bp and Baker Hughes Team Up to Reduce Methane Flare Emissions in Oil and Gas Industry

Baker Hughes and bp, two prominent entities within the oil and gas industry, have achieved a milestone in the monitoring of flare emissions. Through a collaborative effort, Baker Hughes has leveraged its advanced flare.IQ technology to accurately measure methane emissions from flares, marking a groundbreaking achievement in the upstream sector.

The quantification of methane emissions from flares has posed a significant challenge, with no universally accepted solution available. In response to this challenge, bp and Baker Hughes undertook an extensive study of flare combustion, including rigorous testing of various flares under challenging conditions, to validate the accuracy of the flare.IQ technology. This comprehensive study, one of the largest ever conducted, has paved the way for a new approach to addressing flare emissions.

As a result of this collaboration, bp now has the capability to utilize real-time data from flare.IQ, deployed at 65 flares across seven regions. This empowers the company to implement proactive measures and effectively reduce emissions from flaring. Fawaz Bitar, bp’s Senior Vice President of Health Safety Environment & Carbon, emphasized the significance of collaborations and technological advancements, stating that such initiatives are crucial in achieving the company’s environmental targets.

Ganesh Ramaswamy, Executive Vice President of Industrial & Energy Technology at Baker Hughes, highlighted the importance of the collaboration with bp in addressing the trilemma of energy security, sustainability, and affordability. He underlined the pivotal role of technology in achieving these objectives and commended bp for embracing innovative solutions to tackle industry challenges.

The flare.IQ technology, a part of Baker Hughes’ Panametrics product line portfolio, has evolved from over four decades of experience in ultrasonic flare metering technology. Its advanced analytics platform equips operators with crucial information on their flare systems, including temperature, pressure, vent gas velocities, and gas composition. This enables operators to optimize combustion efficiency and minimize emissions, with the capability for real-time emissions reporting in compliance with industry standards.

In addition to flare.IQ, Baker Hughes offers a comprehensive portfolio of emissions abatement technologies aimed at enhancing productivity and efficiency across customer operations. The collaboration between bp and Baker Hughes exemplifies the industry’s commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technologies to achieve emissions reduction targets in a cost-effective manner.

In conclusion, the collaboration between bp and Baker Hughes represents a significant advancement in the pursuit of reducing methane flare emissions in the oil and gas industry. The successful deployment of flare.IQ technology underscores the potential of innovative solutions to address environmental challenges and sets a precedent for future collaborations aimed at achieving sustainable and efficient operations within the industry.