When I posted the ONEOK story about the new cryo plants, I noted that the new plants will have the capacity to remove 750 wells from flaring their natural gas.
I did note that about 2,000 new wells were being drilled per year, but I did not note this bit of interesting trivia from 2011, in the Bismarck Tribune: of the 5,300 wells producing in North Dakota, only 720 were flaring.
Interesting how these numbers "750" and "720" come so close.
I have been googling the small scale liquid natural gas (LNG) The components are skid size (think inter-modal container size). They can process "stranded gas removing carbon dioxide (CO2 and sulfur dioxide) from gas at flare sites before cooling to a liquid. In the short term the LNG should not be much different than propane but propane is passive so you can let it sit or lay there in a crash.
ReplyDeleteBy contrast, LNG is active, meaning that if it is not kept cool it will boil. (unlike propane) This difference comes into play with the population density of areas. Out in the boondocks this is low so a big flare or an "air bomb" poses less of a threat.
On a BTU basis versus benchmark natural gas can cost one quarter or less the cost of propane or heating oil. The system is expensive but the flare gas is almost free so it could be made to work in rural areas. Keeping a propane backup is easy. A LNG truck can carry a lot of fuel.
This is an area that is exciting to pursue. I will report exclusively on comments in your blog or really good at my http;//FOURFIFTYGAS.COM
What I hear is that people off the natural gas pipeline are getting clobbered by propane and fuel oil (mobile) FUEL COSTS.