Effects Of Flaring In The Bakken,

North Dakota

DANIEL MITCHELL

AND

ABHISHEK RAY

Overview
Introduction
Flaring in North Dakota
Effects of flaring
Rules and Regulation
Calculations
Mitigating the issue
Ultimate goal
Conclusions

Source: http://skytruth.org/viirs/

Learning objectives
Be familiar with the state of fossil fuel usage in the

world
Learn about the degree of growth of flaring in ND
and US
Understand the basics of flaring, its need and
implications
Touch base on few federal flaring laws in ND
Discuss ways to minimize flaring and how to use
science to reduce its harmful impacts

Future of fossil fuels

Source: http://www.visualcapitalist.com/forecast-when-well-run-out-of-each-metal/

65%
(CIA fact book)

$1.5 t
(Goldemberg, 2006)

1.1%
(EIA)

In population
and industry

Gas flared and vented (1967-2015)

In US: 30996670 Mmcf
In ND 834769 Mmcf
Source: EIA

97.3%

US

ND

Flaring in US

Flaring in ND

Why this
drop?

Why Flaring?
Fracking
Production phase
Wasted product
No infrastructure
Pipelines
Onsite facilities
Refineries

Source: http://on.rt.com/wuoh81

Effect of Flaring
Harmful VOCs air quality pollutants
Devastation to environmental ecosystems

Birds, 7,500 misguided migrating songbirds. poof!

Hawk Moths, attracted to flames or scared of the dark?

Surface/Ground water contamination

Harmful to Homo Sapiens!

Lung diseases, carcinogens

Limitations on Flaring
North Dakota Industrial Commission (NDIC)
Wells need to be registered separately with The
Visible emissions must not exceed 20% opacity

except that a maximum of 60% opacity is permissible

for not more than one six-minute period per hour.
Division of Air Quality

Location
Name of field
Number
Source: http://www.ndhealth.gov/aq/oilgas.aspx

Calculations in Volumes
Flaring in volumes

Out of the 11,000 wells drilled 7,500 are being flared.

That was in 2011!!!

That was 2014, Yowzers!

Source: http://boereport.com/2016/02/24/flaring-in-north-dakota-high-as-crucial-infrastructure-needed/

Mitigating the Issues

Of Flaring? Waste Not!
How can this be accomplished?

Taxing the flaring of each well

Building an infrastructure of pipelines

State of North Dakota will collect

Creates jobs
Local economic boost
Energy resource nation wide

Building more than just two refineries that exist in North

Dakota or a pipeline to the nearest refineries in neighboring
states

Onsite Natural Gas Separator

Ultimate Goal
Reducing the amount of flaring
Going away from fossil fuels for energy
Finding new renewable resources for future

generations
Leaving a clean environment

Conclusion
Flaring is on the decline in ND
Better than venting
Damage to air, water and the environment
Infrastructure needed

How are other countries doing?

Questions?

Work Cited

"Gas Flare." Gas Flare | Open Access Articles | Open Access Journals | Conference Proceedings | Editors | Authors | Reviewers |
Scientific Events. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

Jossi, Frank. "Fuel Added to Flaring Fight in North Dakota." Midwest Energy News. N.p., 2015. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

@RT_com. "The Crude Truth: American Drillers Burn $100 Million worth of Natural Gas into Thin Air." RT International. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

"Oil & Gas." Air Quality - North Dakota Department of Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

Gadhamshetty, Venkataramana, Namita Shrestha, Govinda Chilkoor, and Jejal Reddy Bathi. "Emerging Environmental Impacts of
Unconventional Oil Development in the Bakken Formation in the Williston Basin of Western North Dakota." N.p., 15 Dec. 2015.
Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

OnePetro. "Field Development Strategies for Bakken Shale Formation." Field Development Strategies for Bakken Shale Formation
- OnePetro. Society of Petroleum Engineers, 2010. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

Kindzierski, Warren B. "Environmental Reviews." Importance of Human Environmental Exposure to Hazardous Air Pollutants
from Gas Flares - Environmental Reviews. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.