ECN measures gas plumes aboard DFDS ferry

Since early April, ECN has been conducting measurements aboard a ship of the ferry company DFDS Seaways. The reason is a natural gas leak in Total’s Elgin gas field, off the coast of Aberdeen. The measuring equipment that is used to get an image of the quantity of gas above the North Sea has been installed in the mast of the ferry KING SEAWAYS, which sails between IJmuiden and Newcastle. The results will soon be made public, but so far Total's gas leak data correspond to the measurements.

Calculated gas plume above the North Sea starting at the Elgin gas field (green) and the ferry’s route (yellow) from IJmuiden to Newcastle (on 6 April). The peaks on the yellow line show where the gas plume was measured; high peaks indicate high quantities of methane gas.

Since 25 March, natural gas (mostly methane gas) has been escaping into the atmosphere from the Elgin gas field. The quantity of methane that is escaping from the gas leak amounts to about one tenth of the Dutch emission. On land, methane is emitted by various relatively small sources such as cows, landfills, households and industrial activities, whereas in the case of Elgin, the methane escapes from a so-called ‘point source’ from which the gas is pouring out.

The ECN measurements are being conducted in the framework of the InGOS research project. This project monitors the amount of greenhouse gas above Europe through measurements.

DFDS made room available on their ship. ‘DFDS Seaways recognises the importance of being able to contribute to scientific research. We do this in various ways and with different organisations. In this case, ECN installed special equipment at the top of the mast of the KING SEAWAYS ferry to conduct measurements’, explains Teun Wim Leene, Country Manager for the IJmuiden - Newcastle route.

Measurement equipment
On 2 April, ECN researchers Arjan Hensen and Alex Vermeulen installed a sensitive laser spectrometer aboard the ship. Vermeulen: ‘This instrument is travelling back and forth between IJmuiden and Newcastle and is thus able to map the amount of methane for a large area of the North Sea. The instrument is able to measure very small differences in gas quantity in the air.’ The measurement equipment has been installed at the top of the mast and the ferry sails past the platform of the Elgin field at a distance of about 200 to 300 kilometres.

This measuring session is linked to measurements that are conducted on land. This is done in a large EU project named InGOS, in which 34 research groups from Europe are participating. ECN is the coordinator of the project. Together, the InGOS teams have a network of measuring stations that measure not only methane, but also other types of greenhouse gas. The measurements are mapping what is blowing across Europe and where the emissions come from. Based on these measurements, maps are made that illustrate the emission per area. This offers policy makers an independent instrument that helps them determine whether the various sources indeed emit what is recorded in the books and whether emission reduction measures are truly effective. The Netherlands has a 200-metre high KNMI measurement mast near Cabauw and a 60-metre high mast near Lutjewad, owned by the University of Groningen. Other InGOS measurement masts are located in Denmark and England.

Smooth cooperation
ECN is enthusiastic about collaborating with DFDS. Researcher Arjan Hensen: ‘Within one day we made arrangements with DFDS about installing our equipment on their ship. If all goes well, we may want to sail along again on future occasions. The researchers themselves are not staying aboard, though. ‘The equipment such as the GPS, the anemometer and the methane gas spectrometer are running automatically. Of course, it is more interesting to see the data ‘live’, but it is much more cost-effective to do it this way’, explains Hensen.

Wind direction
In the past three weeks, the wind frequently came from the north and the escaped natural gas blew towards the Netherlands. This can be monitored well at sea, showing peaks in the measurements. If the wind direction changes towards the west, the measurement equipment will not ‘see’ the Elgin field, but it can detect what is blowing towards this shipping route from other drilling platforms or from England.

About ECN
The Energy research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) is the largest research institute in the Netherlands in the field of energy. It holds a strong international position in the fields of solar energy, wind energy, policy and strategy studies, biomass, energy efficiency and environmental research. We develop knowledge and technology, with and for the market, to enable a transition to a sustainable energy system. With its energy research, ECN focuses on a sustainable energy system: safe, reliable and environment-friendly. ECN also conducts research on future opportunities and economic backgrounds in the field of energy. ECN has offices in Petten, Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Wieringermeer, Brussels and China. More information is available on the ECN website.

About DFDS
DFDS has the largest maritime and logistics network of Northern Europe. DFDS Seaways operates a network of 25 routes with 60 freight and passenger ships, while DFDS Logistics provides freight solutions in Europe with trailers, containers, and rail. The company is listed on NASDAQ OMX Copenhagen and has 5100 employees in 20 countries. In the Netherlands and Belgium, DFDS operates daily freight routes, Europe's largest trailer maintenance facility, a daily ferry cruise to Newcastle and logistic solutions for storage and transport in Europe: www.dfdsgroup.com.

Contact
For more information about the measurements and the InGOS project, please contact:

ECN, Arjan Hensen, e-mail:hensen@ecn.nl, or telephone: +31 224 564203.