courtesy Leak Surveys Inc.

Using infrared technology, a ConocoPhillips program to catch “fugitive” gas emissions looks set to save $10 million a year at select Canadian plant, new information put out by Canada’s oil industry advocates reveals.

A pilot programm on fugitive emissions and understood to involve Canadian supplier C5 Oilfield Enterprises showed the oil company was emitting greenhouse gases from 144 sources “that had not been detected by traditional gas detectors”. Crews in C5 helicopters were understood to have used infrafred scanners to find “fugitive sources” at 22 plants before ground crews shut them down —by turning a bolt or changing out a seal!

The Canadian oil industry now says that ConocoPhillips repaired 92 percent of the leaks. According to the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, the oil company recovered 18 percent of escaping greenhouse gas.

With at least an American deadline looming for implementing a fugitive gas-leak inspection and repair program, ConocoPhillips is an early mover and intends to do the C5 program across its facilities.

The pipeline industry is said to be behind the search for gas detection to scour hundreds of miles of potential emissions sources. Traditionally, hand-held “sniffer” gas-detector technology and “soaping” have been used to find gas leaks.

C5 got into fugitive emissions locating with its FLIR GasFinder HAWK infrared camera mounted on laster-equipped helicopters to find leaks on pipelines and faclities. The leaks show up as smoke from the source when viewed by the HAWK.

An American deadline for implementing a leak inspection program is Dec. 31, 2009. It is understood Canada has yet to implement a deadline.

Another company, perhaps with links to C5, operates out of Texas and is called Leak Surveys Inc. It’s Canadian subsidiary or distributor is called Maverick Inspection Ltd. Scandoil.com could not establish a link, although both company’s Web sites appeared to show the Hawk camera.

Tags: C5 Oilfield Enterprises, ConocoPhillips