Natural Gas Production Facilities Research Articles

Process Reduces Carbon Emissions From Natural Gas Compression and Production

_ This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 214974,“New Technology Reduces Carbon Emissions From Natural Gas Compression and Production Facilities,” by John Guoynes, SPE, David Stiles, SPE, and Cory Vail, Axip Energy Services, et al. The paper has not been peer reviewed. _ A chemical-free process has been developed to capture exhaust from natural gas drive compressors and supporting gas-fueled production equipment while featuring a small footprint. The process separates CO2 and nitrogen from exhaust, allowing the CO2 to be discharged at high pressure for transport, sequestration, or enhanced oil recovery. Introduction Over 50,000 compressors move natural gas in North America. Most are driven by either internal combustion engines or turbines. These compressors produce am estimate of more than 30 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent yearly, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reporting Program. The significance of GHG reduction policies has heightened with the passing of the Inflation Reduction Act, which provides support for companies investing in future carbon capture use and storage, along with methane reduction. Process Modeling Modeling and analysis of an exhaust-gas carbon capture system, and the design and optimization of a supercritical CO2 (sCO2) waste-heat-recovery power cycle, was performed. This cycle was chosen for its high efficiency and relatively compact design compared with competitive waste-heat-recovery technologies. The preliminary process-flow diagram was provided based on conditions for 30,000-hp large reciprocating gas engines. Several process configurations were investigated; these iterations are detailed in the complete paper. A summary of this development shows that Iterations 1 through 3 showed improvements in power through improving the sCO2 power-cycle efficiency. However, this came at the increase in high-pressure sCO2 components. A simplification of components returned the sCO2 cycle to a single cascaded cycle in Iterations 4 through 5. Temperature selection in the sCO2 cycle also improved its efficiency. Moving to Iteration 4 improved the system power requirement by 20.7%. Iteration 5 showed moderately reduced performance over Iteration 4. This was the result of shifting more duty to the ammonia chillers and a moderate worsening of performance in the gas compressor. Iteration 5 did not improve the power requirement of the system. Ultimately, Iteration 4 was the most-efficient cycle evaluated with the overall lowest power requirement. Exhaust-Capture Decarbonization System The system developed captures exhaust from compression and other internal combustion equipment commonly used in gas transmission, oil and gas production, and midstream applications. The system works with a chemical-free, cryogenic design with a small modular footprint to capture large volumes of exhaust gas at atmospheric pressure. This technology separates CO2 and nitrogen, generates enough power from waste heat to run the equipment, and discharges captured CO2 under high pressure at supercritical conditions for compressor stations of 5,000 to 20,000 hp. The design is fully self-contained and mounts on a compact skid package capable of handling up to 70 million scf/D of exhaust while extracting liquid CO2 from rich-burn driven compressors, lean-burn driven compressors, or turbines.

Peculiarities of cryogenic pipelines insulation selection at small scale liquefied natural gas production and consumption facilities

The article analyzes the typical design and materials of thermal insulation of cryogenic pipelines, compares them on the basis of thermal conductivity, and considers the key differences in the regulatory and technical documents of the Russian Federation, the People's Republic of China and the European Union, which should be taken into account in the design of thermal insulation of pipelines at low-tonnage LNG facilities. A number of regulatory requirements in the Russian Federation restrict the use of commonly used materials such as polyisocyanurate and pouleorethane foam without the development of a safety case or the use of additional compensating measures. Thermal insulation structures based on aerogels or foam glass are acceptable, but have a number of shortcomings.

Проблемы согласованности газодинамических характеристик секций центробежного компрессора и выбора антипомпажных регулирующих клапанов

Options of approach to selection of standard size of anti-surge control valves in relation to two-section (two-shell) centrifugal compressor unit with three control circuits (first section, second section, general circuit) are considered. The problems arising from valve selection due to incorrect calculation of gas dynamic characteristics of compressor sections are shown. Field of application — natural and associated gas production and compression facilities.

Creation of new logistics for the export of arctic mineral resources as a condition for their sustainable development

An overview of possible transformations of logistic schemes for the export of mineral raw materials mined in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation is presented. The existing system of transportation of mineral raw materials by sea, rail, inland water, road and air transport is considered. The description of mineral resource centers forming the cargo base of the Arctic transport system is given; their typification by types of transport for the export of products is given. A change in logistics schemes in connection with access to new markets in the changed geopolitical conditions was considered. The need for changes does not apply to rail, inland water, road and aviation transport, which provide mainly domestic transportation. Major changes affect pipeline and maritime transport. It was concluded that it is necessary to create liquefied natural gas production facilities at the exit points to the coast of the poorly devoured seas of main gas pipelines in order to monetize pipeline gas and expand the throughput capacity of main oil pipelines suitable for port oil loading terminals of the Baltic and Black Seas. The conditions for delivery to Asian oil export markets by sea have deteriorated due to the increase in the duration of circular flights and the cost of tanker freight. In addition, the possibility of an increase in the cargo traffic of the oil export to the Asian market in the Northern Sea Route was questioned due to the lack of a high deadweight cargo fleet and the required Arctic ice classes. The proposal on the need to revise strategic planning documents adopted in other political and economic conditions based on the current realities is justified.

Invariant method for measuring wet gas flow rate

The article deals with one of the important tasks of modern flow measurement, which is related to the measurement of the flow rate and the amount of wet gas. This task becomes especially important when it becomes necessary to obtain information about the separate amount of the dry part of the gas that is contained in the form of a mixture in the wet gas stream. The paper presents the principle of operation and structure of the invariant system for measuring the flow rate of wet gas, which is based on the combined use of differential pressure flowmeters and Coriolis flowmeters. The operation of the invariant wet gas flow rate measurement system is based on the simultaneous application of the multichannel principle and the partial flow measurement method. Coriolis flowmeters and the differential pressure flowmeter are used as the main elements of the system. The proposed measurement system does not offer applications for gases with abundant drip humidity. The article provides information about the test results of the proposed invariant system. The estimation of the metrological characteristics of the invariant system when measuring the flow rate of wet gas is given. The obtained test results of the invariant wet gas flow rate measurement system are relevant for natural gas production, transportation, and storage facilities.

Understanding oil and gas pneumatic controllers in the Denver–Julesburg basin using optical gas imaging

ABSTRACTIn the spring of 2018, a 10-day field study was conducted in Colorado’s Denver-Julesburg oil and natural gas production basin to improve information on well pad pneumatic controller (PC) populations and identify PCs with potential maintenance issues (MIs) causing excess emissions through a novel optical gas imaging (OGI) survey approach. A total of 500 natural gas-emitting PCs servicing 102 wells (4.9 PCs/well) were surveyed at 31 facilities operated by seven different companies. The PCs were characterized by their designed operational function and applications, with 83% of the PC population identified as intermittent PCs (IPCs). An OGI inspection protocol was used to investigate emissions on 447 working PCs from this set. OGI detected continuous emissions from 11.3% of observed IPCs and these were classified as experiencing some level of MIs. OGI imaging modes were observed to have a significant effect on emission detectability with high sensitivity mode detection rates being approximately 2 times higher compared to auto mode. Fourteen snapshot emission measurements (not including actuations) were conducted on IPCs in this category using a high-volume sampling device with augmented quality assurance procedures with observed emissions rates ranging from 0.1 up to 31.3 scf/hr (mean = 2.8 scf/hr). For PCs with continuous depressurization type (CPC), 36.8% had continuous emissions observed by OGI. Four supporting emission measurements were conducted on CPCs with one unit exceeding the low bleed regulatory emission threshold with an emission rate of 9.9 scf/hr (mean = 4.2 scf/hr). Additional information was collected on PC actuation events, as observed with OGI, which showed a strong correlation between observed actuation events and facility production compared to observed continuous emissions caused by MIs which did not correlate with facility production.Implications: A novel survey approach of pneumatic controllers at oil and natural gas production facilities in the Denver-Julesburg basin, using optical gas imaging and supporting emission measurements, was demonstrated as an effective method to identify controllers with potential maintenance issues causing excess emissions. The results of the pneumatic controller and optical gas imaging surveys improved information on pneumatic controller populations within the basin and also demonstrated the significant effect optical gas imaging modes have on emission detections.

High efficiency gas-turbine power generator GTU-2U

Introduction: the analysis of the main areas of energy transition (energie wende) from fossil fuels and nuclear power generation to renewable sources of energy has identified the following four key problems: electric power shortage; ageing of power generation facilities; insufficient infrastructure; growing demand for gas fuel. In Russia, distributed small-scale power generation facilities serve those consumers who have no access to centralized power supply or network channels of regular power generation. A combination of versatile approaches to electric power generation should be applied in the course of designing a specific energy generation facility in this context.Methods: the research project represents an analysis of the works written by the leading Russian and foreign researchers specializing on power engineering, namely, energy supply to consumers. The expert assessment method has identified the niches which are best fitted by gas turbine facilities. Computerized and simulation modeling techniques were used to perform the analytical and statistical processing of the project findings.Results and discussion: the trend for the structural improvement of small-scale liquefied natural gas facilities has been identified in the course of the research. The author has substantiated development of systems for power supply to smallcapacity liquefied natural gas production facilities. The proposed gas turbine GTU-2U is designated for generation of electric energy, if in operation as a standalone facility as part of a centralized heating and power plant in the standalone mode of operation, or in case of concurrent operation along with an energy generation system within the framework of distributed small capacity networks. The co-authors have substantiated the unit’s practical application and identified the GTU-2U distribution market both in Russia and abroad: small capacity distributed power generation industry and power supply to small-capacity liquefied natural gas production facilities. The latter is a relatively new market which is in the process of proactive development both in mature and developing economies. This power supply pattern will enable to monetize gas deposits, located far from pipelines and to supply gas to hard-to-access regions.Conclusion: the key trends in the development of the contemporary power generation industry are considered in the article. Gas turbine unit GTU-2U has been designed. This unit is capable of generating power both as a standalone facility, as a component of a centralized heating and power plant in the standalone mode of operation, or in case of concurrent operation along with an energy generation system. Its strengths substantiate its practical application both in the Russian and international power generation markets.

Science & technology issues associated with natural gas production transmission and processing

National priorities for science and technology development in Russia include the transition to green and resource-conscious energy, improving the efficiency of production, and deep conversion raw hydrocarbon materials. Plans to encourage these developments will encourage a harmonious and sustainable research and development sector for the energy industry, and will also encourage that Russian companies participating in the global natural gas market maintain a competitive edge. Gazprom, as the largest transnational energy corporation, will need to cooperate closely with the Russian Academy of Sciences. In 2002, the Gazprom Management Committee and the Presidium of RAS adopted the Basic and Applied Research Program for RAS institutes, which guided research teams of the Academy in completing a package of work focused on the most important development problems in the country’s natural gas production. The R&D Program for Gazprom was updated in 2017 and is focused on the development of energy and industrial infrastructure in Russia. This R&D program forms a pillar that supports emerging technologies and the development and adaptation of innovative products and services for use in natural gas production, transmission, and processing facilities.

Direct use of seawater for rapid methane storage via clathrate (sII) hydrates

Storing natural gas in the form of clathrate hydrates (termed as Solidified Natural Gas, SNG) is highly advantageous as it is non-explosive, environmentally benign and offers compact mode of natural gas storage with high volumetric storage capacity. In this work, we demonstrate rapid methane storage in saline water (1.1 mol% NaCl solution) and seawater via clathrate hydrates aided by 5.56 mol% THF in a simple unstirred tank reactor. We report extremely fast hydrate formation kinetics with methane uptake of 89.2 (±2.4) v/v in 13.8 (±2.4) minutes with saline water and 86.3 (±4.3) v/v in 15.1 (±0.8) minutes with natural seawater (t90). This uptake corresponds to an yield of 77.6 (±2.2)% for saline water and 75.0 (±3.4)% for natural seawater system respectively for the stated hydrate growth time. Further, molecular insights of the mixed hydrate formation in presence of NaCl is derived through high-pressure calorimetry, in-situ Raman, and powder X-ray diffraction analysis. Finally, we demonstrate the stability of the hydrate pellet formed employing direct seawater in presence of THF for two weeks. The direct use of natural seawater makes the SNG technology highly attractive to store/transport methane for large-scale storage needs and for low capacity natural gas production facilities like biogas manufacturing plants.

The fire resistant ceiling construction in a hydrocarbon fire

Fire protection of building structures under the hydrocarbon fire is becoming more relevant, especially in the design and construction of oil and gas and chemical complex facilities, including offshore fixed platforms, liquefied natural gas production and storage facilities and other objects of the fuel and energy complex. The development dynamics of such a fire requires a different approach to testing the structures in order to determine the fire resistance limit. The fire resistance tests of a steel horizontal structure with a fire resistance suspended ceiling of PROMATECT-T plates were carried out under the condition of creating a hydrocarbon temperature combustion regime. A detailed description of the tested ceiling design is given. It is shown that at the time of the end of the fire action, the limit state due to the loss of load capacity (R) and loss of integrity (E) was not recorded when the test reached 120 minutes.

Quantifying methane emissions from natural gas production in north-eastern Pennsylvania

Abstract. Natural gas infrastructure releases methane (CH4), a potent greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere. The estimated emission rate associated with the production and transportation of natural gas is uncertain, hindering our understanding of its greenhouse footprint. This study presents a new application of inverse methodology for estimating regional emission rates from natural gas production and gathering facilities in north-eastern Pennsylvania. An inventory of CH4 emissions was compiled for major sources in Pennsylvania. This inventory served as input emission data for the Weather Research and Forecasting model with chemistry enabled (WRF-Chem), and atmospheric CH4 mole fraction fields were generated at 3 km resolution. Simulated atmospheric CH4 enhancements from WRF-Chem were compared to observations obtained from a 3-week flight campaign in May 2015. Modelled enhancements from sources not associated with upstream natural gas processes were assumed constant and known and therefore removed from the optimization procedure, creating a set of observed enhancements from natural gas only. Simulated emission rates from unconventional production were then adjusted to minimize the mismatch between aircraft observations and model-simulated mole fractions for 10 flights. To evaluate the method, an aircraft mass balance calculation was performed for four flights where conditions permitted its use. Using the model optimization approach, the weighted mean emission rate from unconventional natural gas production and gathering facilities in north-eastern Pennsylvania approach is found to be 0.36 % of total gas production, with a 2σ confidence interval between 0.27 and 0.45 % of production. Similarly, the mean emission estimates using the aircraft mass balance approach are calculated to be 0.40 % of regional natural gas production, with a 2σ confidence interval between 0.08 and 0.72 % of production. These emission rates as a percent of production are lower than rates found in any other basin using a top-down methodology, and may be indicative of some characteristics of the basin that make sources from the north-eastern Marcellus region unique.

Chemical dispersants enhance the activity of oil- and gas condensate-degrading marine bacteria.

Application of chemical dispersants to oil spills in the marine environment is a common practice to disperse oil into the water column and stimulate oil biodegradation by increasing its bioavailability to indigenous bacteria capable of naturally metabolizing hydrocarbons. In the context of a spill event, the biodegradation of crude oil and gas condensate off eastern Canada is an essential component of a response strategy. In laboratory experiments, we simulated conditions similar to an oil spill with and without the addition of chemical dispersant under both winter and summer conditions and evaluated the natural attenuation potential for hydrocarbons in near-surface sea water from the vicinity of crude oil and natural gas production facilities off eastern Canada. Chemical analyses were performed to determine hydrocarbon degradation rates, and metagenome binning combined with metatranscriptomics was used to reconstruct abundant bacterial genomes and estimate their oil degradation gene abundance and activity. Our results show important and rapid structural shifts in microbial populations in all three different oil production sites examined following exposure to oil, oil with dispersant and dispersant alone. We found that the addition of dispersant to crude oil enhanced oil degradation rates and favored the abundance and expression of oil-degrading genes from a Thalassolituus sp. (that is, metagenome bin) that harbors multiple alkane hydroxylase (alkB) gene copies. We propose that this member of the Oceanospirillales group would be an important oil degrader when oil spills are treated with dispersant.

A techno-economic assessment of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) production facilities in Western Canada

The availability and low cost of natural gas in North America open the possibility of transporting it to places where there is significant demand. Natural gas can be transported long distances as liquefied natural gas (LNG). In this paper, data-intensive techno-economic models were developed to assess LNG production costs in Western Canada. A two-train (each with an annual natural gas liquefaction capacity of 5 million tons) LNG plant is designed in the context of anticipated LNG export facilities in British Columbia, Canada. The plant equipment parameters and costs were estimated using a data-intensive bottom-up cost calculation methodology. Cost correlations linking the equipment’s design parameters to the equipment’s installed cost were developed and overall costs assessed. The total installed cost of the plant equipment is about US$1.9 billion. Considering a $1200/tpa capital expenditure, a 12% discount rate, and a 25-year plant life, the total product (LNG) cost is $7.8/GJ, if the gas supply source is Montney, and $9.1/GJ, if the gas supply source is Horn River. The delivery cost of Canadian LNG to Asia was estimated and a sensitivity analysis conducted. Total liquefaction cost is influenced most by the LNG facility capital expenditure, gas supply cost, and the discount rate.

Capture of low grade methane from nitrogen gas using dual-reflux pressure swing adsorption

We report a dual-reflux pressure swing adsorption (DR-PSA) apparatus and cycle configuration to recover an enriched methane product from mixtures of methane and nitrogen containing between (2.4 and 49.6)mol% methane. This range of feed gas compositions is representative of some significant greenhouse gas emissions streams containing methane, including vent streams from liquefied natural gas production facilities and ventilation air from coal mining operations. The DR-PSA apparatus was demonstrated with activated carbon NoritRB3 as the adsorbent, operating with a low pressure step of 1.4bar and a high pressure step of 5bar. The effect of light reflux flowrate and heavy product draw on methane recovery and nitrogen vent purity were investigated. The DR-PSA experiment with 2.4mol% methane in the feed produced a methane product containing 35.7mol% methane, which is approximately a 15 times enrichment, and a clean nitrogen vent containing just 3000ppmv methane. In another experiment an enrichment ratio of 21 was achieved for a feed containing 2.4mol%CH4, which is significantly higher than the pressure ratio of 3.6 considered to be the theoretical enrichment limit of conventional PSA cycles. The capture of dilute methane with this DR-PSA process is energetically self-sustainable.

Inverse modelling of CH<sub>4</sub> emissions for 2010–2011 using different satellite retrieval products from GOSAT and SCIAMACHY

Abstract. At the beginning of 2009 new space-borne observations of dry-air column-averaged mole fractions of atmospheric methane (XCH4) became available from the Thermal And Near infrared Sensor for carbon Observations–Fourier Transform Spectrometer (TANSO-FTS) instrument on board the Greenhouse Gases Observing SATellite (GOSAT). Until April 2012 concurrent {methane (CH4) retrievals} were provided by the SCanning Imaging Absorption spectroMeter for Atmospheric CartograpHY (SCIAMACHY) instrument on board the ENVironmental SATellite (ENVISAT). The GOSAT and SCIAMACHY XCH4 retrievals can be compared during the period of overlap. We estimate monthly average CH4 emissions between January 2010 and December 2011, using the TM5-4DVAR inverse modelling system. In addition to satellite data, high-accuracy measurements from the Cooperative Air Sampling Network of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Earth System Research Laboratory (NOAA ESRL) are used, providing strong constraints on the remote surface atmosphere. We discuss five inversion scenarios that make use of different GOSAT and SCIAMACHY XCH4 retrieval products, including two sets of GOSAT proxy retrievals processed independently by the Netherlands Institute for Space Research (SRON)/Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), and the University of Leicester (UL), and the RemoTeC "Full-Physics" (FP) XCH4 retrievals available from SRON/KIT. The GOSAT-based inversions show significant reductions in the root mean square (rms) difference between retrieved and modelled XCH4, and require much smaller bias corrections compared to the inversion using SCIAMACHY retrievals, reflecting the higher precision and relative accuracy of the GOSAT XCH4. Despite the large differences between the GOSAT and SCIAMACHY retrievals, 2-year average emission maps show overall good agreement among all satellite-based inversions, with consistent flux adjustment patterns, particularly across equatorial Africa and North America. Over North America, the satellite inversions result in a significant redistribution of CH4 emissions from North-East to South-Central United States. This result is consistent with recent independent studies suggesting a systematic underestimation of CH4 emissions from North American fossil fuel sources in bottom-up inventories, likely related to natural gas production facilities. Furthermore, all four satellite inversions yield lower CH4 fluxes across the Congo basin compared to the NOAA-only scenario, but higher emissions across tropical East Africa. The GOSAT and SCIAMACHY inversions show similar performance when validated against independent shipboard and aircraft observations, and XCH4 retrievals available from the Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON).

Impact of emissions from natural gas production facilities on ambient air quality in the Barnett Shale area: A pilot study

Rapid and extensive development of shale gas resources in the Barnett Shale region of Texas in recent years has created concerns about potential environmental impacts on water and air quality. The purpose of this study was to provide a better understanding of the potential contributions of emissions from gas production operations to population exposure to air toxics in the Barnett Shale region. This goal was approached using a combination of chemical characterization of the volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from active wells, saturation monitoring for gaseous and particulate pollutants in a residential community located near active gas/oil extraction and processing facilities, source apportionment of VOCs measured in the community using the Chemical Mass Balance (CMB) receptor model, and direct measurements of the pollutant gradient downwind of a gas well with high VOC emissions. Overall, the study results indicate that air quality impacts due to individual gas wells and compressor stations are not likely to be discernible beyond a distance of approximately 100 m in the downwind direction. However, source apportionment results indicate a significant contribution to regional VOCs from gas production sources, particularly for lower-molecular-weight alkanes (<C6). Although measured ambient VOC concentrations were well below health-based safe exposure levels, the existence of urban-level mean concentrations of benzene and other mobile source air toxics combined with soot to total carbon ratios that were high for an area with little residential or commercial development may be indicative of the impact of increased heavy-duty vehicle traffic related to gas productionImplicationsRapid and extensive development of shale gas resources in recent years has created concerns about potential environmental impacts on water and air quality. This study focused on directly measuring the ambient air pollutant levels occurring at residential properties located near natural gas extraction and processing facilities, and estimating the relative contributions from gas production and motor vehicle emissions to ambient VOC concentrations. Although only a small-scale case study, the results may be useful for guidance in planning future ambient air quality studies and human exposure estimates in areas of intensive shale gas production.

Bacterial Communities Associated with Production Facilities of Two Newly Drilled Thermogenic Natural Gas Wells in the Barnett Shale (Texas, USA)

We monitored the bacterial communities in the gas-water separator and water storage tank of two newly drilled natural gas wells in the Barnett Shale in north central Texas, using a 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing approach over a period of 6 months. Overall, the communities were composed mainly of moderately halophilic and halotolerant members of the phyla Firmicutes and Proteobacteria (classes Βeta-, Gamma-, and Epsilonproteobacteria) in both wells at all sampling times and locations. Many of the observed lineages were encountered in prior investigations of microbial communities from various fossil fluid formations and production facilities. In all of the samples, multiple H(2)S-producing lineages were encountered; belonging to the sulfate- and sulfur-reducing class Deltaproteobacteria, order Clostridiales, and phylum Synergistetes, as well as the thiosulfate-reducing order Halanaerobiales. The bacterial communities from the separator and tank samples bore little resemblance to the bacterial communities in the drilling mud and hydraulic-fracture waters that were used to drill these wells, suggesting the in situ development of the unique bacterial communities in such well components was in response to the prevalent geochemical conditions present. Conversely, comparison of the bacterial communities on temporal and spatial scales suggested the establishment of a core microbial community in each sampled location. The results provide the first overview of bacterial dynamics and colonization patterns in newly drilled, thermogenic natural gas wells and highlights patterns of spatial and temporal variability observed in bacterial communities in natural gas production facilities.

Method Accurately Predicts Water Content of Natural Gases

An accurate prediction of natural gas water content is an important parameter in proper designing of natural gas production, transmission, and processing facilities. The aim of this study is to describe an accurate method for predicting water content of sweet and sour natural gases, where the obtained results by the proposed method show good agreements with the experimental data. The proposed method provides good estimates of the equilibrium water vapor content of sour natural gas for a range of conditions, including H 2 S contents of 0–50 mole % with CO 2 contents of 0–40 mole %, pressures from atmospheric to 100,000 KPa for sweet gas and 70,000 KPa for sour gas, and temperatures from 10°C–150°C for sour gases and 10°–200°C for sweet gases.

Conoco and the Vapor Recovery Project: Using Innovation to Preserve Autonomy

SummaryWe describe Conoco's closed‐loop approach to reducing undesirable emissions through vapor recovery at some of its natural gas production facilities near Corpus Christi, Texas. In response to the U.S. Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (CAAA), Conoco developed a technological solution that routed emissions from the facilities to fuel scrubbers and condensers to capture usable product and hazardous air pollutants. Usable product was sold. Nonsalable emissions were routed to on‐site equipment as fuel. The new technology was designed without power needs because electricity was not available. In completing these modifications, a closed system (approaching zero emissions) for these facilities was achieved. This innovation saved and earned money for the firm and allowed Conoco to retain its autonomy in these operations.The solution was so effective that the air quality permits under the CAAA were not required for these production facilities, for a total out‐of‐pocket cost of 560,000 (plus earned revenue). The firm saved 2,535,000 in initial and 1,359,000 in annual permit costs and fees. The technology recovered 210,000/yr worth of vent gas as on‐site fuel and 3,633 barrels/yr of saleable condensate valued at 58,128/ yr. At the same time, it reduced its division environmental impact by 884 tons/year of nitrogen oxides, 2,366 tons/yr of volatile organic compounds, and 495 tons/yr of other hazardous air pollutants. Payout of this 560,000 investment was less than 2 years.

Is This Site Contaminated?

Groundwater Monitoring & RemediationVolume 15, Issue 1 p. 71-74 Is This Site Contaminated? Evan K. Nyer, Evan K. Nyer Evan K. Nyer is an expert in the research and application of technology to ground water cleanup. As vice president of technical resources with Geraghty & Miller Inc. (14497 N. Dale Mabry Hwy, Ste. 115, Tampa, FL 33618), he is responsible for maintaining and expanding Geraghty & Miller's technical expertise in geology/ hydrogeology, engineering, modeling, risk assessment, bioremediation, and many other areas. He also provides expertise in engineering services, includins the desisn of treatment systems for contaminated water sites throughout the United States. He has designed and installed more than 100 ground water and soil remediation systems. He is a member of the Water Pollution Control Federation, the National Ground Water Association, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and the American Society of Civil Engineers.Search for more papers by this authorCharles D. Senz, Charles D. Senz Charles D. Senz, a senior geologist with Geraghty & Miller Inc. in Denver, Colorado, has more than 14 years of experience as a geologist including 8 years in the environmental field. He has managed projects, performed extensive field work, and written numerous reports for various hazardous waste sites, CERCLA and RCRA sites, and hydrocarbon-contaminated sites in the Rocky Mountain region. Senz has experience at sites impacted by volatile and semivolatile organic compounds, chlorinated solvents, petroleum hydrocarbons, PCBs, pesticides and herbicides, metals and other inorganic compounds, and acids and strong bases. He has also conducted and managed environmental site assessments for residential properties, small and large industrial properties, warehouses, hotels, office buildings, natural gas production facilities, medical facilities, photo-processing facilities, and large tracts of vacant land.Search for more papers by this author Evan K. Nyer, Evan K. Nyer Evan K. Nyer is an expert in the research and application of technology to ground water cleanup. As vice president of technical resources with Geraghty & Miller Inc. (14497 N. Dale Mabry Hwy, Ste. 115, Tampa, FL 33618), he is responsible for maintaining and expanding Geraghty & Miller's technical expertise in geology/ hydrogeology, engineering, modeling, risk assessment, bioremediation, and many other areas. He also provides expertise in engineering services, includins the desisn of treatment systems for contaminated water sites throughout the United States. He has designed and installed more than 100 ground water and soil remediation systems. He is a member of the Water Pollution Control Federation, the National Ground Water Association, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and the American Society of Civil Engineers.Search for more papers by this authorCharles D. Senz, Charles D. Senz Charles D. Senz, a senior geologist with Geraghty & Miller Inc. in Denver, Colorado, has more than 14 years of experience as a geologist including 8 years in the environmental field. He has managed projects, performed extensive field work, and written numerous reports for various hazardous waste sites, CERCLA and RCRA sites, and hydrocarbon-contaminated sites in the Rocky Mountain region. Senz has experience at sites impacted by volatile and semivolatile organic compounds, chlorinated solvents, petroleum hydrocarbons, PCBs, pesticides and herbicides, metals and other inorganic compounds, and acids and strong bases. He has also conducted and managed environmental site assessments for residential properties, small and large industrial properties, warehouses, hotels, office buildings, natural gas production facilities, medical facilities, photo-processing facilities, and large tracts of vacant land.Search for more papers by this author First published: February 1995 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6592.1995.tb00503.xCitations: 1AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Citing Literature Volume15, Issue1February 1995Pages 71-74 RelatedInformation