Flaring Of Natural Gas Raises Questions

This opinion piece presents the opinions of the author.
It does not necessarily reflect the views of Rigzone.

Many people outside the oil and gas industry wonder why producers seem to be wasting natural gas by flaring it into the air for no apparent reason.

There happens to be a number of very good reasons, as pointed out by Omar Garcia, President of the South Texas Energy and Economic Roundtable, in a recent article in the San Antonio Express News.

A key reason for flaring is safety. “When equipment or pipes become over-pressured, safety valves within the equipment automatically engage to send gas into flare stacks until pressures reach a safe level,” Garcia said.

Oil and natural gas wells are drilled miles beneath the Earth and under extreme temperatures and pressure. All precautions must be taken to prevent a blowout, an uncontrolled gushing of fluids that threatens lives and property.  When pressures reach certain levels, the safety valves release natural gas and it ignites creating a flare. 

Flaring involves burning off natural gas in a pre-approved manner that is regulated by the Texas Railroad Commission. 

Flaring prevents potential health and safety problems. Natural gas in its raw form can be very harmful if breathed by humans and animals.  It must be monitored, tested and controlled. Natural gas is very volatile, too. If not properly handled, it can ignite and cause massive explosions.

Therefore, natural gas cannot be released into the atmosphere. It must be flared.

During the drilling and completion process, each well undergoes a variety of tests to determine quantity and quality of the oil and gas encountered. In most cases, there are no pipelines in the area during the drilling process, making it necessary to flare during these tests.

As a matter of fact, it may take months to get a pipeline connection. If this is the case, the operator of the well must obtain a permit from the Railroad Commission to flare the gas. 

Obviously, flaring of natural gas is a waste, but a necessary waste to protect everyone’s health and safety. Producers want to get a pipeline connection as soon as possible so they can begin selling the natural gas.

The industry also has been developing the technology to recover the natural gas and use it at the well site.

After the pipeline has been constructed, the natural gas is injected and transported for consumer use and it becomes a part of the revenue stream. Garcia points out that according to the Texas Railroad Commission more than 16,000 miles of pipeline were added across the state between 2010 and 2013.

Natural gas production in Texas has increased 40 percent since 1995, and the outlook favors continued increases in production of this precious resource. The future of natural gas has arrived.

Alex Mills is President of the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers.



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