OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE
METHANE T
MANAGING
Mike Brooks explains how the oil and gas industry can act now to avoid methane plumes and flaring
he recent global mapping of methane leaks from oil and gas fields highlights the scale of the sector’s problem – and the threat
that carbon release poses to the global climate. Preventing leaks requires urgent action. Oil and gas companies must focus on complete avoidance of emissions releases to tackle the challenge effectively. Most releases are sudden, often resulting from a process or mechanical failure that causes an unplanned shutdown. Not only do sudden unplanned shutdowns impact the operators’ profitability, but distressing side effects can impact personnel safety and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and environmental compliance. From a safety perspective, forced
shutdowns can cause the most dangerous conditions a plant can experience. Industry estimates suggest that an oil and gas facility typically spends less than 10% of its time in transient operations (shutdowns, start-ups or transitions) – but an astonishing 50% of all process safety incidents occur during those times. Minimising such transient operations is the key to making safety improvements persist over the long term, especially sudden, unexpected events. Secondarily, providing sufficient warning and operator guidance to give the appropriate time to plan and execute a safe orderly shutdown is paramount in reducing flaring and improving safety performance.
Delivering warnings early is key in reducing flaring
SAFETY AND SUSTAINABILITY
Safety is a crucial consideration within any global oil and gas plant operation, and now sustainability has garnered attention. Often the two are united. Gas flaring is the epitome of a single plant process that most clearly expresses both the environmental and safety challenges associated with unplanned shutdowns. During an unplanned shutdown, sudden excess pressure and product flow can lift the flare valve and result in a single event that might exceed the carbon release for the entire year. Not only is flaring a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions, but the World Bank estimates flaring fuel losses amounting to 142 billion cubic metres (bcm) in 2020 – that is a lot of wasted money. In terms of sustainability impact and public perception, excess flaring is a visual sign that current facility conditions outside of normal are occurring and could compromise safety and risk. Today, all too frequently, a sudden unexpected failure results either in immediate flaring or in a rushed disorderly response, where hydrocarbon releases can occur. All this paints a grim picture – but there is good news from the industrial technology front.
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