Energy Equipment and Systems

Energy Equipment and Systems

Distribution of flare gases in Iran and the potential of using these gases to generate electricity

Document Type : Research Paper

Author
Amirhossein Khalili-Garakani
Chemistry & Process Engineering Department, Niroo Research Institute (NRI), Tehran 1468613113, Iran
10.22059/ees.2024.2043037.1483
Abstract
Every year, billions of cubic meters of flare gas burn in various upstream and downstream sectors of the oil industry. This is a valuable source of energy and is wasted due to the lack of necessary infrastructure. Various solutions have been proposed to recover flare gases and reuse them and electricity production is of particular importance due to its high flexibility and the existence of many technologies. The purpose of this research is to investigate the distribution of associated and flare gases in provinces of Iran based on satellite data provided by the World Bank. Arc GIS software was used to prepare the dispersion map. Then, based on this information, the amount of lost capital, the amount of CO2 equivalent emissions caused by the burning of these gases, and the potential of electricity generation in each of the provinces of Iran have been calculated separately. According to the obtained results, the total gas flared in Iran raised incredibly from 2020 to 2023 (from 13258.05 to 20421.13 million of cubic meters). It means not only growing in the lost capital from 1521.66 to 2343.48 milliondollars and the total equivalent emission of CO2 from 35.35 to 57.18 million tones but also raising the total potential of power generation from 8181.82 to 12589.19 MW. Furthermore, the dispersion of associated and flare gases in Iran creates a suitable situation for creating dispersed generation power plants, especially in provinces such as Khuzestan, Bushehr, Kohgiloyeh and Boyer Ahmed, and Ilam.
Keywords
Associated and Flare Gases
Electricity Generation
Flare Gas Recovery and Utilization
Emission Reduction

Subjects

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Energy Equipment and Systems
Volume 13, Issue 3 - Serial Number 3
Summer 2025
Pages 299-322