Atmos Energy reviews advances in technology and incorporates them as appropriate for leak detection and monitoring. This includes state-of-the-art technologies for leak detection, monitoring and leak repair prioritization. We use the best available monitoring methods for safety and to better serve our customers, including advanced mobile detection technology for surveying our distribution system that is 1,000 times more sensitive than traditional technologies that are also used for leak surveys. Examples include:

• Remote Methane Leak Detection (laser-based gas detector – RMLD)
• Flame Ionization Detector (FID)
• Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy (CRDS)
• Combustible Gas Indictator (CGI)
• Optical Methane Detector (OMD)
• Forward Looking Infrared Camera (FLIR)

We use FLIR cameras, RMLDs, FIDs and CGIs to monitor compressors, distribution gate stations and storage fields. RMLD, CGI, CRDS and OMD are used to conduct mobile inspections of buried natural gas distribution and trans-mission pipelines. Choosing the proper equipment to do a leak survey is dependent on several different criteria, including but not limited to safety, weather, instrument capabilities, location, application and experience.