TITLE:
Thermodynamic and Environmental Assessment of Gas Flaring in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria
AUTHORS:
Richard V. James, Howells I. Hart, Barinyima Nkoi
KEYWORDS:
Combustion, Exergy, Adiabatic Flame Temperature, Gas Flaring, Carbon (IV) Oxide
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Power and Energy Engineering,
Vol.6 No.12,
December
28,
2018
ABSTRACT: This paper discusses the thermodynamic and environmental assessment of flared gases in an oil field. The oil field for the case study is located in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. The data required for this report were obtained during a nine-year period (2008-2016), which revealed production volumes, flared volumes, operating temperatures and pressures, gas compositions, gas density, and flow rates. With the data and the aid of fundamental thermodynamic equations and MATLAB program codes, analysis was carried out on combustion to ascertain the amount of flue gases. Analyses revealed that a total of 1.99175 × 1011 standard cubic feet of gas was flared during the said period, generating anthropogenics estimated at 582,319,618.1825 m3 (≈1.046 Mt) of CO2, 1,077,510,054.31 m3 (≈2.0 Mt) of water vapour, 14,960,560.91 m3 of methane emitted and contaminated the atmosphere creating serious environmental concerns. Further analyses also showed that the approximate adiabatic flame temperature is about 1965°C for the field under investigation. Exergy analyses carried out also revealed that a total of 3.6099 × 1013 kJ (36.099 TJ) of exergy was available which would have translated to 1.0189 × 1010 kWh of electrical energy for the period under investigation. Conclusively, some measures that can be taken to prevent gas flaring are that every new project on oil and gas should incorporate technical details of gas gathering and utilization plan at the conceptual and design phases of projects for gas commercialization, establishment of more gas-to-power project for gas utilization. Also Carbon capture technology should be enhanced, although the best option is flaring out based on the astronomical amount of carbon (IV) oxide and other greenhouse gases depicted by the results. The entire work and results showed that gas flaring is undesired and pernicious because it has thermal, environmental and economic consequences.