Pollutant emissions from gas flares in the upstream oil and gas (UOG) industry can be exacerbated by aerosols of coproduced liquid hydrocarbons and formation water that survive separation and enter the flare. Of noteworthy concern is the potential impact of salt-laden aerosols, since the associated chlorine may adversely affect combustion and emissions. Here, we use a novel approach to remotely detect carry-over of salt-laden aerosols into field-operational flares via flame emission spectroscopy targeting two of the most abundant species in produced water samples, sodium and potassium. Ninety-five UOG flares were examined during field campaigns in the Bakken (U.S.A. and Canada) and Amazon (Ecuador) basins. For the first time, carry-over of salt species into flares is definitively detected and further found to be concerningly common, with 74% of studied flares having detectable sodium and/or potassium signatures. Additional analysis reveals that carry-over strongly correlates with reported flared gas volume (positive) and well age (negative), but carry-over was also observed in flares linked to older wells and those flaring relatively little gas. Given the scale of global UOG flaring and the risk of salt-laden aerosols affecting emissions, these findings emphasize the need to review separation standards and re-evaluate pollutant emissions from flares experiencing carry-over.
© 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.