Methane Emissions Estimation Tool (MEET)

About MEET

MEET is an open-source modeling tool that helps regulators, industry and the research community more accurately track methane emissions in oil and gas production facilities and basins.

The variation of methane emissions at production facilities over time and space is one of the most significant challenges to accurately estimating industry emissions. The MEET model is the first of its kind to enable estimation of emissions with such a high accuracy in time and by source, while being scalable to large producing regions. The tool is modular, customizable and allows users to simulate emissions for a variety of production facilities in any basin that are dynamic in space and time, as well as providing uncertainty estimates.

Developed by the University of Texas at Austin (UT), in collaboration with Colorado State University and SLR Consulting, the source code has been made available as open source hosted by UT. The release of the software comes on the heels of a three-year study aimed at improving estimation of methane emissions by developing flexible and accurate models using the latest science available.

 

“This tool can help bridge the gap between static inventories and episodic measurements in quantifying emissions, which is key to abatement efforts,”

Sam Aminfard, methane scientist at ExxonMobil

What Does It Do?

  • Estimates methane emissions over multiple time scales (from seconds to years)
  • Estimates emissions for multiple light alkanes and VOCs co-emitted with methane
  • Estimates emissions variability
  • Generates uncertainty estimates

Customizable Features

  • Activity data
  • Equipment configurations*
  • Emission factors*
  • Emissions composition data*
  • User specifies time resolution of output

* Customization optional. User can input custom data or select from a searchable database that comes with the source code.

 

How Can I Participate?

  • Use: Download the software and join the global user community.
  • Engage: Attend a webinar providing a high-level demonstration of MEET features and capabilities.
  • Collaborate: We would be happy to work with interested academic and industry partners and state and federal agencies.

We would love to hear your feedback! Contact us today.

For technical questions about the model, please contact Dave Allen.

 

Software

The Methane Emissions Estimation Tool (MEET) and the supplementary Emissions Composition Tool (ECT) are available as open-source software that users can download free of charge.

Software includes:

  • Source codes and databases
  • User’s manual
  • Quickstart instructions
  • Example input and output files
  • Terms of use

Publications

MEET’s capabilities at well sites, at gathering and compression stations, and in estimating emissions compositions are described in three open-access, peer-reviewed publications: