Example of drone usage offshore.
Climate and Energy
Eye in the sky
Methane is a GHG with Global Warming Potential approximatively 30 times that of CO2 when compared over 100 year period. Monitoring with drones is providing more accurate details on emissions from TotalEnergies’ assets. It also shows more precisely where those emissions are located, allowing for improved interventions.
What better than a bird’s eye view, to see exactly what’s going on?
In the summer of 2022, TotalEnergies EP Denmark conducted methane and carbon dioxide emissions monitoring of its offshore installations using drones equipped with bespoke AUSEA (Airborne Ultralight Spectrometer for Environmental Application) sensors. AUSEA detection technology, which consists of an ultra-light CO2 and CH4 sensor mounted on a drone, was developed in cooperation with the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and Université de Reims Champagne Ardennes. It is at the cutting edge of scientific research for detecting and quantifying methane emissions on site, with a high level of accuracy (>1kg/h).
As part of TotalEnergies’ global ambition to get to Net Zero by 2050, the aim of the drone campaign was to identify, quantify and reduce methane emissions from our operations. Previously, emissions could only be estimated, and the use of drones allows us to detect and measure emissions on site in real-life conditions.
“Drone monitoring shows whether estimates used previously are representative. What we have found is that in most cases our emissions are relatively lower than the estimates we use and report externally,” says Charlotte Larsen, Senior Environmental Advisor.
“Methane reduction is a high priority in our efforts to shrink our carbon footprint. In early 2022, TotalEnergies set very ambitious methane reduction targets for the decade ahead, calling for a 50% reduction from 2020 levels by 2025 and by 80% by 2030.”
– Dana Nasr, Environmental Manager
The data foundation
The drones are flown in a specific pattern, descending vertically in the emissions plume down-wind of a platform to monitor the level of methane and carbon dioxide. This results in an image which shows hot spots, like a thermal photograph. The sensors can detect methane molecules even if it is windy and the drone can work effectively in wind speeds of up to 9 meters per second.
“This is the second year we have been flying with drones, so we are creating the data foundation and we plan to repeat this in 2023. It’s good that we can continue to show that the data is consistent and document our performance with regard to emissions, as well as gaining an idea of where we can make the most effective interventions to reduce emissions,” says Larsen.
With regard to safety, a lot of precautions are taken, such as the drones flying next to, rather than over the platform, and a new permit to work is secured for each flight.
80%
by 2030 in methane reduction is TotalEnergies’ ambition. The local drone campaign is a part of this, where the aim is to identify, quantify and reduce methane emissions linked to its operations.
“Drone monitoring shows whether estimates used previously are representative. What we have found is that in most cases our emissions are relatively lower than the estimates we use and report externally.”
– Charlotte Larsen, Senior Environmental Advisor
Effective and safe
The AUSEA campaign in 2022 measured the concentration of methane and carbon dioxide in flare plume transect and turbine plume transects. The results were compared to production data for reconciliation as well as to compare the measurements with operational conditions on the day of the flight.
The results have shown that TotalEnergies CO2 emissions in Denmark – covering the calculated, monitored and reported values – are aligned with results for all installations covered. The data also show methane emissions tend to be lower than the calculated values most of the time, though some peaks were identified, mostly due to variations in production operations.
“This is the safest way to do monitoring, having machines do the measuring. If there is any kind of problem, the drones revert to a location away from the platform and a flight can easily be aborted,” Larsen adds. “And at the end, the data gives us a more solid base of evidence, with real values instead of estimated.”
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