Abstract
A set of methods are presented for the global survey of natural gas flaring using data collected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NASA/NOAA Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS). The accuracy of the flared gas volume estimates is rated at ±9.5%. VIIRS is particularly well suited for detecting and measuring the radiant emissions from gas flares through the collection of shortwave and near-infrared data at night, recording the peak radiant emissions from flares. In 2012, a total of 7467 individual flare sites were identified. The total flared gas volume is estimated at 143 (±13.6) billion cubic meters (BCM), corresponding to 3.5% of global production. While the USA has the largest number of flares, Russia leads in terms of flared gas volume. Ninety percent of the flared gas volume was found in upstream production areas, 8% at refineries and 2% at liquified natural gas (LNG) terminals. The results confirm that the bulk of natural gas flaring occurs in upstream production areas. VIIRS data can provide site-specific tracking of natural gas flaring for use in evaluating efforts to reduce and eliminate routine flaring.
Highlights
Flaring is widely used to dispose of natural gas produced at oil and gas facilities that lack sufficient infrastructure to capture all of the gas that is produced (Figure 1)
Where flare volume data are reported, the data are typically self-reported by the flare operators, estimated from the difference between the natural gas volume produced and the quantity used or sold
The analysis produced results identifying the locations of flares sites and flared gas volume estimates for 2012
Summary
Flaring is widely used to dispose of natural gas produced at oil and gas facilities that lack sufficient infrastructure to capture all of the gas that is produced (Figure 1). The term “associated gas” refers to natural gas that emerges when crude oil is brought to the Earth’s surface. This is the largest source of gas flaring. Smaller quantities of gas flaring occur at oil refineries and natural gas processing facilities. Because flaring is a waste disposal process, there is no systematic reporting of the flaring locations and flared gas volumes. Where flare volume data are reported, the data are typically self-reported by the flare operators, estimated from the difference between the natural gas volume produced and the quantity used or sold. It is difficult to assess the reliability and accuracy of the reported data
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