Bridger Photonics: Next-generation Methane Detection and Quantification for the Oil and Gas Industry with Gas Mapping LiDAR™
Overview of Bridger’s Gas Mapping LiDAR™
In 2015, Bridger
Photonics
released a proprietary core Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology capable of extremely
precise distance measurements and 3D imaging as a solution for precision manufacturing industries.
In search of longer-range applications, the Bridger Photonics team discovered that the use of continuous-wave lasers in LiDAR technology was also ideally suited for methane gas detection and quantification. As a result, in 2019, Bridger Photonics released Gas Mapping LiDAR™, a data service that dramatically simplifies the process of detecting, locating and quantifying methane gas leaks across the entire natural gas value chain.
Gas Mapping LiDAR™ remotely detects and images methane leaks with airborne sensitivity that allows operators to “skip” ground-crew monitoring. Bridger Photonics generates actionable data products that direct operators to the precise location of leak sources, thereby streamlining the repair process and efficiently reducing overall emissions. From an aerial platform, Bridger’s Gas Mapping LiDAR™ sensor scans oil and gas infrastructures and detects fugitive emissions in real-time. The Bridger Photonics team then delivers a map that pinpoints the precise GPS location, concentration, and emission rate of each leak, helping operators prioritize leak responses. With its precise detection capabilities, Gas Mapping LiDAR™ reduces the exposure of field crews to hazards, reduces the cost of leak detection, and enables major methane emissions reductions across the United States and Canada.
Reducing Methane Emissions Using Gas Mapping LiDAR™
On average, Bridger Photonics detects approximately 1.8 kg/hr of methane emissions per production site, which is the equivalent of 567 MTCO2e per site per year. Since the release of Gas Mapping LiDAR™ in January 2019, Bridger Photonics has roughly doubled the number of production sites it has scanned each quarter, and Bridger aims to scan more than 50 percent of U.S. and Canadian production sites within the next three years. It is estimated that by scanning 50 percent of active production sites in Alberta, Canada, Gas Mapping LiDAR™ will detect approximately 24 million MTCO2e in emissions per year.
To ultimately reduce methane emissions, oil and gas operators use the emissions detections from Gas Mapping LiDAR™ in combination with repair actions or infrastructure upgrades. Bridger Photonics continues to work closely with industry operators to improve the accuracy of its data products and to ensure each leak detection activity efficiently facilitates the necessary repairs.
Expanding the Use of LiDAR
Bridger Photonics aims to become the worldwide market leader for aerial methane monitoring in the oil and gas industry. Beyond the oil and gas industry, Bridger Photonics has engaged with solid waste companies to explore Gas Mapping LiDAR™ applications in landfill monitoring and emissions quantification. Using sensitive spatial mapping, Gas Mapping LiDAR™ can identify methane hot spots to assist in overall methane reduction efforts which enables targeted odor mitigation for landfill operators.