Flare minimization efforts of a premier Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Company

摘要

Description: The major contributors of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from integrated liquefied natural gas (LNG) operations include annual gas flaring from normal operation, unplanned outages, and planned shutdowns. One of the premier energy companies in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has developed an initiative to reduce its GHG footprint from flaring through the implementation of a comprehensive Flare Minimization Plan (FMP). In 2012, the company launched a fresh five-year FMP covering its Ras Laffan facilities (both on-site and off-plot), which was a continuation of the inaugural 2006-2011 FMP. The new plan, which is expected to be completed by 2016, aims to reduce flaring emissions from a baseline of 1.26 per cent (volume of flared gas per unit of gas intake) in 2011 to 0.43 per cent in 2016. The company’s approach is to continue employing industry best practices and innovative efforts which include but are not limited to improving facility designs, enhancing operating procedures, and using waste gas for power generation. The company believes that most of the benefits from these flare reduction efforts will be realized in the future years. Reducing flared gas volumes continues to be a challenging task, one that necessitates a collaborative effort by policymakers and industries to put in place the necessary infrastructure and market designs to enable these solutions. Applications: This paper describes the efforts of one of the premier energy companies in the GCC on flare minimization from concept selection to execution stage including the challenges and successes achieved so far. Results and Conclusions: The paper will highlight the following: 1. Flaring improvements in terms of volume minimization and reduction in GHG emissions intensity based on the first two (2) years of executing the plan. 2. List of projects and initiatives that contributed to the reduction in flared gas volumes. Technical Contributions: This paper shares potential and proven solutions to address flaring issues from integrated LNG operations.