Recent developments in natural gas flaring reduction and reformation to energy-efficient fuels: A review

Abstract

Annually billions of cubic meters of natural gas are flared around the globe at various oil and gas production sites. Natural gas flaring practices waste valuable energy resources that can be used for economic support and will also be beneficial to mitigate global warming effects. In this review, an overview of natural gas flaring impacts with respect to the environment with special emphasis on global annual natural gas flaring emissions and their reformation to energy-efficient fuels has been discussed. Initially, natural gas flaring emissions and their impacts in view of environmental pollution and global warming effects have been highlighted. The strategies to mitigate wastage to valuable energy resources through various flaring management strategies are also evaluated. In the main stream, various gas flaring reductions and utilization technologies based on their applications in the oil and gas industry and especially for remote oil and gas fields are discussed. Liquified natural gas (LNG) and compressed natural gas (CNG) technologies have been identified as the main gas flaring reduction methods based on their applicability, commerciality, and economical potential. In addition, gas to liquid (GTL) has been an advancing technology for the past many years toward its utilization of methane as a feed and converting it to useful industrial products such as synthesis crude and methanol. Finally, reformation technologies for synthesis gas (syngas) production such as thermal reforming, plasma reforming, and photoreforming are deliberated. Based on feed gas mixture, different reforming processes such as steam reforming of methane (SRM), dry reforming of methane (DRM), and bi-reforming of methane (BRM) are evaluated for hydrogen-rich syngas production. The future perspectives regarding gas flaring utilization technologies advancement with further improvements in utilization of flared gas to efficient energy fuels are proposed.