The Chisholm Brothers

Case Histories

We began as early actors, under the USIJI, Activities Implemented Jointly Under the Pilot Phase we undertook one of the world’s Eirst projects to focus on the reductions of methane fugitive emissions from the natural gas transmission sector.

In 1995 this project was one of the Eirst US EPA supported international projects. Description of the AIJ project

1. Title of project: RUSAGAS: Fugitive Gas Capture Project

https://unfccc.int/resource/docs/1997/sbsta/12a01.htm

The RUSAGAS Project will reduce greenhouse (GHG) emissions by capturing fugitive natural gas emissions at two compressor stations located in Pallasovka and Saratov, Russian Federation.

The project had an original projected lifetime of 25 years, and was implementing a program to systematically seal leaking valves at the compressor stations, and thereby reduce methane (CH4) emissions that would occur otherwise. The total estimated reduced emissions measured is 30,000,666  metric tonnes of CO2 equivalents

The RUSAGAS Fugitive Gas Capture Project reduced methane emissions in the natural gas transmission and distribution systems at two compressor stations through implementation of a technical program to seal leaking valves.

The compressor stations are located in Pallasovka and Saratov, and are named Pallasovskaya and Storozhovka, respectively.

The valves at each compressor station were sealed in the order of most to least leaky, with the total number of valves sealed dependent on the level of funding for each station.

We as the projects developers anticipated that all 70 leaking valves at the Pallasovskaya compressor station, and 80 of the 120 leaking valves at the Storozhovka station, were sealed in January 1998. The technologies employed in the valve-sealing program include the high-pressure sealant injection equipment with lubricant sealants and sealant fittings.

This assisted other actions as with the start of the UK emissions trading system in 2002 we worked with clients who then undertook emissions reductions as part of the UK's start of the world's First Nationwide Emissions Trading systems using our products and recommendations.

As we cooperated in the development of the clients’ Valve Maintenance Handbook at the conclusion of a multi-year study of their onshore natural gas transportation systems we were provided with a copy in the Handbook’s introduction was published;

“In operations valves are the source of more hydrocarbon leaks than any other equipment, Valve's contributed to 106 recorded leaks between 1992 and 2001, more than any other cause except human error and corrosion/erosion”

This work served to assist others in the development of the UN CDM Approved methodology the AM 0023 currently in its 4th revision. We provided comments and inputs into the 4th Revisions of the AM 0023 and now propose to make a new proposal, which will include the two new technologies for screening and monitoring.

As in these our other past pilot projects in Russia and Ukraine with Cherkasytransgas we, in addition to the solution technologies also undertook both technology transfers of the High Flow Meter and also provided maintenance training through client companies in the FSU and in the UK.

More recently we have focused on the development of new Fiber optic seismic sensing technology, originally designed specifically for downhole installation.

These multi-station, multi-component systems were deployed for the purpose of conducting seismic reservoir imaging and monitoring however this technology may also be used to best characterize the true seismic interval response in exploration applications, and in other applications used to monitor pipelines and production facilities.

Our recent efforts have targeted the use of new recording arrays for 3-D VSP for reservoir EOR CCS project monitoring and characterisation applications, however; the application for pipeline security monitoring, these pipeline security applications are now well proven with systems now installed in these applications.

Other Case Histories

El Paso Natural Gas Company in this Natural Gas STAR Case Study Series the EPA’s Natural Gas STAR program was a natural fit for El Paso.

The company had organized a methane emission reduction program before becoming aware of Natural Gas STAR.

Beginning in 1994, the company experienced an increase in unaccounted-for gas levels and formed an internal Methane Emission Reduction Team (MERT) to explain and address the issue. MERT included personnel from several departments that were affected by or monitored unaccounted-for gas, including El Paso’s Gas Measurement, Engineering, Compression, and Accounting personnel.

The group conducted a “brown paper” exercise to review their company’s processes and determine possible solutions.

https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2016-06/documents/ngstar_accomplishments_2008.pdf

more recently updated as Road to Climate Action Leader TM: El Paso Pipeline Case Study https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/Eiles/2017-06/documents/hutchins.pdf

See Enron: Transmission Partner of the Year

Building on earlier initiatives, Enron expanded its participation in the EPA/GRI/

PRC Leak Detection and Repair Program during 1997. More than 100 stations in

Enron's Environmental Transportation & Storage Division and 52 stations in its Gulf

Coast Operations were surveyed using the Hi-Flow Sampler to take direct volumetric leak measurements. In 1997, Enron realized emission reductions of 303 MMcf and a net proEit of $265,000 through its leak repair program.

In addition to leak detection and repair work, Enron has actively implemented

Best Management Practices, resulting in 1997 reductions of 887 MMcf, nearly double the annual reductions for 1996

United States

Environmental Protection Agency EPA430-F-00-002

January 2000 http://www.epa.gov/gasstar.

More than 60 Workshop participants gathered to: Discuss emerging technologies and practices

• Note the accomplishments of the STAR Program and program partners • Learn what other companies are doing to proEitably reduce emissions

• Present new program tools and documents

US EPA http://www.epa.gov/gasstar/documents/workshops/ 2001_workshop_summary.pdf

 Directed Inspection and Maintenance at Compressor Stations

https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2016-06/documents/ll_dimcompstat.pdf

PARTNER UPDATE SUMMER 2005

Installing Flow Wolf® Leak Locks to Reduce Methane Emissions https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2016-06/documents/summer2005update.pdf

Re: Measurement of the Emissions Reduction in Ukraine 

https://www.globalmethane.org/expo-docs/india10/postexpo/oil_mandra.pdf

also see:

https://www.globalmethane.org/documents/events_oilgas_20041115_mandra.pdf

Bruce Chisholm (Canada) Повторные измерения объемов снижения эмиссии метанаБрюс Кисхольм (Канада) Modern Technologies of Detection and Elimination of

Methane Leakages from Natural Gas Systems Using Commercial Off-the-Shelf Technology for Monitoring and VeriEication Abstract

Monitoring and verifying the steps taken to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases will become an ever-increasing requirement in the industry, especially as carbon taxes and emissions trading programs are now underway. The authors discuss the use of commercially available software to automatically monitor using sensors, the actual production and loss of greenhouse gases from pipeline and processing systems.

In some cases, monitoring of actual release is difEicult due to the expense of sensing and monitoring equipment.

In these cases, operating and maintenance practices must be employed.

Adherence to standard operating practices is notoriously difEicult to monitor and verify.

The authors discuss use of commercially available software and hardware that has been successfully used for many years to assist in the collection of such information and its use by the industry to demonstrate compliance to OSHA and FDA regulations and other international regulations,

This paper also discusses the software technologies developed by Honeywell to “merge” and Integrate the automatically collected data with the manually collected data and make accessible over the Internet, new metering systems that measure vent and Elare line Elows and how the combined systems can be used to detect, measure and record valve related and other leak sources.

Ukraine

According to the statistical reporting in the field of ecology, which is being conducted at PJSC "Ukrtransgas", methane emissions in transmission were:

2016 – 34,183.2 tons 2017 – 30,365.2 tons

“Reducing Methane Gas Leaks at Cherkasytransgas,”

https://www.globalmethane.org/documents/events_oilgas_20041115_mandra.pdf

PROJECT DETAILS Cherkasytransgas has actively engaged in methane leak detection and maintenance since 2002. Compressor stations are a major source of leaks in gas transmission systems due to the numerous components with leak potential found there.

Cherkasytransgas Case 

Study (Cherkassy, Ukraine)

Cherkasytransgas, a Ukrainian branch company of Ukrtransgas and one of Ukraine’s largest natural gas transmission companies, operates six transit gas pipelines from Russia and Turkmenistan through Ukraine and into Western Europe. The company (Cherkasytransgas) transports annually about 120 billion cubic meters of natural gas through 11 regions of Ukraine through a 5,000 km network into Western Europe. This poster describes Cherkasytransgas' activities.

Olena Mandra (Cherkasytransgas) or Suzie Waltzer (U.S. EPA Natural Gas STAR Program)

https://www.globalmethane.org/documents/events_oilgas_20041115_mandra.pdf

With a grant from Ecolinks, Cherkasytransgas launched a Directed Inspection and Maintenance program by hiring a survey consultant to identify and measure leaks at two of its compressor stations. The results enabled Cherkasytransgas to identify economical repair opportunities, and the company followed up by repairing over eighty percent of the identified leaks, eliminating two thirds of the leaks by volume, or 1.9 million cubic meters per year of methane

Valve Maintenance and Leak Mitigation This article describes a project to begin or enhance the use of cleaners, lubricants, and sealants on valves as part of their maintenance schedules.

Valves can be a significant source of methane emissions as scars on seating surfaces develop and create unintended pathways across the valve, causing fugitive emissions. Valves in natural gas service are more likely to exhibit leakage problems than valves in crude oil service for the simple reason that the oil itself is self-lubricating and dry natural gas is not.

The emissions that can result are leakage across shut valves or venting of the line to take it out of service for valve replacement.

Subject: FUGITIVE METHANE EMISSIONS

Date: 1996/07/08 on Newsgroups: alt.bbs.internet Original Text, SEAL SYSTEMS newsgroups: alt.bbs.internet a system for management of natural gas pipelines, methane, fugitive emissions.

sealsystems@internetMCI.com (Bruce Chisholm Hugh Chisholm)

 Friday, June 18, 2004, 18/6/04 First publication and organization: SEAL SYSTEMS PUBLISHED, Note [see additions] pages

And was published and received peer review and assistance from, Gulf Publishing Company

Published on August 1999 Vol. 82 No. 8 Copyright © 1999 Gulf Publishing Company

https://cdm.unfccc.int/methodologies/DB/PZN9ZCTGF3KHFH0W21NY0NYL6X5CIR

Note revised in version 4 is a Draft revision to the approved baseline and monitoring methodology

AM0023 Leak detection and repair in natural gas production, processing, transmission, storage and distribution systems and in refinery facilities.

Other projects

UNITED NATIONS ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR EUROPE

 Working Party on Gas Inland Transport Committee and more recently the UNECE GOE on pipeline leakages.

The BLUE CORRIDOR PROJECT Final Report of the Task Force on the use of natural gas as a motor fuel in international freight and passenger traffic UNITED NATIONS New York and Geneva

 https://unece.org/DAM/ie/pub/blue1.pdf

Footnote In addition beginning in 1994 working with The World Bank we designed and implemented with Perez Companc the Eirst World Bank Group sponsored CCUS project in Perez operations in Argentina .

We are following up on this project privately in order to prepare a summary report on the long term economic and environmental aspects of this early CCUS model.