Design and performance of a coil heat exchanger for thermal recovery from solution gas flares

Solution gas is commonly evolved in the production of oil and bitumen. When crude ail in the reservoir is exposed to atmospheric pressure, the gaseous stream dissolved in the liquid phase comes out of solution. Flaring or venting directly to the atmosphere are two common means to dispose of solution gas at oil and bitumen batteries where it cannot be conserved. Although the trend for conservation continues to grow, there were still 408 million m 3 of solution gas flared and 435 million m3 vented in 2003 at crude oil and bitumen batteries in Alberta, Canada. Our project aims at the partial recovery of the heat that is currently lost to the atmosphere when solution gas burns in an open-air flame. The ultimate objective of the recovery system is the generation of electricity to inject enough air for the complete combustion of solution gas that is flared in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and smoke formation. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).