Assessing the performance of emerging and existing continuous monitoring solutions under a single-blind controlled testing protocol

Continuous monitoring (CM) solutions can facilitate faster detection and repair of emissions compared to traditional survey methods. This study tested 13 CM solutions over 12 weeks using single-blind controlled testing. Controlled release rates ranged from 0.08 to 6.75 kg CH4 h−1 and lasted 18 min to 8 h. Six solutions demonstrated 90% method detection limits (DL90s) ranging from 0.5 [0.3, 0.6] kg CH4 h−1 to 6.7 [5.9, 8.0] kg CH4 h−1. Of the 6 solutions, 5 had low False Positive (FP) rates (7.8%–18.9%), and 4 had low False Negative (FN) rates (8.0%–34.1%). Similar to Ilonze et al., the results show that the tested solutions balance method sensitivity with low FP and FN rates. All scanning/imaging solutions achieved high localization precision and accuracy (≥40%) at the equipment unit level. Single quantification estimates exhibited high relative quantification errors, ranging from 33 [0.9, 66]%, 95% confidence interval (CI) to 1326 [1003, 1648]%, 95% CI for small emissions (between 0.1 and 1 kg CH4 h−1) and from 3 [−20, 26]%, 95% CI to 3578 [−2832, 9988]%, 95% CI for large emissions (>1 kg CH4 h−1). The mean detection time for all solutions ranged from 5 h to 5 days. Relative to previous studies, errors in quantification estimates decreased, as did FN and FP rates, with improved DL90s for 2 of the 4 retested solutions. However, the mean detection times increased for 2 solutions, remained constant for one solution, and decreased for 1 of the 4 retested solutions. These findings highlight that continuous, rigorous testing enhances solution performance, with notable improvements observed across multiple testing programs using the same test protocol.