Natural Gas Monitors Used to Detect Methane Gas in Well Drilling Sites and Stations

Everyday millions of industrial manufacturing companies use dangerous chemicals and gases in the production of goods or services. Power plants, coal mines, oil and gas wells all have an inherent risk of producing gas leaks and quickly releasing combustible gases into work environments. In confined spaces and small facilities these threats are increasingly dangerous. Certain gases can easily ignite and explode causing major damage to equipment and more importantly human lives. In order to provide a safe work environment, managers are investing in gas detection systems used to the continuously monitor the air for hazardous threats. Electrochemical sensors are used to detect toxic gases, while catalytic beads and infrared sensors are used to detect combustible gases. Some of the advantages of catalytic gas detectors include: increased reliability in atmospheres where airbo
e dust and dirt are prevalent. They are more durable to industrial contaminants, humidity, condensation and pressure changes, but periodically require additional calibration. Infrared sensors are immune to chemical interference and require less overall and frequent calibration and no minimum oxygen level to function. In some instances, they are used in conjunction with catalytic beads.

Natural gas wells all over the United States are utilizing these gas detection technologies in their compression stations and processing plants. In order to transport the natural gas, compression stations must cool the natural gas and pressurize it enough to move it through the pipelines to the processing plant. Each station may contain up to four compressors that generate a significant amount of heat and vibration. This combination of mechanical activity can lead to leaks in the system, particularly near flanges and seals. Since natural gas contains a large portion of methane, any leakage of methane in a compression station can lead to fire and explosion. Unlike residential natural gas, unadulterated natural gas is odorless and does not provide the unique smell of rotten eggs, a quick and easy identifier that something is wrong. While exposure to low levels of natural gas is not harmful to one’s health, high levels in a small, poorly ventilated area could cause breathing problems due to the lack of oxygen. Other symptoms in human include dizziness, fatigue, nausea and headaches. Infrared sensors and catalytic sensors are used for monitoring methane in these confined areas.Methane gas has a lower explosive limit(LEL) of approximately 5%. LEL, also known as the flammability limit of a gas, is the concentration needed for the gas to ignite. Detecting high levels of methane is crucial the equipment and personnel safety in the natural gas drilling industry.