CONTRIBUTION OF GLOBAL NATURAL GAS FLARING IN CLIMATIC CHANGES A Local Case Study

Abstract

The impact of gas flaring is of local and global concern. Gas flaring is one of the most challenging energy and environmental problems facing the world today whether regionally or globally. It is a multi-billion dollar waste, a local environmental catastrophe and a global energy and environmental problem which has persisted for decades. Gas flaring is a widely used practice for the disposal of associated gas in oil production and processing facilities where there is insufficient infrastructure for utilization of the gas (primarily methane). Improved utilization of the gas is key to reducing global carbon emissions to the atmosphere. The estimates of flared gas volume are based on a calibration developed with a pooled set of reported national gas flaring volumes and data from individual flares. Flaring efficiency was calculated as the volume of flared gas per barrel of crude oil produced. Global gas flaring has remained largely stable over the past fifteen years, in in the range of 140 to 170 billion cubic meters (BCM). Global flaring efficiency was in the seven to eight cubic meters per barrel from 1994 to 2005 and declined to 5.6 m3 per barrel by 2012. The 2012 gas flaring estimate of 139 BCM represents 21% of the natural gas consumption of the USA. The 2008 flaring added more than 278 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2) into the atmosphere. The estimation of gas flaring volumes indicate that global gas flaring has declined by 19% since 2005. An attempt has also being made to cover up-to-date trends in gas flaring and current developments in some of the most flared countries. This paper aims to highlights gas flaring emissions in the petroleum industry and their role for climatic changes due to the global warming. A local small scale case study represented by the daily gas production of Faregh gas field which includes Faregh field I and Faregh field II at Al Wahat area south Libya. Whereas the total gas daily production is 63.097 million standard cubic feet/day, 6.350 of them were flared.