If you have kept up with our blogs, you have probably picked up on the point that oil and natural gas are essential resources for not only America but for the world. There are countless uses for both oil and gas. Some of which you may find surprising. So why in some areas, is natural gas being flared?
Check out a couple of our blogs on the uses and importance of oil and natural gas. I have posted some below, just to name a few…
LIKE IT OR NOT, YOU ARE DEPENDENT ON THE OIL & GAS INDUSTRY
So again, if natural gas is so important, then why do we flare it? First, let’s simply define what flaring is:
1) “Flaring is the burning of natural gas that cannot be processed or sold. Flaring disposes of the gas while releasing emissions into the atmosphere.” -Caliber Planning
2) “A gas flare, alternatively known as a flare stack, is a gas combustion device used in industrial plants such as petroleum refineries, chemical plants, natural gas processing plants as well as at oil or gas production sites having oil wells, gas wells, offshore oil and gas rigs and landfills.” -WikipediaTake a look at the picture to the right. This is a picture of a flare stack. I am sure this looks familiar to most people as you may have seen it at night while driving, on the news, etc.
Flaring can occur for a couple reasons…
Where you will most commonly see flaring is on offshore rigs due to the rig being so remote. Most times when gas is being flared, it is because that gas is not able to be processed or sold. The reasoning is due to a lack of pipeline infrastructure to trasport the gas to a refinery or processing plant. So your next questions may be, “If there is no pipelines to transfer the gas then why would we drill for it?” Well you see, those companies are drilling for oil but associated gas is often accomanied with the oil. So where do you put the gas when there is no where to store it, trasport it, or use it? You burn it off as unusable gas. So for example, the Bakken is an area that is lacking pipeline infrastructure which it is known to flare a lot of natural gas. According to eia.gov, the North Dakota Pipeline Authority estimates that more than 1/3 of the flared gas is a result from the lack of pipeline infrastructure.
Economics
One reason that companies may flare natural gas is that it is simply worth less than oil. Oil has a higher market value than gas so companies in the Bakken are likely more interested in drilling for oil rather than gas.
Pressurizing
Another reason for flaring is simply for safety. It can be very dangerous if industrial plant equipment, vessels, or pipes over-pressurize. Flaring is a way that can help relieve over-pressuring.
Instead of flaring, gas can be processed and sold. That is where CROFT comes in! We are here for all of your gas processing needs.
http://oilpro.com/q/922/why-do-oil-rigs-flare
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_flare
