How to measure greenhouse gas leaks of a gas well

Gas well and Oil well leaks have a huge impact on releasing large amounts of CH4 into our atmosphere. To aid looking after the planet and complying with legislative laws and acts, it is incredibly important to measure the release of the greenhouse gas emissions accurately.

The Complications of Measuring leaks close to atmospheric conditions in isolated spots

There are a few challenging factors to be considered when measuring the greenhouse gas emissions caused by the wells leaking.

• The wells are normally in remote locations/difficult to access places.
• Leaks may not occur in a sole location.
• When leaks happen, normally they are close to atmospheric pressures, meaning measuring them with good accuracy can be challenging.
• Leaks of natural gas are hazardous because of the nature of the gas (being flammable).

The solution to measuring the venting of gas well/oil well greenhouse gas? Alicat’s portable whisper series.

Alicat’s whisper series has a very low pressure drop. This paired with the portable battery makes the MWB mass flow meter series an ideal solution for each challenge previously mentioned.

• By taking this Portable MFM to the isolated location and inserting them inline with the leak you are able to validate the flowrate. This coupled with the inbuilt battery pack means no wiring or external power is required.
• With a 10,000:1 turndown ratio they can be used over a vary large range of flowrates making one device well adapted to checking multiple leaks/flowrates.
• With the low pressure drop, operating at close to atmospheric conditions isn’t an issue for the Whisper-Series.
• These devices can also achieve Class 1 division 2 certification (when DC powered) or constructed with stainless steel (316L) along with the correct wetted material - avoiding damage from aggressive gas found in the natural gas compositions.

Even better yet, these devices don’t just measure mass flow, they also measure the volumetric flow, pressure and temperature, all at once!

If you do not require the portability, or have other process requirements be sure to view our full range of mass flow meters.

Conclusion

As you can imagine depending on where the gas well is, this can change the components of emissions. The MW (non-battery variation) mass flow meter and MWB have been built into skids to observe and document changes over time.

These devices are being used by a large variety of governmental agencies for this purpose.

Related article

How to check the characterization of a static orifice using pressure and mass

Get in touch

If you have a running process which could potentially be prone to greenhouse gas leakage, we can assist you in measuring the rate of flow for those leaks. Please feel free to contact the team.

Posted by Guy Beavan, Customer Service Engineer

Published: 23rd January 2023
Page updated: 13th May 2026