Turuk Oil and Gas

Natural Gas Flaring at Offshore Platforms and in Oil Extraction

Natural gas flaring and venting systems are used on offshore platforms and in oil production across the world to burn off waste gas and surplus gases while also protecting process equipment, system operations, and the environment.

Gas flaring is a combustion device used to burn related, undesired, or surplus gases and liquids generated during regular or unforeseen over-pressuring operations in a variety of industrial activities, including oil and gas extraction, refineries, chemical plants, the coal industry, and landfills. Gas flaring contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. It also produces noise, heat, and renders large areas uninhabitable.

Flare flow measurement looks at natural gas flaring in applications such as offshore oil platforms, crude oil extraction, oil refineries, and chemical plants, as well as venting at atmospheric storage tanks. If you want to learn more, see our products on the Sage Metering white paper, Flare Gas Measurement Using Sage Thermal Mass Flow Meters, please do contact us for further information

We also supply the Thermal Mass Flow Meter for offshore production platforms when natural gas is a by product and cannot be collected or disposed of in any other way.

BP is aiming for a 20% reduction of emissions in its global operations by 2025 and a 30–35% reduction by 2030 on its route to net zero by 2050. BP’s targets cover scope 1 and 2 emissions from upstream operations; and scope 3 emissions from production – with the exception of Russia’s Rosneft, in which it has minority share

Natural gas is created during the production of crude oil from petroleum. When oil is extracted from the ground, it usually contains water and natural gas. Oil and natural gas must be separated through a separator before they can be considered pipeline quality. The gas is extracted and sent to a separate pipeline, while the residual oil and water are boiled and processed to separate the components. Residual natural gas or hydrocarbons are often discharged into the environment or processed further, whilst oil is kept in tanks. Ventilated vapours typically move at a modest flow rate through small pipes. Alternatively, when oil wells lack the necessary infrastructure to collect natural gas, typically owing to their remote location, the majority of the associated gas is vented as waste gas.

Due to the significant fluctuations in gas composition, the thermal flow metre is historically unsuitable for precise emission measurement or achieving a mass balance for the primary flare header. Thermal mass flow metres, on the other hand, can be used in refineries or chemical plants to determine which activity is providing flow to the flare.

Atmospheric storage tanks are huge aboveground containers that hold liquid oil or gas condensate and are frequently employed in oil and gas production. The majority of storage tank emissions from venting are volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are classified as harmful air pollutants (HAP). Emissions may be required to be quantified and reported by regulatory bodies.