Bridger Photonics Rolls Out Offshore Drone-Based Methane Detection
Bridger Photonics is now deploying a compact version of its Gas Mapping LiDAR (GML) system on heavy-lift drones to monitor methane emissions from offshore oil and gas infrastructure—especially platforms and LNG facilities that are difficult for traditional aircraft to access dronedesk.io+15dronelife.com+15dronelife.com+15
Why drones?
- Drones can fly closer to structures than fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters, enabling detailed scans around tanks and pipes dronelife.com.
- The drone unit includes two operational modes:
- Close-range inspections for pinpointing leaks
- Flux Curtain mode, where two drones fly downwind to quantify total site emissions
How it works:
Teams transport the drone and sensor via boat to the rig, then perform coordinated flights: one unit scans the infrastructure, while the second measures downwind emissions. Wind data and gas concentration profiles are combined to calculate precise emission rates in just minutes, compared to the slower methods previously used dronelife.com.
Why it matters:
- Addresses monitoring gaps in remote offshore locations.
- Enhances compliance with OGMP 2.0 standards.
- Offers higher-resolution data and faster results than traditional manual methods (e.g., point sensors, helicopter surveys) dronelife.com+13dronelife.com+13electrooptics.com+13.
Bridger has already conducted pilot deployments on an offshore rig and plan to expand into more remote global sites as demand for reliable methane monitoring grows.
Read more at Dronelife https://dronelife.com/2025/06/04/bridger-photonics-takes-methane-detection-offshore-with-drone-based-lidar/
