STUDY ON FLARING SYSTEM FOR SOUR GASES IN OIL FIELDS IN INDONESIA

Abstract

Many of the oil fields in East Java, Indonesia, are known to contain sulfur in amounts
sufficiently high that the crude oil or the associated gases are considered sour. The sour
gases have to be handled accordingly in order to prevent the workers and the surrounding
communities suffering from the toxic gas.
The flaring system for disposing of the sour gases normally applied in oil fields in
Indonesia has been evaluated in this study. Flare Stacks typically attempt to convert hydrogen
sulfide (H2S) in sour gas streams into sulfur dioxide (SO2) and water. The amount of
SO2 emitted does not solely depend on the H2S content of the gas, but also on the internal
physical factors, such as flare gas flow rate, flare gas heat content, flare gas exit velocity,
and external factors such as cross wind velocity.
This study focuses on the evaluation of the influence of the physical factors, especially
flare gas flow rate and wind velocity, on SO2 emission. In order to comply with the regulation
the study also attempts to search the Government of Indonesia Regulations which are
suitable for this purpose.