in the region, meant that the technology was not widely applied. However, BP has adopted the technique as part of its Caspian Sea operations, off Azerbaijan as well as for floating production, storage and offloading vessel (FPSO) operations. Indeed, today, Hamworthy has 28

references for flare gas recovery systems, either on board platforms or FPSOs.

GGFR partnership

But even this track record barely scratches the surface of the potential market for flare gas recovery. Te World Bank’s drive to broaden the appeal of flared gas recovery has taken shape in a public-private initiative known as global gas flaring reduction (GGFR). Te GGFR partnership aims to support national governments, development agencies, and the petroleum industry at large in efforts to reduce flaring and venting of gas associated with the extraction of crude oil. Donor oil companies comprise BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Eni, ExxonMobil, Marathon Oil, Maersk Oil & Gas, NNPC, Pemex, PetroEcuador, Pertamina, Shell, Sonatrach, Sonangol, SOCAR, SNH, Statoil, TOTAL, and Qatar Petroleum. Te GGFR also has backing from 16 individual oil producing countries, as well as OPEC. Many of these partners have already

made clear that their participation is backed by firm commitments. In February, for example, Qatar Petroleum established a new committee to steer a US$1 billion government initiative aimed at cutting flaring. Elsewhere, at the end of 2009, the Mexican government announced plans to reduce gas flaring in two stages, from 2012 and 2020 onwards respectively. Nigeria along with other nations has already legislated to control the flaring of gas. To date, however, recovering flare

gas has not been without its challenges. Challenges for the offshore Zero Flaring solution have typically revolved around space and weight restrictions, and also the variations in associated petroleum gas (APG) compositions. Te APG composition will dictate the choice of the suitable gas pre-treatment system. Again, for Zero Flaring to work,

substantial supporting infrastructure has had to be in place. If no export facilities are available, any flare gas recovered would

Gas flaring in the North Sea (Credit: Hamworthy plc).

effectively be ‘stranded’. On top of all this, safety must prevail. Where Norway currently backs its commitment to CO2

cutting technologies

with tax concessions, Lie said a new and more compelling case could now be made for flare gas recovery from a commercial perspective as a direct consequence of the acquisition of the technology by Hamworthy. Combining the acquired flare recovery

technology with Hamworthy’s proven marinised re-liquefaction plant opened up the possibility for flare gas to be converted directly into LNG, LPG or even electricity, depending on its composition, Lie elaborated. Other by-products of the process could be steam and potable water – also areas of Hamworthy expertise. Recovered gas with a high level of

methane content can be converted into LNG. Recovered gas with heavier components is most readily converted into LPG. While there is, in fact, limited information available on actual associated petroleum gas compositions, available information indicates that more than 70% of the APG today has a methane content of less than 50%. “Tus, the route back to market for this gas is not so obvious,” said Lie, “but when gas composition contains less then 80% methane, LPG, NGL (natural gas liquids) or electrical power generation could be the preferred solution to monetise the resource”. As well as straightforward commercial

propositions, Lie said that municipally- funded projects might also thus come into play in monetising recovered flare gas. He

Offshore Marine Technology 2nd Quarter 2010

cited pilot studies to generate electricity for homes and industry in the Nigerian Delta region. Again, if recovered in combination with a boiler, potable water rather than gas might be the viable end goal, in Middle Eastern countries, where gas is cheap but water is precious. In the latter case, as noted, Hamworthy brings its own water treatment expertise to the table, not least through the recently acquired business of German company Serck Como. Closer to fruition, perhaps, are plans to

recover the gas that is currently flared as a by-product of Qatar’s large-scale LNG export business. Here, it might be recalled, Hamworthy re-liquefaction plant is installed onboard 31 Q-Flex LNG carriers operated on behalf of Qatargas. Lie pointed out that while this plant reliably reliquefied boil-off gas in transit, it was not designed to deal with the boil-off surges experienced during vessel loading. Today, as much as two thirds of boil-off gas generated during ship loading must be taken onshore and flared. Similarly, Lie said that several oil export

terminals are interested in recovering flash gas generated during oil tanker loading and currently vented or brought ashore and flared. Tis may also be used as a source of hydrocarbon products or electric power. Whatever the application, Lie said that

Hamworthy was prepared to lead the discussion from the technical point of view. “It is fair to say that we are quite unique, in that we can close the flare line, recover the gas and use it for a variety of purposes,” he said. OMT

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