Successful Reduction of GHG Flaring Emissions in South Oman Cluster Using Simple CI Tools

Abstract

Abstract Controlling oil and gas stations effectively to reduce GHG emissions is a crucial step in mitigating the effects of climate change. This study focuses on identifying and applying the strategies available for reducing GHG emissions from the South Oman Sour Cluster. Minimizing flaring attributed to facilities instabilities, leads to flaring, as well as flaring on planned shutdowns and start-ups using six sigma approach and cut down the average flaring by 35% through operational excellence. Controlled flaring during Shutdowns, start-ups and partial trips of production units, a novel thought of a simple Six-Sigma CI approach. Back pressure control in the chokes of each well, which directly balances/controls the flow line pressure, controls bubbling effect in the TH and NAG and results in better GOR. This phenomenon occurs in many natural and engineered systems. HP separators in Station-H operate at 85 BarG. Well chokes control NAG release. Back pressure control technique is applied to wells in a unique way, which maintains constant pressure in the flow line and optimizes flow of oil and gas from the reservoir. Project Benefits (During the pilot period from 01/05/2022 to 05/05/2022) lead to Flare reductions in Station-H which reduced flaring during start-ups of the station by 35% taken on an average of 5 days and reduced flaring during any unit trip by 55% with Yearly reduction. Deferment savings of 0.8M $ in each start-up and S/D. back pressure controls applied using chokes, enabled flow optimizations to each well to reduce annual GHG emission by 13 k tone/year of CO2. Compressed sour gas from LP/IP compressors diverted to Gas sweetening units converted in to sweetened gas. If any compressor trips, or S/D well chokes in back pressure control reduce gas feed/ cutoff feed to HP Separators. Back pressure controls abnormal fluid behavior is controlled in tubing head. Under controlled pressure more oil flow occurs, reducing NAG gas flow. This prevents undesired situations like producing more injected gas than crude oil from the oil reservoir. Back pressure control applications directly reduced flaring of NAG and yielded better GOR without major changes in the process. Flaring control and reducing GHG emissions to ZERO is the long-term objective of our team by effective application of CI, six sigma and operation excellence. Flare Gas Recovery projects deploy new technologies to recover gas such as energy transformation and waste heat regeneration in the aim of achieving GOAL ZERO.