Aug 5 2015
Heath Consultants Incorporated (Heath), in collaboration with Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI), Thorlabs, Princeton University and University of Houston, has been selected by the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) to develop and demonstrate the RMLD™ Sentry for continuously monitoring, locating and quantifying volumetric leak rates of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from natural gas production sites.
To reliably detect and measure methane leakage at low cost, the fully autonomous system combines: a miniaturized version of the industry-leading laser-based Remote Methane Leak Detector (RMLD™); the InstantEye® miniature quadrotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicle with self-directed flight patterns; mid-infrared lasers; and advanced wind and plume models. The three-year program will test prototype units at selected field sites. The RMLD™ Sentry system is intended for widespread deployment to facilitate reducing the environmental impact and cost of natural gas leakage.