Page 76 - Vol 28 Issue 29 2019

oil gas flaring

Overcoming the flare gas problem

Angela Papageorgiou

Dynamic expansion of the oil and gas industry continues to fuel the demand for new technologies
that tackle the impact of flare gas emissions globally writes Angela Papageorgiou.

hile the production of oil has applications allow operators to utilise power, it can often be utilised in a number
grown by roughly 30 per cent environmentally harmful raw flare gas for of other productive ways or conserved.
Wover the past two decades, diverse purposes instead of simply burning The World Bank’s initiative called Zero
reaching 18 million barrels per day in it, with clear benefits to the environment. Routine Flaring by 2030 encourages
2019 in the United States, the climate These technologically advanced generators investment in technologies that utilise
impact of flare gas, typically considered represent the next generation of power the unburned fuel and find ways to
a waste by-product by the oil and gas and are designed to push the boundaries protect the environment whilst bringing
industry, continues to be of concern. of performance to extremes. It’s possible financial benefits. Maximising flare gas to
Globally 140 million cubic meters of to burn pipeline gas, flare gas and biogas generate electricity would ensure that the
natural gas are flared annually, emitting with high efficiency and low emissions oil and gas industries are helping nearby
more than 300 million tons of carbon without compromising on power output. communities while also protecting the
dioxide (CO2) into the environment. environment. Countries like Norway,
A lack of infrastructure to capture and The result is that routine flaring can Algeria, Canada and the United States
be reduced and transformed into a
sell the flare gas released when drilling more environment friendly option have made a lot of progress in limiting
for oil is a major environmental problem. local oil companies on how much flare gas
while also helping communities
“Governments, development institutions through the supply of electricity. is allowed.
and oil companies around the world are Flare gas and the environment The initiative brings together
being pressured to look at the amount of governments, oil companies, and
money spent in gas flaring and the damage Flaring of gas contributes to climate development institutions who recognise
it is causing to the environment,” says Linda change and impacts the environment the flaring situation is unsustainable
Nezerwe, Technical Specialist at Cummins, through emission of CO2, black carbon from a resource management and
and an expert in emissions control for and other pollutants. It also wastes a environmental perspective, and who
both diesel and gas generator sets. valuable energy resource that could agree to cooperate to eliminate routine
A critical development for the oil and be used to advance the sustainable flaring no later than 2030. Governments
development of producing countries. For
gas industry is the advancing technology example, according to The World Bank, if and oil companies that endorse the
in natural gas generators to utilise this amount of gas were used for power initiative will publicly report their flaring
fuel sources that would otherwise be generation, it could provide about 750 and progress towards the initiative on an
considered waste products. This leads to billion kWh of electricity, or more than annual basis.
robust power solutions even with very the African continent’s current annual In creating technologies to tackle
aggressive fuels with minimal derating. electricity consumption. While associated environmental protection, proposed
These advancements in power generation gas cannot always be used to produce technologies for replacing gas flaring

76 | AFRICAN POWER Mining & Oil Review Vol 28, Issue 29, 2019 Celebrating 10 years of excellence