Platform · layer 03 of 08
Aftermine Methane
Technology-neutral methane management
Measure, control, recover where feasible, treat what remains, and verify continuously. The route is chosen by the gas, not by the brochure.
From the field study
The Methane prototype, live: the containerized adaptive abatement unit — general arrangement, valve logic, the Coward explosibility chart with live readout, and the drag-to-orbit 3-D walkthrough.
What it covers
- Measure methane flow and composition
- Locate and control emission points
- Recover useful methane where feasible
- Treat dilute or residual methane biologically or through controlled oxidation
- Continuously verify performance
How it works
Concentration decides everything. Above ≈35% CH₄ a gas engine can run; rich gas without an offtake goes to an enclosed flare; the long dilute tail is diluted below the ≈1.5% oxidiser feed ceiling and destroyed by regenerative or biological oxidation; and the 5–15% explosive band is never handled raw. The methanotrophic packed-bed bioreactor is one treatment option in this toolkit — matched to suitable dilute streams, not stretched into a company identity.
The gas decides the route
| State | Band | Route |
|---|---|---|
| Rich gas | ≳35% CH₄ | Gas engine / CHP The >35% CHP gas-quality requirement (UNECE No. 64, Table 4.1) — for a wellhead-mounted unit this, not the 30% transport floor, is the binding number. |
| Rich gas, no offtake | ≳35% CH₄ | Enclosed flare — destruction without a grid connection CDM default destruction efficiency 90%; CARB allows 99.5%. |
| Margin & lean gas | ≈0.2–35% CH₄ | Dilute below the ≈1.5% RTO feed ceiling → regenerative or biological oxidation Raw use inside the 2–30% safety margins is ruled out (UNECE BPG); sealed dilution is the only path through. |
| Explosive core | ≈5–15% CH₄ in air | No raw handling — sealed systems only, dilute before processing The band every system is engineered never to expose. |