HYDRAULIC FRACTURING ADVANCES
Sensor-based system allows
real-time detection, monitoring
of emissions in frac operations
Users can be alerted to take immediate
remedial action, while over time the data can
help to identify emissions, equipment trends
BY STEPHEN WHITFIELD, ASSOCIATE EDITOR
As the oil and gas industry continues to
adopt more stringent measures for reduc-
ing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, espe-
cially from significant contributors like
heavy fracturing equipment, it is criti-
cal companies can get accurate emis-
sions measurements directly in the field
to enable comprehensive monitoring and
tracking. Last year, SLB launched a real-time
sensor-based emissions detection and
monitoring system for hydraulic fractur-
ing operations, which the company says
can also be adapted for other applica-
tions like drilling. The sensors are placed
near heavy fuel-burning equipment like
engines and generators to analyze their
emissions data, which is then sent to the
cloud. Users can view visualizations of the
data on dashboards, and they also receive
alerts if GHG and other emission levels
surpass a predetermined threshold.
“As we look toward a net-zero future,
we’ve come to the conclusion that the first
step in solving the problem is to capture
the greenhouse gas emissions from the
wellsite as accurately as possible,” said
Rishika Narang, Information Management
Engineer at SLB. “We want to enable real-
time monitoring, and we want to make
sure that we can visualize the data in a
way that users don’t get stuck looking at
information they have no way to com-
prehend. We want the asset managers to
get notified whenever a key performance
objective for emissions levels that we have
in mind are breached.”
Ms Narang, who spoke at the 2023
SPE Hydraulic Fracturing Technology
Conference in The Woodlands, Texas,
on 2 February, said the system utilizes
electrochemical sensors that react with
gases in the air and identifies CO, CO 2 , NO 2 ,
hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S), nitric oxide (NO),
ozone (O 3 ) and methane (CH 4 ). Continuous
readings are sent through an application
programming interface (API) to a standard
query language server, which processes
the data and moves it to a cloud server at
one-minute intervals.
Real-time data visualization and analyt-
ics dashboards, available at the wellsite
and in offices, can then help users to
monitor emissions levels. If an emission
level crosses a user-set threshold for a
given parameter, an alarm pops up on the
dashboard to notify the user to examine
the source of the emissions and potentially
take remedial action. This might include
stopping specific pieces of equipment that
are generating an abnormal amount of
emissions. This type of monitoring can also be use-
ful for equipment monitoring and mainte-
nance. If users notice an increase in emis-
sions generated from a piece of machinery,
they can check it for potential issues like
corrosion. Further, SLB’s cloud-based algo-
rithms can spot trends related to issues
like fuel adulteration, as well as identify
low-performing assets emitting high lev-
els of emissions.
Data aggregation and analytics is anoth-
er key benefit. The system allows all emis-
sions data from a frac operation to be
collected in one place, so companies don’t
have to deploy different kinds of meters
and capturing devices that might produce
disparate data that are difficult to aggre-
gate and analyze.
Ms Narang said this functionality makes
it easier for asset managers to keep track of
data over time. It will also be beneficial for
frac crews who might not have been pres-
ent at an earlier stage in the frac operation,
as they will have the ability to easily view
emissions data from any point in time.
“Having this application gives us the
freedom to be in touch with the entire
data set, so you know exactly where the
emissions are coming from and where all
potential breaches could be happening,”
Ms Narang said.
Taking an even longer-term perspec-
tive, the emissions data accumulated over
time can help companies understand how
they can reduce their overall carbon foot-
print across multiple operations, as well as
provide critical data points for corporate
sustainability reports.
Pilot project
Last year, SLB conducted a pilot study of
the sensor system on a hydraulic fractur-
ing site for an unnamed operator. Sensors
were mounted near exhaust pipes of the
frac engines, where the maximum level of
emissions could cross the sensors. Sensors
were also placed within an enclosed cabin
on the frac site in order to measure the
cabin’s exhaust efficiency.
For this particular project, the sensors
were calibrated to measure two types of
particulate matter – fine particulate mat-
ter (PM2.5, which is less than 2.5 micro-
meters in diameter) and coarse (PM10).
They also measured CO 2 , NO 2 and H 2 S,
along with temperature, humidity and air
quality index.
Live data of all the gases were success-
fully captured and transmitted without
requiring manual calculation, according
to SLB.
The pilot also aimed to test the machine
learning algorithms within the cloud-
based system. Because the sensor system
requires continuous electricity to oper-
ate, the algorithms can be useful in the
event of electrical failures, by interpolating
emissions readings that might have been
missed. During the pilot, two sensors mea-
“Emissions monitoring system”
continued on page 35
D R I L L I N G C O N T R AC T O R • M A R C H/A P R I L 2023
33