Construction of Mini Gas Processing Plants in the Conditions of Autonomous and Hard-To-Reach Oil Fields to Extract Gas Processing Valuable Components and Improve the Environment by Minimizing Gas Flaring

Abstract

Abstract Currently, associated petroleum gas (APG) utilization, in order to minimize flaring, at oil and gas fields is solved by several classical methods: Pipeline transportation of gas to consumers or large gas processing / chemical plants. LNG production and transport to the consumer. Utilization at oilfield power stations. For autonomous oil and gas fields, the issue of gas utilization is especially acute if there is no infrastructure for transporting gas and its products to consumers, taking into account the economic feasibility of the project, in view of the high capital costs for classical gas processing plants. Typically, classical gas processing plants are designed and constructed in large-tonnage scale, with a long feedstock profile, more than 15 years, to ensure the profitability of the project, due to the high cost of gas equipment. Often, the transportation of semi-products, such as NGL, from autonomous, hard-to-reach and small oil and gas fields is also unprofitable. Regarding this issue, APG utilization has to be carried out directly at the field by unprofitable methods - partial combustion, power generation, etc. At the same time, APG is a valuable raw material in terms of obtaining products such as NGL, propane, butane and their mixtures. APG flaring has negative effects on the environment in the form of CO2 and other pollutant emissions, in this regard, the involvement of APG in processing even at small and autonomous fields allows the most efficient use of natural gas resources and improves the environment in the region. Gazprom Neft Company implemented a mini gas processing plant with a capacity of ~ 4.25 MMSCFD for the processing of rich APG with the NGL production at an autonomous oil field, which made it possible to reduce APG flaring and send valuable raw materials (NGL) for processing together with oil. A separate infrastructure for the NGLs transportation was not been realized. NGL is transported by injection to on-spec oil, considering the RVP restriction. This decision helped to eliminate capital expenditures on the infrastructure for the NGLs shipment and transportation, which ensured the economic viability of the APG utilization project. Mini Gas Processing Plant (NGL recovery) was implemented in modular form, which made it possible to place column and heat exchangers equipment with a minimum plotplant. As a result of the mini GPP project implementation, a high APG utilization rate at the field was achieved - 99%.