Posted on 02/14/2013 8:39:06 AM PST by thackney
The North Dakota Senate snuffed out a measure Wednesday aimed at curbing the oil industry’s practice of wasting natural gas as an unwanted byproduct of oil production.
The bill, arguably the toughest to date against the oil industry in North Dakota, was defeated 34-13.
Sen. Tim Mathern’s measure would have cut an exemption commonly used by oil companies claiming an economic hardship of connecting a well to a natural gas pipeline. Oil companies in North Dakota can flare natural gas for a year without paying taxes or royalties on it. After that, companies can request an extension because of the difficulty of connecting the well to a natural gas pipeline. The exemption is nearly always granted by state regulators, who took no position on the legislation.
About one-third of North Dakota’s gas production has been burned off, or “flared,” since the oil boom began about five years ago. Less than 1 percent of natural gas is flared from oil fields nationwide, and less than 3 percent worldwide, according to the U.S. Energy Department’s Energy Information Administration.
(Excerpt) Read more at fuelfix.com ...
Now there’s a state that wants its people to be prosperous.
You have noted the sour gases and the process to clean it is tough. Has anyone ever thought of a unit to do so that is small, for each well, that would fit in a tractor trailer that would be portable to each well?
As always, I look forward to your wisdom or alternatives to keep this fuel from being wasted...
In my opinion, it is not tough but an expense. The problem with the small unit is each field is different and you are still producing products that have to go somewhere.
It is cheaper to bring the individual well gas production together into a common gas treat plant as is done all over the world.
The problem at the Bakken, the relative production of gas to oil is so low, it may be a near economic loss of the installation of piping and equipment to the volume of cheap gas produced. This would be even worse if you tried to make individual sized custom units to fit each well profile along with loosing the economy of scale for a large plant.
Small gas turbine or wankel generator units at each well head for the gas, produce wattage from the gas, then send it to the grid? Yes I know expensive again, but again I look forward to your reply.
Well, there’s hooking the outflow directly up to a Fuel Cell for electricity like the one sold by Fuelcell Energy, Inc.
They have a couple different types for cesspools and natural gas.
Might be worth looking at.
And the volume per well is still small, not cost effective for a generator set per well along with building out the power lines.
Building out the gas lines are small, low pressure lines in the gathering system, often made out of plastic. I suspect they are cheaper than the power line.
Keep in mind each well isn't going to produce a steady rate of gas over time. It is going to drop in this tight formation just like the oil does.
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The generator would have to be sized for the peak, yet would quickly have to operate at a fraction of the flow. And it cost more than the basic gathering system to normal gas plant.
The problem remains, each individual well produces not enough gas for economics. Spending money on generators to produce not enough electricity to be economic doesn't improve the situation.
Same problem described in #8.
The gas still has to be cleaned up before the fuel cell. And low pressure plastic pipe is way cheaper than a Fuel cell and miles distribution lines carrying very, very little electrical power.
If these wells were producing a significant gas supply, they would already be piped up.
For those wanting a very high resolution of the US night skies:
http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/712129main_8247975848_88635d38a1_o.jpg
Am I off-base here?
That is my understand as well.
North Dakota’s total gas production is about 1/2 of 1% of the US production.
U.S. Natural Gas Marketed Production
http://www.eia.gov/dnav/ng/hist/n9050us2m.htm
North Dakota Natural Gas Marketed Production
http://www.eia.gov/dnav/ng/hist/n9050nd2m.htm
To be fair, let me give another perspective.
While they only produce 1/2 of 1% of all the US Gas, they vent & flare nearly a third of the total vent and flared gas in the US.
North Dakota Natural Gas Vented and Flared
http://www.eia.gov/dnav/ng/hist/n9040nd2m.htm
U.S. Natural Gas Vented and Flared
http://www.eia.gov/dnav/ng/hist/n9040us2m.htm
Off shore looks similar to Yr. 2000.
Oh, and they fail to detect the “horror” of all flared gas in the Wolfbone Play in the Permian Basin of West Texas.
Also, quite a few flares in San Juan Basin around Farmington and in Uintah Basin due east of Provo, Utah.
Also, quite a few flares in San Juan Basin around Farmington and in Uintah Basin due east of Provo, Utah.
How well do they burn nitrogen and water? Natural Gas straight from the well head has both.
How well do the compression blades hold up with CO and H2S? Both also common in some fields.
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