Emissions monitoring and management: Transforming industrial manufacturing operations

The energy sector remains one of the largest contributors to global GHG emissions, with total CO2 emissions projected at 41.6 billion tonnes in 2024, up from 40.6 billion the year before. The solution had to process high-frequency operational data across different instruments, assets, and locations in varying formats, aggregate emissions equivalents using complex chemistry-based expressions, detect anomalies while minimizing false alarms, and integrate cleanly into existing maintenance and monitoring workflows.

Zemoso, in partnership with the customer’s internal team, created a solution that was capable of processing and visualizing large amounts of emissions data. It was an automated, data-driven emissions management platform that tracked emissions across several standards. It also provided real-time reporting and visualization capabilities. The platform used operational data and pre-set chemical equations to calculate emission equivalents for various equipment and devices. 

• Improve data ingestion: The platform automated data ingestion so that users can upload instrument-specific expressions, asset information, and high-frequency operational time-series data. While this upload was still manual in the early stages of the product build, the system would automatically throw an error if it did not meet the value/format requirements. Later on, a configurator was built to automate the entire process as part of a separate project. 

• Emissions estimations: The system uses scientific chemical equations and principles to determine how much of one substance is equivalent to another in terms of emissions. They include chemical reactions, molecular weights, and conversion factors to translate raw data into standardized emission metrics like CO₂ equivalents (CO₂e). It aggregates data across several plants and equipment. 

• Anomaly detection: A rule-based engine compared expected emissions thresholds against the actual time-series data input to flag discrepancies for further inquiry. 

• Performance monitoring: The solution had interactive dashboards for plant operators with actionable insights into emission trends to optimize operations. 

• Data export and compliance reporting: Users of this solution could then generate plant-level reports to add to compliance and internal audit reports. 

• Cross-product integrations: This emissions monitoring and reporting solution works in tandem with other emission control components used in industrial operations. One example of such a component was for a system that uses flare gas as a power source, and this control component was responsible for avoiding direct flaring while also upgrading existing equipment function for increased efficiency. These systems maximize energy recovery from waste gases, reducing emissions and increasing output. However, it is challenging to determine the exact impact without a centralized system for tracking and quantifying emission reductions. The greenhouse gas emissions monitoring and reporting solution complements these efforts. It made it easier to track things in real time, measure emissions, and find problems. This made sure that the efficiency gains from reducing flares were accurately proven.

• Scalability with new equipment: This solution was also built to evolve and scale easily. For example, as natural gas operations were being retrofitted with new valves to reduce methane leaks, this system was able to ingest that data and deliver the right level of diligence.

This emissions monitoring platform enabled energy companies to automate emissions tracking, strengthen regulatory compliance, and improve operational efficiency. By combining advanced data processing, real-time analytics, and seamless integrations, the solution gave the oil and gas sector a scalable approach to emissions management.