Natural gas and oil are significant to the world's energy mix, supporting economic growth and providing improved quality of life to people around the world. We believe it is critical to sustain air quality and maintain an affordable energy supply, and we share in the concern that air emissions can affect air quality. For this reason, we focus our efforts on reducing well lifecycle emissions.
Chesapeake's robust air program has regulatory compliance at its foundation. We utilize an electronic compliance management system that allows task tracking, report generation and emissions calculations to facilitate compliance with state and federal requirements, as well as integration with maintenance tasks and inspections with field employees.
Although operational compliance is the fundamental goal and mandated outcome of our air program, we also voluntarily implement proactive measures to reduce air emissions from the inception of our facility design.
Beyond our management system, our lease operators conduct onsite monitoring for air emissions. Using our proprietary CHK WellTender mobile application, lease operators are able to utilize their smart phones to track key site sensor data inputs that monitor operational parameters, some of which are linked with environmental compliance. In the event of the detection of a data input outside normal operating and environmental parameters, CHK WellTender will notify the lease operator of the problem — enabling the operator to correct the issue and take action, if necessary.
In addition to monitoring, regular maintenance can reduce emissions. We initiate and manage our maintenance activities through an enterprise-wide software application called Enterprise Asset Management. This program allows for the centralized management of equipment and asset data and offers a standardized work order system for operational and maintenance activities. Creating this consistency across our operating areas enables increased visibility and accountability for maintenance activities and provides data that can be used for trend analysis.
Chesapeake analyzes maintenance data to identify preventive improvements to our sites. For example, we found that over time gasket failures can cause leaks due to the cracking and warping of the standard gasket material. Chesapeake continues to research and test gasket materials in our operations and refine best management practices. These practices are applied to any newly acquired assets.
For both safety and environmental reasons, we utilize pipelines for natural gas, oil and water transportation when possible. If pipelines are not available or feasible for business reasons, we have developed other innovative solutions to limit truck traffic and reduce transportation emissions.
For example, in South Texas and Wyoming, Chesapeake designed and implemented central production facilities, or CPFs, which use a pipeline gathering system to bring the production of multiple pads into a single facility. Not only do CPFs reduce surface, wildlife and air impact through reduced equipment counts, they also increase equipment reliability and product stream volumes, enabling additional natural gas to be captured and sold.
Part of our efforts to reduce transportation emissions includes building an extensive pipeline network across our operating areas with an emphasis on fresh and produced water infrastructure. Aside from promoting water reuse, dedicated water pipelines provide reliable and safe transportation while reducing the potential for spills and reducing truck traffic on local roads.
Another example of our commitment to reducing transportation emissions is our use of trucks that have been tested for tank tightness, a process that includes performing vacuum and pressure testing of truck tank vessels to reduce leakage. The use of these tested truck tanks helps to capture more than 98% of the vapors that are displaced when loading product for distribution. These captured vapors are routed to a combustor or flare for destruction.
Flaring — the practice of safely combusting natural gas — can be necessary in some instances due to operational or economic limitations. Chesapeake evaluates the need to flare during well planning, completions, and production, or due to emergency circumstances as a result of severe weather such as a hurricane, flood, tornado or blizzard. Chesapeake follows EPA's greenhouse gas reporting regulation in disclosing its flarings and flared less than 1% of all produced gas in 2019.
When we do flare, employee safety and environmental stewardship are paramount. Chesapeake sites feature burner management systems, a best practice in the industry to control flares and combustors which are operated to combust the gas with a control efficiency of at least 98%. A burner management system offers:
Chesapeake utilizes two primary methods — infrared cameras and regular onsite inspections — to monitor for leaks at our well sites. Forward-looking infrared (FLIR) cameras help our teams to detect methane leaks and direct specific maintenance activities. The infrared camera allows field technicians to visualize leaks that may not be detected by unaided senses, as well as help pinpoint the source of the leak.
Some of our FLIR inspectors and staff are certified by the Infrared Training Center through its program of Optical Gas Imaging Certification Training. These staff members then train other FLIR inspectors and operators utilizing the FLIR Training Materials. Also, many of these inspectors have lease operator experience or other suitable training, giving them both the knowledge and authority to repair certain leaks immediately.
Chesapeake complies with state and federal leak detection and repair (LDAR) regulations, conducting leak detection surveys at the prescribed frequency. This commitment includes inspecting sites within 60 days of a new well producing to confirm equipment is operating properly.
The importance of targeted leak detection has led Chesapeake to voluntarily survey a number of our sites, exceeding regulatory requirements. All sites are considered for surveying, and we utilize a risk-based approach to determine which sites should be voluntarily inspected at prescribed times. Of the sites we surveyed in 2019, more than 31% were inspected voluntarily.
In addition to FLIR cameras, our lease operators perform audio, visual and olfactory (AVO) observations as part of their routine onsite activities. Standardized site inspections, including AVO observations, are detailed in lease operator guidebooks available for each operating area. Also, field environmental staff present on AVO leak detection at least annually during safety meetings.
Chesapeake team members continue to evaluate new technologies that could improve detection capabilities, including testing monitoring equipment currently in market development.
We also work with government agencies and local and national industry peer groups to advance leak detection processes and knowledge. This includes sharing and learning from our peers. In 2017, we joined The Environmental Partnership, a coalition of nearly 90 U.S. natural gas and oil companies working together to improve the industry's environmental performance through collaboration, knowledge sharing and establishment of pneumatic controller, unloading and leak detection programs for industry partners. The partnership's first initiative focuses on further reducing emissions, including methane.
Operating on low-emission (diesel-alternative) fuels can reduce both emissions and waste, and also provides cost savings for the company depending on the availability of fuel sources. Across Chesapeake-operated areas, we have a number of alternative fuel source capabilities. In 2019, we powered approximately 25% of Chesapeake-operated rigs with diesel-alternative fuels. As a result, we reduced our use of diesel fuel for drilling by 1.5 million gallons in 2019.
Chesapeake’s core values serve as the foundation of our business and an essential element to our success. From sharing best practices to protecting our employees and business partners, we know that top performance can only come when you commit to acting with integrity and character.
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