Replication Data for: A cooperative model to lower cost and increase the efficiency of methane leak inspections at oil and gas sites

These data files are related to the work titled "A cooperative model to lower cost and increase the efficiency of methane leak inspections at oil and gas sites." The abstract of the work: Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that tends to leak from equipment at oil and gas (O&G) sites. The process of locating and repairing fugitive methane emissions is known as leak detection and repair (LDAR). Conventional LDAR methods are labor intensive and costly because they involve time-consuming close-range, component-level inspections at each site. This has prompted duty holders to examine new methods and strategies that could be more cost-effective. We examined a co-operative model in which multiple duty holders of O&G sites in a region use shared services to complete leak inspections. This approach was hypothesized to be more efficient and cost-effective than independent inspection programs by each duty holder in the region. To test this hypothesis, we developed a geospatial simulation model using empirical data from 11 O&G-producing regions in Canada and the USA. We used the model to compare labor cost, transit time, mileage, vehicle emissions, and driving risk between independent and co-op leak inspection programs. The results indicate that co-op leak inspection programs can generate relative savings in labor costs (1.8–34.2%), transit time (0.6–38.6%), mileage (0.2–43.1%), vehicle emissions (0.01–4.0 tCO2), and driving risk (1.9–31.9%). The largest relative savings and efficiency gains resulting from co-op leak inspection programs were in regions with a high diversity of duty holders, which was confirmed with simulations of artificial O&G sites and road networks spanning diverse conditions. We also found reducing leak inspection time by 75% with streamlined methods can additionally reduce labor cost 8.8–41.1%, transit time 5.6–20.2%, and mileage 2.60–34.3% in co-op leak inspection programs. Overall, this study demonstrates that co-op leak inspection programs can be more efficient and cost-effective, particularly in regions with a large diversity of O&G duty holders, and that methods to reduce leak inspection time can create additional savings.