Flare Gas Recovery Meets the Future

Flare gas recovery lies at the heart of a range of integrated, new emissions abatement technologies.

The World Bank’s 2015 launch of the Zero Flaring by 2030 initiative saw flare gas recovery become a standard part of many topside production processing systems. Regulations in places like Brazil, the Gulf of Mexico and the North Sea fortified this voluntary commitment. Now with the industry heading towards zero-emission FPSOs, flare gas recovery is being integrated with more ambitious technology developments.
While field layout and the ability to re-inject or export recovered gas are still major determinants for how much gas is flared, the move towards greater topside energy efficiency, through developments such as electrification, is potentially reducing the other main factor: the use recovered gas for power.

Advances are such that BW Offshore, for example, predicts that the FPSO BW Opal will consume up to 66% less energy than industry standard designs. The FPSO will enter operation next year on Australia’s Barossa gas field, and will include combined cycle gas turbines with waste heat recovery, a closed flame flare system and a hydrocarbon cargo tank blanket system with vapor recovery.

The need for remote operation of equipment is driving developments. MAN Energy Solutions