As the demand to mitigate and adapt to climate change has taken center stage, methane emissions is one of the most discussed issues facing the gas industry today. Through research and development (R&D) as well as education and training, Gas Technology Institute (GTI) is working to address near-term opportunities to reduce greenhouse gases.
GTI’s R&D initiatives are developing tools, technologies, and methodologies for detection, quantification, prevention, and mitigation of methane emissions from natural gas systems. The organization is also leading the annual CH4 Connections conference November 2-3 in Washington, DC, to promote the exchange of ideas from a host of perspectives.These efforts support U.S. priorities to develop cost-efficient and effective ways to mitigate methane emissions from natural gas infrastructure and address near-term opportunities to reduce greenhouse gases.
GTI recently received several U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) contract awards to develop cost-efficient and effective technologies to address the issues:
- – Under a $1.2 million DOE contract award, GTI and Jet Propulsion Laboratory will develop and test a high-efficiency integrated Methane Mitigation Thermoelectric Generator (MMTEG)/burner system in a field pilot for oil and gas field operations. The system will substitute air instead of natural gas as the operating fluid for pneumatic controllers, resulting in energy recovery and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
- – GTI along with AECOM, GHD Services, Inc., and WSU Laboratory for Atmospheric Research will conduct field campaigns to measure methane emissions from new and vintage plastic, plastic-lined steel, cast-iron pipes, and gas meter sets for industrial customers. The primary objective of this $1.1 million DOE project is to collect information on parameters that would allow further classification of pipeline and meter emission categories to improve the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) U.S. Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory. This information helps operators prioritize the repair of leaks to maximize reduction of methane emissions.
- – GTI and RTI International will serve as subcontractors to PPG Industries in a DOE-sponsored project to develop and demonstrate a system to provide remote monitoring of natural gas pipeline conditions and to provide early detection of factors that may lead to an unintended release of methane.
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