Qube Technologies has built the Controlled Release Test Facility (CRTF), roughly 60 km (~ 37 mi) west of Calgary, Alberta, which functions as a specialized field environment to conduct continuous monitoring (CM) emissions tests under controlled real-world conditions. 

Qube’s platform provides continuous emissions monitoring, using wind data, gas concentration, and source identification algorithms to detect methane leaks. However, users must verify alerts, as the algorithm benefits from operational input to ensure accurate source identification. 

By upgrading high-bleed pneumatic devices to low-bleed controllers and implementing robust monitoring programs, operators can achieve significant reductions in methane emissions. These proactive measures are essential for complying with evolving regulations and minimizing environmental impact. 

This study reinforces a core value proposition of the Qube platform: minimal sensing hardware is required to accurately quantify methane emissions, and the devices remain reliable year after year in the field without manual intervention. 

Qube deployed continuous monitoring devices with CH4 and CO sensors throughout a customer’s natural gas processing facility. The Qube sensors detected elevated emissions – specifically, increased CO concentrations – and reported this data to the customer via Qube’s dashboard.

We often hear from customers how important it is for their Qube Emissions data to integrate into their existing SCADA systems. For locating and troubleshooting issues, nothing beats having a single screen with integrated data about your facility’s operations alongside the atmospheric data and emissions model results reported by the Qube system. With the Qube REST API, this is all made easy. 

Emissions from oil and gas facilities are dynamic and often intermittent, meaning that standard measurement techniques may only capture a small portion of a facility's actual emissions. This is commonly known as intermittency, referring to the sporadic release of gases caused by operational changes or equipment issues.

This pilot showed that leaks do not occur at consistent intervals or emission rates. In fact, just 5% of the detected leaks represented ~55% of the total emissions over nine months of data collection. This distribution is similar to the oil and gas sector, where research has found that the top 5-10% of leaks represent 60-80% of emissions.

A typical “super-emitter” in the Permian Basin is equivalent to 10,000 bbq’s (1000 kg/h)