Methane leakage from natural gas systems
Measured rates of natural gas or methane leakage include top-down (atmospheric) and bottom-up (direct) measurements. Results plotted to the right of ratio 1 imply greater methane leakage observed than expected.
Natural gas is a potential "bridge fuel" between the current (largely) fossil-based energy system and a renewable-dominated future energy system. It emits less carbon dioxide during combustion than other fossil fuels and can be used flexibly in many industries. Also, the use of gas turbines may allow flexible grid response in high renewable fraction grids.
However, because of the high global warming potential (GWP) of methane, leakage from natural gas systems can have large impacts on the climate impacts of gas use. Our research agenda in natural gas systems has two key goals:
1. Improve our understanding of the rates and locations of natural gas leakage through systematic synthesis and comparison of research on gas leakage at all scales.
2. Improve leakage detection technology by applying state-of-the-art detection and computational analysis tools to find large leaks of gas in a low-cost fashion.
3. Test methane detection technologies in the field in a fair and unbiased fashion in order to improve our understanding of the performance of various detection options.
Supporting information
Documentation of experimental setup for Rutherford, Sherwin, Brandt field experiments of 2021 [pdf]
Supporting calculations for Brandt et al. 2014: Worksheet v62 as published [xlsx].
Publications
2019
Ravikumar, A.P., Sreedhara, S., Wang, J., Englander, J., Roda-Stuart, D., Bell, C., Zimmerle, D., Lyon, D., Mogstad, I., Ratner, B. and Brandt, A.R., 2019. Single-blind inter-comparison of methane detection technologies – results from the Stanford/EDF Mobile Monitoring Challenge. Elem Sci Anth, 7(1), p.37. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.373
Wang, J., Tchapmi, L. P., Ravikumar, A. P., McGuire, M., Bell, C. S., Zimmerle, D., Savarese, S., Brandt, A. R. (2020). Machine vision for natural gas methane emissions detection using an infrared camera. Applied Energy, 257, 113998. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2019.113998
2018
Englander, J.G.; Brandt, A.R.; Conley, S.; Lyon, D.; Jackson, R.B. (2018). Aerial inter-year comparison and quantification of methane emissions persistence in the Bakken formation of North Dakota, USA. Environmental Science & Technology. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.8b01665
R.A. Alvarez, D. Zavala-Araiza, D.R. Lyon, D.T. Allen, Z.R. Barkley, A.R. Brandt, K.J. Davis, S.C. Herndon, D.J. Jacob, A. Karion, E.A. Kort, B.K. Lamb, T. Lauvaux, J.D. Maasakkers, A.J. Marchese, M. Omara, S.W. Pacala, J. Peischl, A.L. Robinson, P.B. Shepson, C. Sweeney, A. Townsend-Small, S.C. Wofsy, S.P. Hamburg. Assessment of methane emissions from the U.S. oil and gas supply chain. Science. DOI: 10.1126/science.aar7204
*Ravikumar, A.P., J. Wang, M. McGuire, C. Bell, D. Zimmerle, A.R. Brandt. “Good versus Good Enough?” Empirical tests of methane leak detection sensitivity of a commercial infrared camera. Environmental Science & Technology. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.7b04945
2017
Gvakharia, A., E.A. Kort, M.L. Smith, J. Peischl, J.P. Schwarz, A.R. Brandt, T.B. Ryerson, C. Sweeney. Methane, black carbon, and ethane emissions from natural gas flares in the Bakken Shale, ND. Environmental Science & Technology. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.6b05183
Ravikumar, A.P., A.R. Brandt. Designing better methane mitigation policies: The challenge of distributed small sources in the natural gas sector. Environmental Research Letters 12 044023
Ravikumar, A.P., Wang, J., Brandt, A.R. Are Optical Gas Imaging Technologies Effective for Methane Leak Detection? (2017) Environmental Science and Technology, 51 (1), pp. 718-724. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.6b03906.
2016
Kort, E.A., M.L. Smith, L.T. Murray, A. Gvakharia, A.R. Brandt, J. Peischl, T.B. Ryerson, C. Sweeney, K. Travis. Fugitive emissions from the Bakken shale illustrate role of shale production in global ethane shift. Geophysical research letters. DOI: 10.1002/2016GL068703
Lyon, D.R., R.A. Alvarez, D. Zavala-Araiza, A.R. Brandt, R.B. Jackson, S.P. Hamburg. Aerial surveys of elevated hydrocarbon emissions from oil and gas production sites. Environmental Science & Technology. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.6b00705
Peischl, J. A. Karion, C. Sweeney, E. A. Kort, M. L. Smith, A.R. Brandt, T. Yeskoo, K.C. Aikin, S.A. Conley, M. Trainer, S. Wolter, and T.B. Ryerson. Quantifying atmospheric methane emissions from oil and natural gas production in the Bakken shale region of North Dakota. Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmospheres. DOI: 10.1002/2015JD024631
*Ravikumar, A.P., J. Wang, A.R. Brandt. Are optical gas imaging technologies effective for methane leak detection? Environmental Science & Technology. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.6b03906
2014
Brandt A.R., Heath, G.A., Kort, E.A., O'Sullivan, F., Petron, G., Jordaan, S.M., Tans, P., Wilcox, J., Gopstein, A.M., Arent, D., Brown, N.J., Bradley, R., Stucky, G.D., Eardley, D., Harriss, R. (2014). Methane Leaks from North American Natural Gas Systems. Science (343) 733-735. DOI:10.1126/science.1247045
Site content
- Sodwatana, M, D Saad, M Ahumada-Paras, and A Brandt. “Appliance Decarbonization and Its Impacts on California’s Energy Transition”, Applied Energy, 390 (July 15, 2025): 125769. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2025.125769.
- Long, W, A Brandt, T Demayo, and L Verduzco. “Technical Validation of Oil Production Greenhouse Gas Emissions Estimator Using Field Data from Thermal Enhanced Oil Recovery Operations”, Energy & Fuels, May 7, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.energyfuels.5c00079.
- Chen, Z, R Zhong, W Long, H Tang, A Wang, Z Liu, X Yang, B Ren, J Littlefield, S Koyejo, M Masnadi, and A Brandt. “Advancing Oil and Gas Emissions Assessment through Large Language Model Data Extraction”, Energy and AI, 20 (May 1, 2025): 100481. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egyai.2025.100481.
- Saad, D, M Sodwatana, E Sherwin, and A Brandt. “Energy Storage in Combined Gas-Electric Energy Transitions Models: The Case of California”, Applied Energy, 385 (May 1, 2025): 125480. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2025.125480.
- Aljubran, M, D Saad, M Sodwatana, A Brandt, and R Horne. “The Value of Enhanced Geothermal Systems for the Energy Transition in California”, Sustainable Energy & Fuels, February 3, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SE01520G.
- Mukherjee, M, J Littlefield, H Khutal, K Kirchner-Ortiz, K Davis, L Jing, F Ramadan, H El-Houjeiri, M Masnadi, and A Brandt. “Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the US Liquefied Natural Gas Operations and Shipping through Process Model Based Life Cycle Assessment”, Communications Earth & Environment, 6, no. 1 (January 19, 2025): 16. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01988-2.
- Sodwatana, M, S Kazi, K Sundar, A Brandt, and A Zlotnik. “Locational Marginal Pricing of Energy in Pipeline Transport of Natural Gas and Hydrogen With Carbon Offset Incentives”, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 96 (December 27, 2024): 574-88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2024.11.191.
- Nie, Y, Q Paletta, A Scott, L Pomares, G Arbod, S Sgouridis, J Lasenby, and A Brandt. “Sky Image-Based Solar Forecasting Using Deep Learning With Heterogeneous Multi-Location Data: Dataset Fusion Versus Transfer Learning”, Applied Energy, 369 (September 1, 2024): 123467. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2024.123467.
- Nie, Y, E Zelikman, A Scott, Q Paletta, and A Brandt. “SkyGPT: Probabilistic Ultra-Short-Term Solar Forecasting Using Synthetic Sky Images from Physics-Constrained VideoGPT”, Advances in Applied Energy, 14 (July 15, 2024): 100172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adapen.2024.100172.
- Chen, Z, S El Abbadi, E Sherwin, P Burdeau, J Rutherford, Y Chen, Z Zhang, and A Brandt. “Comparing Continuous Methane Monitoring Technologies for High-Volume Emissions: A Single-Blind Controlled Release Study”, ACS ES&T Air, 1, no. 8 (June 4, 2024): 871-84. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestair.4c00015.
- Negron, A, E Kort, G Plant, A Brandt, Y Chen, C Hausman, and M Smith. “Measurement-Based Carbon Intensity of US Offshore Oil and Gas Production”, Environmental Research Letters, 19, no. 6 (May 28, 2024): 064027. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ad489d.
- El Abbadi, S, Z Chen, P Burdeau, J Rutherford, Y Chen, Z Zhang, E Sherwin, and A Brandt. “Technological Maturity of Aircraft-Based Methane Sensing for Greenhouse Gas Mitigation”, Environmental Science & Technology, 58, no. 22 (May 17, 2024). https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.4c02439.
- Sherwin, E, J Rutherford, Z Zhang, Y Chen, E Wetherley, P Yakovlev, E Berman, B Jones, D Cusworth, A Thorpe, A Ayasse, R Duren, and A Brandt. “US Oil and Gas System Emissions from Nearly One Million Aerial Site Measurements”, Nature, 627, no. 8003 (March 13, 2024): 328-34. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07117-5.
- Shin, L, A Brandt, D Iancu, K Mach, C Field, M-J Cho, M Ng, K Chey, N Ram, T Robinson, and B Reeves. “Climate Impacts of Digital Use Supply Chains”, Environmental Research: Climate, 3, no. 1 (March 5, 2024): 015009. https://doi.org/10.1088/2752-5295/ad22eb.
- Wang, J, B Barlow, W Funk, C Robinson, A Brandt, and A Ravikumar. “Large-Scale Controlled Experiment Demonstrates Effectiveness of Methane Leak Detection and Repair Programs at Oil and Gas Facilities”, Environmental Science & Technology, 58, no. 7 (February 5, 2024). https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.3c09147.
- Nie, Y, X Li, Q Paletta, M Aragon, A Scott, and A Brandt. “Open-Source Sky Image Datasets for Solar Forecasting With Deep Learning: A Comprehensive Survey”, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 189 (January 15, 2024): 113977. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2023.113977.
- Sherwin, Evan, Jeffrey Rutherford, Yuanlei Chen, Sam Aminfard, Eric Kort, Robert Jackson, and Adam Brandt. “Single-Blind Validation of Space-Based Point-Source Detection and Quantification of Onshore Methane Emissions”, Scientific Reports, 13 (March 7, 2023): 3836. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-30761-2.
- Jing, Liang, Hassan El-Houjeiri, Jean-Christophe Monfort, James Littlefield, Amjaad Al-Qahtani, Yash Dixit, Raymond Speth, Adam Brandt, Mohammad Masnadi, Heather MacLean, William Peltier, Deborah Gordon, and Joule Bergerson. “Understanding Variability in Petroleum Jet Fuel Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions to Inform Aviation Decarbonization”, Nature Communications, 13, no. 1 (December 21, 2022): 7853. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-35392-1.
- Zhang, Zhan, Evan Sherwin, Daniel Varon, and Adam Brandt. “Detecting and Quantifying Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Production: Algorithm Development With Ground-Truth Calibration Based on Sentinel-2 Satellite Imagery”, Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 15, no. 23 (December 13, 2022): 7155-69. https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-7155-2022.
- Sherwin, Evand, Ernest Lever, and Adam Brandt. “Low-Cost Representative Sampling for a Natural Gas Distribution System in Transition”, ACS Omega, 7, no. 48 (November 23, 2022): 43973–43980. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.2c05314.