KOC 1% Gas Flaring Target

Abstract Gas flaring is increasingly recognized as a major environmental problem, contributing more than 1% to global emissions of CO2 in addition to its valuable resource. At KOC an effective utilization of associated gas in all fields became a serious concern in 1995 and ongoing efforts were put in place for minimizing gas flaring. Detailed exercises were carried out in 1996/1999 for identifying causes, establishing action plans, and setting allowable targets. Current Action Plan covers the following on-going activities:Operating Process & ProceduresTraining & DevelopmentFlaring Awareness ProgramGas Supply TeamIn-hand Projects All the above-mentioned planned implementations are on schedule and are expected to be completed by 2010/2011 in order to reach the target of 1% gas flaring at KOC. INTRODUCTION Crude oil contains associated hydrocarbon gases and when brought to the surface the gases are released and where there is no market for the gas, the industry standard for disposal is flaring (1). Flaring of produced gas is the process of burning-off surplus combustible vapors from a well, either as a means of disposal or as a safety measure to relieve well pressure and it is the most significant source of air emissions from onshore and offshore oil and gas installations. Venting also occurs - releasing un-burnt gases directly into the atmosphere and alternatives include re-injection, on-site power generation, and transport to market (1). The following are the Four Main Causes of Gas Flaring:Culture: gas was once viewed as a waste product, global warming was not an issue.Contracts: flaring permitted and there was no obligation to find a market for the gas.Markets: markets poorly developed and responsibilities for marketing ill-defined.Governance: no incentive to maximize economic use of gas. According to the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board (AEUB), there are four main reasons for flaring:As a part of the completion and testing of natural gas wells.During routine maintenance at gas compressing facilities.When oil wells produce very small amounts of solution gas.In emergency situations when there is an uncontrolled release of gas from a well or pipeline. AMOUNTS AND EFFECTS OF GAS FLARING World Bank estimates that over 150 bcm of gas is flared annually (2) and this is equivalent to the combined annual gas consumption of Germany and France. This amount of gas flared is also equivalent to 25% of US consumption. Reference to the figure below, the 40 bcm of gas flared in Africa is equivalent to half of the continent's power consumption.