Greenhouse Gas Emission Monitoring

 

Quantitative measurement of man-made emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) is serious challenge.  The EPA has recently proposed a mandatory greenhouse gas reporting rule, and Congress is considering several regulatory approaches to reducing greenhouse gas emission. The program aims component is to advance the measurement sciences and provide the standards required to meet the challenges associated with quantitative measurement of GHG emissions.

 

Operative Framework

 

Objective:       Provide the U.S. with the measurement standards and technologies necessary to accurately measure greenhouse gases (GHGs) with traceability to the SI

Goal 1:      Provide industry and government with measurement capabilities consistent with relevant regulation and law with existing technologies

1.      Inform the NIST program through interactions with industry and government to further use of measurement tools as the basis for inventories traceable to the SI

·         Hold a symposium on measurements and the environment

i.        Partner with EPA, NOAA, NASA, Industry Groups, form steering committee, etc.

·         Active involvement with relevant stakeholders in industry, government, and academia

2.      Point and Distributed Source Monitoring

·         Provide standards traceable to the SI from local to global monitoring

i.        GHG concentration standards

ii.      Carbon content in combustion fuels and residues

·         Improve accuracy of measurement methodologies for stack gas velocity measurements

i.        Develop a test bed characterized for CO2 emission accurate to 1% or less

ii.      Develop and demonstrate methodologies for total gas velocity measurement protocols evaluate performance

·         Determine measurement needs for existing distributed source monitoring systems

3.      Documentary standards and accreditation of private-sector measurement providers

·         Assess current status of national and internationally-recognized standards for point, mobile and geographically distributed GHG sources and sinks

·         Documentary standards

i.        Identify regulatory requirements (EPA and others)

ii.      Determine international standards that are applicable (e.g., ISO/IEC 16045)

Goal 2:      Develop and validate new measurement tools to support quantitative characterization and verification of GHG sources and sinks

1.      Standoff measurement methods

·         Active methods

i.        LIDAR-base GHG flux measurements - Develop and demonstrate advanced technology approaches for distributed sources for methane from landfills, concentrated animal feeding operations, freight terminal, etc. and from distributed CO2 sinks

1.      Apply differential laser absorption spectroscopy to the measurement of GHG concentrations over a 1 – 2 kilometer range

2.      Develop air flow velocity measurements to allow full GHG flux profiling

ii.      Passive methods

1.      Improve accuracy of hyperspectral imaging techniques for detection and determination of fugitive emissions

a.       Evaluate sensitivity and assess quantitative capability

·         Optical spectral reference data

i.        Provide data at highest levels of accuracy levels to support new measurement approaches

ii.      Work with the community to validate the accuracy of widely used spectral libraries and codes.

Goal 3:      Deploy validated measurements-based methodologies for GHG emissions and inventories

This goal is a visionary goal contingent on full funding of the NIST program and cooperation and participation of relevant entities.  Its general approach is to develop and demonstrate methodologies for the most important individual source types as a prelude to developing a demonstration project involving a significantly sized geographical area containing multiple sources and sinks.  The goal of this latter phase is to demonstrate that measurements-based inventories can be established for realistic cases.

1.      Protocols for field measurements of GHG flux

2.      Technology transfer to appropriate stakeholders

3.      Demonstration for total GHG fluxes over a small, but significant area (e.g. Montgomery County MD)

 

Related Project Information:

 

Smokestack Monitoring Testbed

 

Measurements of GHG emission at power plant and similar manufacturing facilities rely on continuous emission monitors (CEMs). The precision and accuracy of existing CEM instruments for carbon dioxide is unknown. Emission determinations having large, unquantified errors will make it difficult to conduct a meaningful emissions inventory or establish regulation. The object of the program component is to validate the performance of existing CEM technology using emission from the NIST Large Fire Laboratory and expertise in precision thermometry and gas flow metrology.

 

Planned Activities:

•          Testbed development – Develop  a CEM testbed to quantify, validate and lower measurement uncertainty for CO2

•          CEM Evaluation – Evaluate performance of commercial CEMs against flows at the NIST Large Fire Laboratory

•          Extension to other GHGs – Extent Capabilities to N2O and CH4

•          Develop appropriate standard reference materials

 

Leveraged Resources:

•          NIST Large Fire Laboratory (www.bfrl.nist.gov/info/facilities.html#burn)

•          Precision Thermometry Expertise (www.cstl.nist.gov/div836/836.05/thermometry/home.htm)

•          Gas flow Measurement Capabilities (www.cstl.nist.gov/div836/836.01/Gas_Flow.html)

 

 

Standoff Flux and Concentration Measurements from Distributed Sources

 

GHG emissions are not only released through a smoke stacks or exhaust vents, but also by distributed sources, such from intentional and unintentional leaks though out a refinery or from landfills. These are sometimes called fugitive emissions. A detailed inventory of greenhouse gas emissions cannot be undertaken with measurement of the emissions from these sources.  The objective of this program component is to accelerate the innovation of technologies could revolutionize the detection and monitoring of fugitive emission.

 

Planned activites:

•          Laser Reference Sensor Technology – Develop high-accuracy leaser measurement of Co2 fluxes

•          Comb-based sensors – Apply optical comb technology to passively retrieve radiances necessary to quantify GHG levels

•          Atmospheric Reference Data – Provide benchmark atmospheric data to validate transmittance modeling used to quantify GHG levels

•          Hyperspectral Imaging – Demonstrate high-accuracy measurements of plume emissions

•          Model validation – Validate mass balance flux measurements using optical methods

 

Leveraged Resources:

•          Expertise in precision spectroscopic measurements (cf. e.g. App. Phys.B—Laser & Optics, 85, 375-382)

•          Expertise in laser development and optical technology (e.g. J. Quant. Spec. Rad. Trans. 109, 458-467)

 

For more information, contact James Whetstone (301-975-2600;james.dot.whetstone.at.nist.gov)