Best Practices for Fuel gas Conditioning

In our latest White Paper, Best Practices for Fuel Gas Conditioning, we take a deep dive into the challenges operators face when conditioning raw field gas into fuel suitable for efficient combustion in engines used to power compressors and other well site equipment. We cover alternative Fuel Gas Conditioning methods and technologies, and weigh their pros and cons.

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FUEL GAS CONDITIONING INTRODUCTION

Drilling for and producing oil requires very high energy demands. Diesel still reigns king in many upstream oil and gas production applications, such as drilling and hydraulic fracture completion (fracking), as its high energy density and consistency are ideal for use in reciprocating engines.  

However, use of diesel has considerable downsides. Its Scope 1 emissions profile is substantially higher than cleaner-burning natural gas, primarily from generating sulfur oxide (SOx) compounds, nitrogen oxide (NOx) compounds, and fine particulate matter.  Combusting diesel also typically produces more CO2 and VOC emissions than natural gas. Additionally, since diesel is a refined product that must be delivered to well sites in trucks, its use increases Scope 2 emissions.

Electrification is coming, but it is often difficult to bring in enough power (usually in the order of several megawatts) to supply production equipment on a pad. In the case of remote sites, it may require several years and a substantial cost to construct a utility line, lagging drilling and development plans. 

Natural gas, however, is both abundant and inexpensive in oil and gas fields, as most wells produce some amount of natural gas.  Some wells are drilled specifically for natural gas and contain no crude oil, but nearly all oil wells, especially when considering modern, unconventional wells, produce associated natural gas along with the oil. Unrefined natural gas produced at the wellhead is often referred to as field gas or raw gas.  

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