Energy and the Atmosphere
“Although ‘peak oil,’ the moment at which production and consumption of oil and natural gas for energy plateaus and begins to decline, seems behind us, the large investment made over the past century in harvesting and consuming these natural resources and their indisputable necessity in keeping our cities and our communities running across the globe means that we must make every effort possible to ensure the environmental impact of their use is controlled.”
Our world relies on energy.
From the hot coffee or tea you drink in the morning, to the recharge on your computer or phone, to the way you get around your city and community, to the lights that ensure our world doesn’t descend into darkness at the end of the day—our society, our way of life, does not function without energy.
The biggest problem our communities face today is also the biggest problem in the history of humankind: the way we produce energy, the way we develop and support our society, is having dramatic effects on our atmosphere and—without question—causing climate change.
And so, as engineers serving needs of our communities, it is our passion to do everything in our power to reduce the impact of Oil and Gas related energy production and consumption as we undergo the global transition to widespread dependence on clean, renewable energy.
1% less Greenhouse Gases
The first atmospheric effects of oil- and gas-based energy production can occur before the oil or gas are even converted into energy. When raw oil is pulled from the ground, it comes mixed with a variety of substances that, from a commercial standpoint, have no immediate value. The easiest way to begin “cleaning” the oil is to burn away the gaseous substances, in a process called “flaring.”
Flaring is believed to contribute up to 1% of greenhouse gases, but it also releases a host of pollutants into the atmosphere that compound the negative impact of this practice. By giving Oil and Gas operators the most commercially-viable choices for the gas by-products of oil harvesting, we can make a small but important step towards reducing the environmental impact of this industry.
A Flare-less Future
We recently partnered with Progetti Europa e Global (PEG) to make a difference at the Halfaya oilfield in eastern Iraq.
Production in Halfaya is growing, largely to meet the needs of China’s growing economy. The original agreement between the Iraqi Oil Ministry in Baghdad and PetroChina (the local arm of China National Petroleum Corporation), however, did not include provisions for tail gas flaring.
Last year the two giants changed that in a deal which will create a Gas Processing Facility with two objectives: render the natural gas extracted alongside the oil a valuable commodity, and also make Halfaya Oil Field a flare-free field.
We designed and delivered end-to-end engineering solutions for gas treatment, including a new Sulphur Recovery Unit (SRU), a Tail Gas Treatment Unit (TGTU), and even a Sulphur Forming and packaging Unit—the last of which goes beyond simple gas production and creates new mineral value that has application and value for both agriculture and water treatment.