Title: Extended exergy accounting applied to the flaring practice in oil fields

Authors: Sosimo E. Diaz-Mendez; Abel Hernández-Guerrero; Enrico Sciubba; Rosa Hilda Chavez

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universidad Autónoma del Carmen, Calle 56 # 4, Col. Benito Juárez, C.P. 24180, Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche, México ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Guanajuato, Salamanca, Guanajuato, México ' Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Roma 1 'La Sapienza', Vía Eudossiana 18, 00154, Roma, Italia ' Chemical Engineering Researcher, Mexican National Institute of Nuclear Research, By road México – Toluca S/N, C.P. 52750, La Marquesa, Ocoyoacac, Salazar, Estado de México, México

Abstract: An original procedure based on the Extended Exergy Accounting method is described and implemented in this paper. The goal is the quantification of the environmental externality linked to the chemical pollutants released by an elevated flare stack (SO_x and NO_x). The extended exergy calculations provide a measure of both the exergy flux released into the environment by the stack and its 'cost' in primary resource equivalents. Idealised processes are assumed for the effluent treatment, but nevertheless, it is shown that the inclusion of the environmental externality bears a non-negligible influence on the final resource cost. As a further example of application, it is shown that both the environmental damage and the product costs can be reduced if hot gas recycling is enforced.

Keywords: extended exergy accounting; exergy analysis; flares; flaring; oil fields; environmental damage; chemical pollutants; air pollution; resource costs; product costs; hot gas recycling.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEX.2012.047506

International Journal of Exergy, 2012 Vol.10 No.4, pp.442 - 453

Accepted: 15 Sep 2011
Published online: 25 Jun 2012 *

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