Gas flaring reduction efforts progressing

The World Bank-led Global Gas Flaring Reduction partnership (GGFR) reports the global estimate for gas flaring has declined for a third consecutive year.

GGFR helps countries and companies to both implement gas-flaring reduction projects and seize opportunities to increase the utilization of associated gas.

“Our work in different countries, from Russia to Azerbaijan and from Nigeria to Mexico, illustrate this common effort of preparing for potential opportunities to improve energy efficiency, expand access to energy, and contribute to climate change mitigation hence promoting sustainable development,” GGFR said in a newsletter posted on its web site.

In December 2008, the GGFR held a Global Forum on Flaring and Venting Reduction in Amsterdam. Some 175 delegates from over 100 different organizations and 38 countries attended the Amsterdam event.

Numerous oil companies helped sponsor or sent delegates and speakers to the conference; They included Royal Dutch Shell PLC, Total SA, Chevron, ExxonMobil Corp., BP PLC, StatoilHydro ASA, and Petrobras.

Oil companies protect Middle Eastern coral reefs

Various oil companies are taking an interest in research projects to advance the conservation, management, and sustainable use of coral reefs in the Middle East. Coral reefs, home to fish and other marine animals, have a very slow growth rate. In previous decades, researchers have blamed the oil industry for damaging coral reefs.

Saudi Aramco installed 36 moored buoys around the coral-reef islands of Jana, Karan, and Kuran. The oil company worked with Saudi Arabia’s Environmental Protection Department to provide fishing boats and recreational-dive vessels with an alternative to dropping anchors in the Red Sea.

Boaters hook their lines to the buoy pickup line—preventing coral colonies from being damaged by anchors and their steel chains.

In the southern Arabian Gulf off Abu Dhabi and eastern Qatar, Dolphin Energy Ltd. contributed $500,000 to a coral study coordinated by the World Wide Fund for Nature.
Total SA and Occidental Petroleum Corp. helped finance that study, “Coral Reef Investigation in Abu Dhabi and Eastern Qatar.”

Total owns 39.62% interest in Yeman LNG project. During project planning, the stakeholders hired a French consultancy, Creocean, whose marine environmental researchers identified 79 species of coral, of which some are 400 years old. Consequently, Yemen LNG redesigned part of its site and shoreline work in the port of Balhaf on the Gulf of Aden in southern Yemen to protect the coral.

Can nanosensors boost oil production?

Oil companies and service companies are helping finance a research consortium promoting nanotechnology. The consortium hopes that subsurface nanosensors can coax more oil and gas out of conventional reservoirs.

The Advanced Energy Consortium says it “seeks to build a vital and economical hydrocarbon bridge while renewable energy resources are being developed.” AEC seeks to use nanosensors to characterize reservoir rock formations.

The medical industry already uses nanotechnology—engineering on the level of atoms and molecules. Paul Ching, AEC executive director, said most major oil companies are researching nanotechnology.

AEC members include BP America Inc., Baker Hughes Inc., ConocoPhillips, Halliburton Energy Services Inc., Marathon Oil Corp., Occidental Oil & Gas Corp., Schlumberger Ltd., Royal Dutch Shell PLC, and Total SA. The Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas manages AEC. Rice University is a collaborating technical partner.

Separate from AEC, ConocoPhillips announced a 3-year nanotechnology program with the University of Kansas to research and test new technologies for enhanced oil recovery.

Stephen Brand, ConocoPhillips senior vice-president of technology, said the inclusion of nanoparticles might yield more efficient, environmentally sensitive EOR technologies.