Since the birth of the oil industry, petroleum associated gas has been disposed through flaring practice, i.e. burning it in open-air torches, with no regards to the energy waste and greenhouse gases emissions. Flows produced and remote extraction sites did not justify an investment in its exploitation, given the low profitability when compared to the main product for export, crude oil. Through the analysis of the global energy situation, with particular attention to fossil fuels’ predominant role, we analyze natural gas’ potential, a good-availability and low-environmental-impact energy source. These qualities, together with the increasing of fuels prices, justify the efforts of research in "unconventional" gas reservoirs and in recovery of gases once considered a by-product of industrial production. In the last decade, sustainable development policies and economic interests of oil companies led to increasing attention to the gas flaring reduction, from simple exports to the "gas-to power". For the latter case, the state of exploitation of associated gas by power generation near the extraction site is portrayed, and different kinds of machine employed are described. We deal with a case study on an oil field: analysis of the decision tree for choosing and installing a power plant based on associated gas, considered as free fuel. At first, the plant is designed to meet the energy needs of the extraction plant linked to it by electric island, and the choice among available machines is affected by the ensuing critical issues: phased installation, power capacity control, emissions control technology. In a second step it deals with the expansion / integration of the system to allow the export of electricity (Gas To Wire) and gas, properly treated. With a sensitivity analysis has been possible to establish guidelines under which identify the most suitable production technology. Finally we suggest other possible development and synergies between extraction plant and associated power plant.
Sin dalla nascita dell’industria petrolifera ci si è liberati del gas associato al petrolio tramite la pratica del flaring, ovvero la combustione in torce a cielo aperto, senza riguardo verso sprechi energetici ed emissioni di gas serra. Le quantità prodotte e i siti di estrazione, spesso inaccessibili dalle infrastrutture necessarie, non giustificavano infatti un investimento nella sua valorizzazione, considerato di scarsa redditività se paragonato all’esportazione del prodotto principale, il greggio. Attraverso l’analisi della situazione energetica globale, con particolare attenzione al ruolo predominante delle fonti fossili, si discutono le potenzialità del gas naturale, fonte energetica di buona disponibilità e basso impatto ambientale. Queste qualità, unite al crescente prezzo dei combustibili, giustificano gli sforzi di ricerca in ambito di giacimenti “non convenzionali” e di recupero dei gas una volta considerati by-product della produzione industriale, resi disponibili come combustibili a costo zero. Nell’ultimo decennio, le politiche di sviluppo sostenibile e gli stessi interessi economici delle compagnie petrolifere hanno portato ad un’attenzione sempre maggiore verso la flaring reduction, dalla semplice esportazione al “gas to power”. Per quest’ultimo caso si presenta lo stato dell’arte dello sfruttamento del gas associato tramite generazione di potenza nei pressi del sito di estrazione e le diverse tipologie di macchine impiegate. Si analizza, nel seguito, la fattibilità di un impianto di potenza alimentato dal gas associato di un campo petrolifero, altrimenti bruciato in torcia. In un primo momento l’impianto è progettato per soddisfare i fabbisogni energetici dei sistemi di estrazione collegati ad esso in isola elettrica; la scelta delle macchine è condizionata dalle criticità che ne conseguono: phased installation, parzializzazione, tecnologia di controllo emissioni. In un secondo momento si affronta l’ampliamento/integrazione dell’impianto per permettere l’esportazione di energia elettrica (Gas To Wire) e di gas opportunamente trattato. La successiva analisi di sensitività ha stabilito delle linee guida che identificano la tecnologia di produzione più idonea. Sono infine proposti altri possibili sviluppi e sinergie tra impianto di estrazione e power plant associato.
Gas flaring reduction : utilizzi del gas associato e valorizzazione tramite generazione di potenza
PICCINELLI, CARLO
2010/2011
Abstract
Since the birth of the oil industry, petroleum associated gas has been disposed through flaring practice, i.e. burning it in open-air torches, with no regards to the energy waste and greenhouse gases emissions. Flows produced and remote extraction sites did not justify an investment in its exploitation, given the low profitability when compared to the main product for export, crude oil. Through the analysis of the global energy situation, with particular attention to fossil fuels’ predominant role, we analyze natural gas’ potential, a good-availability and low-environmental-impact energy source. These qualities, together with the increasing of fuels prices, justify the efforts of research in "unconventional" gas reservoirs and in recovery of gases once considered a by-product of industrial production. In the last decade, sustainable development policies and economic interests of oil companies led to increasing attention to the gas flaring reduction, from simple exports to the "gas-to power". For the latter case, the state of exploitation of associated gas by power generation near the extraction site is portrayed, and different kinds of machine employed are described. We deal with a case study on an oil field: analysis of the decision tree for choosing and installing a power plant based on associated gas, considered as free fuel. At first, the plant is designed to meet the energy needs of the extraction plant linked to it by electric island, and the choice among available machines is affected by the ensuing critical issues: phased installation, power capacity control, emissions control technology. In a second step it deals with the expansion / integration of the system to allow the export of electricity (Gas To Wire) and gas, properly treated. With a sensitivity analysis has been possible to establish guidelines under which identify the most suitable production technology. Finally we suggest other possible development and synergies between extraction plant and associated power plant.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/25901