In December 2021, the International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association (IPIECA) issued a joint report entitled Flaring Management Guidance as an aid to its members. The report outlines new developments in flaring management and reduction, and examines industry experiences with eliminating flaring, new technologies, business models, operational improvements and regulatory policy. It also features case studies and examples of positive change.
One of the case studies addresses optimization of flash gas recovery. An affiliate of the Shell group of companies operating in the Permian Basin, SWEPI LP, installed ZerO2 technology to reduce oxygen concentrations found in oil tank vapors and upgrading the gas to pipeline specifications. The ZerO2 technology allowed the gas to be monetized, with an increase in gas recovery of 40% (and a commensurate reduction in gas flared) compared to prior use of vapor recovery towers.
Due to the field-proven performance with high reliability, low maintenance, modularity and attractive economics associated with the ZerO2 technology, Shell has continued to expand deployment of ZerO2 units in the Permian Basin, incorporating the technology as a component of the standard design for central processing facilities.
The case study reviews SWEPI’s situation, deployment and site configuration, and results from the use of the EcoVapor technology.
