By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Feb. 6 -- Statoil ASA said it expects to recover within 3 years its 35 million kroner investment in a flare gas recovery plant installed at its Mongstad refinery near Bergen, Norway.
The gas recovery facility, which is designed to recover about 5 tonnes/hr of gas, began operations Jan. 24 and should cut flaring by 50%, Statoil said. The system currently is handling about 2.5 tonnes/hr, and Statoil expects the facility to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 42,000 tonnes/year and hydrogen sulfide by 50 tonnes/year.
Statoil said the technology also provides the company with flexibility in handling surplus gas, which is diverted from the flare line, desulfurized, and pumped back into the fuel gas network for use in refinery processes.
The system, developed by ABB Gas Technology in cooperation with Statoil, is built on a process earlier patented by the group, which has been in use in Norwegian offshore installations since 1994.