Based on controlled release testing at three facilities spanning distinct geographic regions, covering release rates from 0.2 to 120 scfh and distances up to 200 feet from buried pipeline infrastructure.

For natural gas utilities, the question is no longer simply whether advanced mobile leak detection can find methane. The harder question is whether the data is consistent, actionable, and defensible enough to support real-world leak survey programs.

Utilities are increasingly evaluating Advanced Mobile Leak Detection (AMLD) as part of broader methane management strategies. Utilities need confidence that a system can perform across diverse field environments, support operational decisions, help prioritize repairs, and produce data that can withstand internal and regulatory scrutiny.

How Project Canary Validated RECON for Utility Field Conditions

Project Canary recently completed a controlled-release validation study of its RECON Advanced Mobile Leak Detection platform. Testing was conducted at three facilities under distinct geographic and environmental conditions: Colorado State University’s Methane Emissions Technology Evaluation Center (METEC) in Fort Collins, a West Coast utility testing center, and an East Coast utility testing center.

At METEC, Project Canary was the first solution provider to test advanced mobile leak detection on the facility’s newly installed buried pipeline infrastructure, which was designed as a realistic analog to in-service natural gas distribution mains.

What The Validation Testing Shows for Utility Advanced Mobile Leak Detection Programs

• RECON detected small leaks as reliably as larger ones.
  Across the test conditions, RECON detected leaks from buried pipelines at rates as low as 1 scfh across all tested distances. Detection performance was driven primarily by vehicle distance from the source, not by the size of the leak.
• Nighttime conditions produced especially strong results.
  At night, cooler and more stable air conditions can keep methane plumes more concentrated. Under these conditions, RECON detected both active sources on every pass at every distance tested, including up to 200 feet away.
• Daytime performance held up under more difficult conditions.
  Daytime heat can accelerate the dispersion of methane plumes, making detection more challenging. Even under the hardest daytime conditions tested, including the farthest distances and lowest release rates, RECON resolved both leak sources on most passes.
• Flow rate estimates supported operational prioritization.
  Accurate flow rate estimates matter because utilities need to understand which leaks may warrant faster action. In the validation testing, 89% of RECON’s leak size estimates fell within the accepted accuracy band used by the NYSEARCH technology evaluation program, an industry benchmark. Earlier advanced mobile leak detection systems evaluated under the same benchmark reached 78%
• RECON can help distinguish pipeline gas from other methane sources.
  RECON measures methane and ethane simultaneously. This matters because pipeline gas typically contains ethane, while many natural or non-pipeline methane sources, such as wetlands, landfills, and farms, do not. That capability helps reduce the risk of misclassifying background methane as a pipeline leak.

Implications for Utility Advanced Mobile Leak Detection Programs

For utilities, AMLD performance is not just a technology question. It is an operational question.

A successful leak detection program depends on whether the data can be trusted by field teams, used by operations leaders, and defended with regulators. Detection alone is not enough. Utilities also need to understand source attribution, leak significance, and how the data fits into repair prioritization and compliance workflows.

By testing RECON across multiple regions, conditions, release rates, and distances, the study demonstrates how the platform performs in the practical realities of utility distribution networks, where survey conditions vary and decisions must be based on reliable field data.

The broader message is clear: AMLD is becoming core infrastructure for methane management. Utilities need systems that do more than identify potential leaks. They need systems that generate defensible methane intelligence.

Project Canary’s RECON platform is designed to support that shift, helping utilities move from methane detection to methane decision-making.

The full technical report, including methods, testing protocols, and limitations, is available at the link here.