By Craig O’Neill, Global Director of Product and Market Strategy, Optical Gas Imaging, Teledyne FLIR

Twenty years ago, optical gas imaging (OGI) was still an unfamiliar technology to much of the oil and gas industry. The idea that an infrared camera could enable an operator to visualize an otherwise invisible gas leak introduced an entirely new way to approach leak detection.

FLIR helped turn that idea into an established industry practice.

In 2005, the company introduced its GasFindIR^®, the first commercial optical gas imaging camera. What followed was not simply a progression of new cameras, but the continued evolution of fugitive gas detection.

Over the following two decades, FLIR OGI technology evolved from early handheld detection to hazardous-location cameras, fixed monitoring systems, quantitative optical gas imaging (QOGI) and, today, continuous autonomous emissions monitoring with ADGiLE.

That history is important because the challenge facing the industry has changed. Early OGI addressed a fundamental question: Is there a leak? An operator could inspect equipment and visually identify emissions without relying solely on traditional point-by-point measurements. Over time, expectations grew. Operators increasingly needed to understand where an emission originated, quantify it, prioritize repairs, and monitor facilities more consistently.

Regulation evolved alongside the technology. In the United States, optical gas imaging was designated by the U.S. EPA as the Best System of Emission Reduction for certain oil and natural gas well locations and compressor stations in 2016. Across Europe and Asia, evolving environmental regulations and a growing focus on emissions reduction have reinforced the role of OGI.

At the same time, the business case has become increasingly important. Beyond compliance, identifying and addressing leaks can help improve safety, mitigate product loss and contribute to a stronger return on investment, making OGI valuable as both an environmental and operational tool.

From finding leaks to understanding emissions

The evolution from qualitative OGI to quantitative OGI marked an important step. QOGI moved operators beyond simply seeing an emission toward measuring it, with today’s FLIR G-Series offering in-camera capabilities including in-field measurements and colorized plume visualization.

But detection alone does not complete the workflow. Operators need information that helps them understand an event and determine what to do next.

The same principle applies to the frequency of monitoring. Periodic inspections remain important, but some emissions are intermittent. If the emission is not occurring when an inspection takes place, it may not be observed. 

Continuous monitoring provides another layer of visibility by watching a site day and night rather than only during scheduled inspections. 

The next step: continuous, autonomous OGI

This is where FLIR’s latest evolution of continuous monitoring, ADGiLE™ (Autonomous Detection of Gas Leaks and Emissions), fits into the OGI story.

Designed to be fully configurable to each site’s unique needs, ADGiLE combines imaging hardware with analytics, processing, connectivity, and application software in one continuous monitoring workflow.

Originally introduced as a continuous methane monitoring solution, ADGiLE has evolved into a more configurable automated gas emissions monitoring platform. The latest system combines FLIR OGI technology with advanced detection analytics and an enhanced user interface while extending detection beyond methane to hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and beyond traditional oil and gas requirements to ammonia and ethylene.  

Operators can configure the solution with uncooled technology for methane applications or cooled OGI cameras for broader hydrocarbon and VOC detection. Fixed and pan-tilt camera options allow the system to be adapted to different site layouts, while hazardous-area configurations (ATEX) further expand where continuous monitoring can be deployed. 

The system analyzes gas detection across successive image sequences while considering environmental conditions, helping distinguish meaningful emission events from potential false alarms. Operators can remotely access live views, incident playback, historical information and event data through web or mobile devices, while notifications can link directly to incidents for remote assessment. 

For operators, being able to see the source can make a big difference. OGI can help move the conversation from “something may be happening at this site” toward “this is the source we need to investigate.”

A global standard that keeps evolving

For FLIR, being the Global Standard in Optical Gas Imaging is not simply a statement about being there at the beginning. It is about continuing to advance what OGI can do as industry needs change.

During the past two decades, that has meant progressing from handheld visualization to fixed monitoring, from qualitative detection to quantification, and now from periodic inspection toward continuous automated monitoring. The common thread is giving operators better visibility into emissions so they can make more informed decisions.

Today, the industry has more detection technologies and more emissions data available than ever before. The question is increasingly how to turn that information into action.

After 20 years, that is where we believe optical gas imaging remains uniquely valuable: making the invisible visible, identifying the source and giving operators the context they need to act.

And as emissions monitoring continues to evolve, so will FLIR OGI.

To learn more about FLIR’s latest advances in autonomous continuous gas monitoring, visit our FLIR ADGiLE page.