A Review of Flaring and Venting at UK Offshore Oilfields: An analogue for offshore Carbon Dioxide Enhanced Oil Recovery Projects?

Abstract

This study aims to re-address the issue of flaring and venting of reproduced gases in carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery (CO2EOR) projects. Whilst a number of studies have not recognised the impact of flaring/venting in CO2EOR developments, a study completed at Scottish Carbon Capture and Storage (SCCS) “Carbon Accounting for Carbon Dioxide Enhanced Oil Recovery” highlighted the significant control that flaring/venting of reproduced gases may have on a projects life cycle greenhouse gas emissions. This study utilises operational data from offshore UK oil fields to analyse the rates of current flaring and venting in oil operations in these established fields. Although no CO2EOR developments are currently operating in the United Kingdom Continental Shelf (UKCS), it is thought that these offshore fields may provide an analogue for flaring and venting rates at future offshore CO2EOR fields. An even better analogue may exist in the form of non-CO2 offshore EOR projects of which there a number operating in the UKCS (Awan et al. 2008). Given that some of these EOR projects utilise gas injection, much like the proposed CO2EOR projects, flaring/venting rates at these fields in particular will be analysed further.