Optical gas imaging improves methane leak detection at LNG facility

LNG pressure regulation facilities are mission-critical and can be vulnerable to leakage risks. In 2025, South Korea’s GS Energy introduced the Flir GF77a optical gas imaging (OGI) camera to strengthen methane leak monitoring at the pressure regulation facilities of the Boryeong LNG Terminal, where it is responsible for domestic LNG operations.

The solution combined real-time OGI video with an AI-based plume detection engine to support safer, more effective monitoring particularly in outdoor, unmanned environments where conventional sensors can be less reliable.

While fixed gas sensors were already installed on site, the operator faced an ongoing challenge with remote, unmanned management — especially outdoors.

“LNG pressure regulation facilities are extremely critical yet prone to leakage risks. While gas sensors are installed on-site for operation, unmanned remote management posed a problem: the equipment is installed outdoors, reducing the likelihood of gas sensors detecting leaks if they occur,” said the facility manager. “While seeking ways to further improve overall leak monitoring and safety for outdoor gas pressure regulation equipment, we discovered that the Flir OGI camera could detect gas leaks at an early stage.”

Before installing the system at the site, the team conducted an on-site test by intentionally releasing a sample methane gas to validate performance. The Flir GF77a — optimised specifically for methane detection — enabled the operator to observe the gas release pattern immediately on a monitor. Following the successful trial, the plant installed the GF77a alongside the existing CCTV infrastructure.

The GF77a was installed so as to give it a field of view covering the entire outdoor pressure regulation facility. It was installed onto the plant network, similar to CCTV, leveraging existing infrastructure.

The GF77a transmits real-time OGI video and an AI analysis engine detects leak or plume patterns automatically. Alarms are triggered and events are logged when a leak is detected, so that operators can respond immediately based on site procedures and the situation.

By adopting Flir's visual gas detection approach, the gas facility strengthened monitoring across a wide area without deploying multiple cameras. Because the solution could be integrated with existing CCTV infrastructure, the operator avoided additional infrastructure installation, helping to reduce overall installation complexity and cost.

Compared with conventional sensor-only approaches, the solution also enabled visualisation-based monitoring over a broader area, supporting earlier awareness of potential risk indicators. As an AI-powered, image-based monitoring layer that complements existing sensors, the system improved surveillance capability for outdoor, unmanned LNG pressure regulation facilities.

The facility manager noted both the operational value and the roadmap for refinement.

“We expect that applying both the AI-based gas detection system and the OGI camera system will enable more effective gas leak detection operations,” they said. “While there are areas for improvement, such as sensitivity adjustment and environmental impact correction in the method of detecting gas leaks and visualising their patterns, we clearly see the advantage of enhancing detection performance while supplementing existing measurement methods.

“Although it is in the early stages of installation, we expect it to help prevent safety accidents before they occur.”

Looking ahead, the facility customer plans to improve on the AI models, tailoring them to site-specific conditions, and to expand monitoring to broader sections of the facility for integrated facility-wide oversight. It will also look to extend automation capabilities across additional gas equipment types.

The gas facility found overall that Flir’s OGI cameras paired with AI plume detection can complement traditional sensor systems and raise the standard for intelligent, visual methane leak detection — supporting safer, smarter operations in LNG pressure regulation environments.

Image: Supplied