Description
Petroleum is produced from Onshore, Offshore Shallow water and Offshore Deep waters of the Niger Delta in Nigeria at depth of approximately 3,600m (12,000ft), by 5 major operators in partnership with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
In Nigeria, associated stranded natural gas flaring commenced in 1956 with the first successful well drilled at Oloibiri by Shell D’ Acry, present day Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC). According to SPDC, on the average, about 1,000scf of gas is produced with every barrel of oil, and presently about 40-50% of it is flared daily.
The wasted associated stranded natural gas is mainly methane, a compound in great demand as chemical feedstock, commercial and industrial products, gas-to-methanol (GTM), liquefied natural gas (LNG), et cetera.
Precisely, this work is motivated by four broad factors(a)the fact that in most crude oil/natural gas operational terminals/base in Nigeria and around the world, some quantities of the flared associated stranded natural gas stream are by-passed through a gas scrubber, to the gas turbine which supplies electricity to the entire terminal operations facilities, (b)the fact, that the demand for electricity, both domestically and industrially are very high, (c)the fact, that the generation of electricity from the flared associated stranded natural gas would immensely reduce the quantity released into the atmosphere hence reduce its contribution to greenhouse gas (GHG) causing global warming (d)the fact, that repeatedly, through various medium, a lot of people have stated the daily, monthly and yearly quantities of the Nigerian Associated Natural Gas being flared, as well as the financial losses associated with the continued flaring, the possible alternative power and industrial values of the flared natural gas, the environmental and health impacts associated with flaring.
About The Author
Engr. Dr. Azunna I. B. Ekejiuba, is a University Don at the Department of Petroleum Engineering, Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), Nigeria and the Principal Researcher, Azuberth’s Research Complex, Naze Industrial Estate, Owerri, Nigeria (www.azuberths.com), a subsidiary of Azuberth’s Services Nigeria Limited (ASNL). Ekejiuba currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO)/ Managing Director (MD) of Azuberth’s Services Nigeria Limited. His current research areas and interests are focused on technology solutions to eliminate flaring and venting; technical design and development of model-based real-time solution deployed to natural gas monetization plants with the opportunity to utilize the energy for power generation, nitrogen fertilizer production, synthetic fuels and industrial chemicals production et cetera. He is the author of more than 30 extensive academic/ industry publications in scholarly reputable national and international journals.
Ekejiuba holds a double doctorate degree (PhD) in both Petroleum Engineering and Gas Engineering from the University of Port Harcourt in Nigeria and a master’s degree (M. Eng.) in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Port Harcourt in Nigeria. He also received a bachelor’s degree (B.Sc) in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Ibadan in Nigeria. He is a member of Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE-International and Local Chapter, 1980- to date), Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE) an affiliate of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) and Nigerian Gas Association (NGA). He is married with children.
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