Shale Gas Emissions in the U.K. Monitored

Lichfield-based Cuadrilla Resources recently announced the presence of significant shale gas resources in Lancashire, U.K. If extracted on a commercial scale, domestically produced natural gas could increase the U.K.’s energy security.

As part of Cuadrilla’s exploration operations, it has commissioned GasClam to monitor background gas concentrations prior to operations, with the monitoring device left in the ground to measure, record and transmit gas concentrations throughout Cuadrilla’s operations.

Cuadrilla’s commission of GasClam is part of its commitment to being a responsible company within the communities in which it operates. Since operations began in 2010, Cuadrilla has had robust safety measures in place to ensure the surrounding environment and communities are not affected by its exploration activities.

Cuadrilla has just installed a network of 21 GasClams to monitor their current exploration sites and is using it as part of an automated early warning system. If the instrument detects an increase in gas concentrations an engineer will be immediately alerted, allowing rapid response. As the data resides on the internet it will be possible to send it to the Cuadrilla website where local communities could view it. Following successful exploration the monitoring network will be expanded to maintain high level of confidence.

Mark Miller, CEO of Cuadrilla, said, “The monitoring device will allow us to collect background gas levels and compare them between before, during and after our operations. Continuing with our open and transparent communications with the community, we will make this data available to the public and include this on the Cuadrilla website.”

GasClam was developed by Salamander, a University of Manchester spin-off company and is a previous winner of the North West Innovation Environment Technology prize. It is a local solution to the needs of a global industry.

Dr. Peter Morris from Ion Science, the global distributor of the technology, said, “We have received huge international interest for the GasClam to demonstrate that shale gas can be and is extracted safely. As gas occurs naturally from a range of sources, GasClam will provide reliable information to Cuadrilla and the surrounding community to show the level of gas and its origin.”

Based in Cambridge, U.K., Ion Science Ltd. is a U.K. manufacturer of gas detection, leak detection and corrosion monitoring equipment, distributed worldwide. The range of instruments are developed and designed in-house, to meet the needs of a wide range of industries and applications. Research and development is fundamental to the organization’s product development and continued international growth.