Methane Controlled Release Experiment in Bedford (2019)

Methane was released from a stationary source while a vehicle repeatedly drove past the release point, transecting the resulting methane plume multiple times. The objective of the experiment was to evaluate the capability of mobile platforms to detect methane plumes and to examine the relationship between methane release rates (in L/min) and key plume metrics, such as the maximum measured mole fraction and the integrated methane enhancement during individual plume transects.

The experiment was conducted on an airfield near Bedford from September 9-13, 2019. The experiment was a collaboration between the National Physical Laboratory (NPL, United Kingdom), the Royal Holloway University of London (RHUL) and the Laboratory for Climate and Environmental Sciences (LSCE).