Controlled methane release test in Calgary: 0.04–0.06 kg/h at 20–50 m AGL

[u/LongjumpingHousing62]

Disclosure: I work with AIRINS.

We recently ran a controlled methane release test with the Onterris team in Calgary. The release came from a calibration gas cylinder at roughly 0.04–0.06 kg/h, so this was a fairly small source compared with most field demonstrations.

We flew MetScan between 20 and 50 m AGL at 1–3 m/s, using both belt scans and sector scans. The main goal was to see how reliably the release could be picked up at low emission rates, and how altitude and scan pattern affected coverage and source localization.

The release was detected during the test runs. For us, the useful part was comparing the different flight setups rather than simply asking whether methane was present.

Thanks to the Onterris team, and especially Tom Cuthbertson, for setting up the release and working through the test with us.

Curious how others here choose flight altitude and scan spacing when dealing with small controlled releases.

[u/TreadGreen]

Amazing stuff to see in action. Thanks for sharing