Abstract
The undetected gas leak, also referred to as fugitive gas emissions, are produced from natural gas infrastructure during operational activities. If not monitored, this undetected gas leakage can lead to undesirable economic loss of natural gas from installed infrastructures and are often accompanied by toxic air pollutants that typically pose safety and public health concerns. The efficient quantification of gas leaks from natural gas infrastructure value chain is still largely inadequate. Several studies have repeatedly opined that the actual rate of leaks from natural gas infrastructure is often higher than the documented estimates. The latter is largely dependent on assumptions that rely on inadequate data. This study reviewed most of the existing methods implemented to detect and quantify gas leaks in natural gas infrastructure by assessing the techniques based on the amount of leak detected compared to the amount of gas produced from such facilities. The study illustrates both the problem of methane leakage and the opportunities for instantaneous reduction from natural gas transmission facilities. Furthermore, this review provides a detailed account of the various analytical models and instrumentation-based research performed to identify and quantify gas leak detection. The study opined that the uncertainties associated with efficient quantification of natural gas leak rates demonstrate the need for innovative approaches or processes to identify and quantify leak rates from natural gas infrastructure.
