Solution
Methane and flaring: detect emissions, reduce flaring, convert gas to value
SLB manages methane emissions and routine flaring through baseline assessment, continuous monitoring, fugitive emissions detection and repair, flare elimination, and gas-to-value conversion.
Challenge
Knowing where to start
Managing methane emissions is new for many industries. An avalanche of technologies, vendors, regulations, cost curves, and data raises uncertainties about which technologies work best for your particular asset, operations, and business economics.
You're not alone—we can help.
Plan. Measure. Act. Reducing methane emissions requires scaling solutions as far, as fast, and as cost effectively as possible.
This is where we can help.
Working together, we can leverage existing technologies and available tools to fix what is readily fixable. And then, together we’ll tackle the challenges that require more time and effort.
Case Studies
Demonstrated reductions in methane emissions and flaring
Methane and flaring programs deliver measurable results when monitoring, field execution, and digital management work together. These examples show how SLB has helped operators reduce emissions, avoid capital expenditure, and set new environmental benchmarks for their operations.
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75% reduction in vented methane emissions
Ensign Natural Resources reduced vented methane emissions by deploying an integrated multiphase fluid treatment and reinjection package during well testing, enabling recovered products to generate revenue while meeting stringent environmental requirements throughout the campaign.
Bottom_Drawer
50% lower capital expenditure per well
Capital expenditure per well fell by 50% after multiple pneumatic-valve test separators were replaced with one flowmeter per well, preserving real-time production monitoring and measurement accuracy equivalent to the separator technology previously used across the Eagle Ford Shale during operations.
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Zero condensate flaring
An operator offshore New Zealand eliminated condensate flaring by deploying an integrated multiphase fluid treatment and reinjection package during well testing, enabling recovered products to generate revenue while meeting stringent environmental requirements throughout the offshore campaign under strict local regulations.
Flowsheet
No overboarding of treated fluid
Purpose-built fluid treatment and reinjection systems prevented overboarding throughout the campaign, returning recovered fluids to the production system while significantly reducing gas flaring and establishing a benchmark for environmentally sound offshore well testing under strict environmental requirements.
Benefits
Four reasons to use our solution
We’re the only player in the industry looking at the full emissions technology picture for you. And we can deliver.
End-to-end consulting service
We help you arrive at the best approach for your asset, your location, and your business.
Methane monitoring you can count on
We hand-pick, combine, and validate monitoring technologies to help you determine the system you need.
Flare abatement focused on you
We help you reach zero routine flaring by finding viable alternatives.
Methane digital platform that delivers actionable insights
Our digital platform for all your emissions reduction activity delivers insights you can act on.
Capabilities
Services that cover the spectrum
Our methane elimination services cover the spectrum end to end. We monitor emissions from satellites, drones, or on the ground, do the field work to repair leaks, install low-emitting equipment, and implement technology to convert gas into valuable products. Everything comes together in our purpose-built digital ecosystem that gives you a single, secure place for all your emissions data. This drives new understanding, insights, collaboration, and opportunities for continuous improvement—all to cut methane and flaring quicker.
End-to-end methane elimination advisory services
Continuous methane emissions monitoring
Facilities audits to find root causes of methane emissions
Leak repair and installation of low- or no-emission equipment
A purpose-built digital platform for all your methane emissions reduction activity
Viable alternatives for gas that would otherwise be flared or vented
Subtopics
Dive deeper
Talk to one of our experts today
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Frequently asked questions about methane and flaring elimination
How do oil and gas operators reduce methane emissions from their operations?
Operators reduce methane emissions by identifying the highest-volume sources first, repairing or replacing the equipment driving them, and monitoring continuously to verify results. In the Eagle Ford Shale, replacing pneumatic-valve test separators with the SLB Vx Spectra flowmeter eliminated the primary source of vented methane on each well pad and cut emissions by 75%.
What is routine flaring and how can it be eliminated?
Routine flaring is the controlled burning of associated natural gas during normal oil and gas production, typically because gas gathering infrastructure is absent or the economics of capture have not been established. SLB helps operators eliminate routine flaring by identifying viable alternatives for each flaring scenario—including gas-to-value conversion, reinjection, and infrastructure modifications—so that associated gas is captured and monetized rather than burned. Where elimination is not yet possible, SLB works to maximize combustion efficiency and reduce total CO2e per flaring event.
What methane monitoring technologies are available for oil and gas operations?
Methane monitoring technologies span satellite detection for large-area surveys, drone-based optical gas imaging for facility-level screening, and ground-mounted continuous sensors for site-level quantification. SLB has evaluated more than 100 methane monitoring technologies and tested more than 25 in the field. SLB selects, combines, and validates the monitoring approach that fits each operator’s asset type, regulatory environment, and reporting requirements.
How does replacing test separators with a multiphase flowmeter reduce methane emissions?
Gas-to-value conversion captures associated natural gas that would otherwise be flared or vented and converts it into a usable commercial product—such as electricity, liquefied natural gas, compressed natural gas, or petrochemical feedstocks. SLB gas-to-value consulting helps operators identify which conversion pathway is commercially viable for their asset, location, and production volumes, turning a source of emissions into a source of revenue.
What is a gas-to-value approach to flaring elimination?
Gas-to-value conversion captures associated natural gas that would otherwise be flared or vented and converts it into a usable commercial product—such as electricity, liquefied natural gas, compressed natural gas, or petrochemical feedstocks. SLB gas-to-value consulting helps operators identify which conversion pathway is commercially viable for their asset, location, and production volumes, turning a source of emissions into a source of revenue.
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