Highlights
- When a leak can’t be fixed within 30 days, a rationale for the delay is required at the time of recording the leak
- All delayed repairs for fugitive leaks can be tracked within the timeline context under ‘Delayed Leaks’
- Delay rationale is readily available from each leak’s central workflow pane
- Leaks which are awaiting repair can be routinely monitored via follow-up observations of the leak
- Operators simply scan the delayed leak’s QR code to create a follow-up observation in under 60 seconds
Track Leaks That Can’t Be Repaired
We know that even though the regulator wishes it, it’s not always possible to repair all fugitive leaks within 30 days. Leaks which can’t be readily repaired are at risk of being forgotten, leading to unknown methane emissions over potentially long periods. Screening Made Simple aims to eliminate this problem by making delay tracking as simple as possible, SMS does this by:
- Requiring the type of delay to be specified, either until next shutdown or indefinite
- Requiring a written rationale for any delayed repairs
- Providing a timeline context which lists all delayed repairs and their associated delay rationale
- Providing the date the leak was due to assist prioritization
- Ensuring all delayed leaks are still visible at each oil well site (without getting in the way)
Removing Delays Is Straight-Forward
Because fugitives leaks with delayed repairs are typically not physically repairable, delayed leaks cannot be assigned to a repairman. By ensuring that unrepairable leaks are never mixed in with repairable leaks SMS guarantees no repairman will ever end up driving out to a remote field only to find that the leak can’t be fixed!
Once a leak becomes repairable the delay can be removed simply by editing the leak in the workflow pane and selecting ‘No’ under ‘Delay Repair’. Saving the leak then automatically removes the delay and allows the leak to be assigned and put into the repair pipeline as expected.
Follow-up Observations on Delayed Leaks
It’s simply not enough to delay a leak and call it a day; regulatory bodies will demand proof that regular follow-up observations are occurring at unfixable leaks. For this reason, Screening Made Simple includes simple follow-up observations that allow operators to continually update the state of the leak. No additional leak information is required in a follow-up, all that is required is the operator’s notes detailing what they observed at the leak (typically whether or not the leak has worsened), the screening method utilized to observe the leak and the date of the observation.
Folow-up observations can be performed in under a minute, meaning your LDAR compliance requirements can be met in a convientent manner using SMS.
QR Codes Enable Quick Follow-Up Observations
SMS increases the convenience of follow-up observations by allowing operators to work from the field tag back to the app, and not the other way around (as is required when using printed work orders such as from a web dashboard). Scanning a field tag for a delayed leak will bring up the workflow pane allowing a follow-up observation to be recorded in under 60 seconds.
For more detail on how SMS field tags work, see QR & Color-Coded Field Tags