Equinor Technology Ventures has made an equity investment in SeekOps Inc., headquartered in Pasadena, CA, to accelerate the manufacturing and adoption of accurate and efficient gas detection devices in the oil and gas industry.
The goal is to enable efficient measurement strategies for methane source detection and localization while realizing cost benefits. SeekOps technologies minimize the time for complete facility inspection surveys and align directly with emerging methane mitigation programs supported by Equinor.
SeekOps is a technology spin-off company from the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), a leading research institute in Pasadena California owned by NASA and managed by California Institute of Technology (Caltech). SeekOps manufactures sensors in-house, integrates them on professional drone systems, and deploys field teams for on-site UAS operations and real-time data reporting.
“The partnership with Equinor is the optimal fit for SeekOps given their corporate vision and sustainability goals. SeekOps provides a robust solution for rapid methane emissions detection, localization and quantification. Our unique solutions, developed since 2012 with funding from major oil and gas companies, are now realized as a commercial service to meet customer demand,” said Andrew Aubrey, Chief Executive Officer of SeekOps Inc.
SeekOps sensors are 100X lighter and 1000X more sensitive than comparable technologies and are uniquely suited for operations on unmanned aerial systems (UAS).
“Reducing methane emissions is considered critical to the energy industry, and we are very excited about the investment in Seekops to help addressing this issue as part of Equinor’s climate roadmap. With Seekops’ broader vision to become a leader in autonomous gas detection, they have an interesting value offering, and we look forward to supporting them on their journey,” said Kristin Aamodt, Managing Director of Equinor Technology Ventures.
SeekOps provides a mobile-monitoring technology capable of fugitive emission detection that enables comprehensive inspection of upstream and downstream facilities. The technology, coupled with SeekOps proprietary machine learning algorithms and data analytics, is capable of emissions source detection, localization, and quantitative flow rate measurement.
“SeekOps and Equinor’s Research & Technology (R&T) collaboration is a great example of innovation; together we have been able to develop sensors with accurate alarm, leak localization and flux determination,” said Andrea Machado, Principal Researcher in Equinor US.
The SeekOps technology is derived from gas measurement instruments originally developed for the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), a rover currently operating on the surface of Mars. The SeekOps sensors, manufactured and deployed for oilfield services, provide rapid measurement at parts-per-billion sensitivity, a requirement for effective emissions measurement and quantification.
Source: Press Release