ppm or 17 grams per hour, type 2 smaller leaks from around 500 ppm or one gram per hour. Above the threshold, a first repair attempt must be made within five days and the full repair completed within 30 days at the latest.

For continuous leak detection, stationary methane sensors are permanently installed at gas pressure regulating and metering stations. Until now, municipal utilities have mostly checked their networks through manual inspections, which only capture individual points in time and tie up a lot of staff. Large cities such as Hamburg have more than 600 of these stations. Battery-powered sensors without cabling can be rolled out there quickly and report limit violations automatically by email.

Methane emissions can be quantified if the concentration is measured continuously together with ambient parameters. During a leak in a gas pressure regulating station, the Honeywell sensors recorded the entire course, from the rise to over 13,000 ppm to the decline after more than seven hours. From this, the amount released was calculated at around 145 grams. Temperature and humidity help to distinguish a real leak from normal fluctuations.

Gas network pressure can be optimised remotely with electric actuators and telemetry instead of being adjusted manually by season. A technology company offers a solution for this that aims to reduce methane leaks, enable biomethane injection and lower operating costs. On the Cumulocity platform, an automated microservice adjusts gas pressure in real time. In future, third-party devices and customers' SCADA systems are also to be integrated.