Reducing Emissions and Improving Energy Efficiency in the Upstream Oil and Gas Industry

Energy efficiency and emission control has traditionally been a priority area in refining and petrochemical industries. In the last 15–20 years these issues has increasingly been focused in the upstream oil and gas industry. Emission taxes and commitment from the industry has led to significant improvements. Energy consumption and emission to air, especially CO2 and NOx has been reduced by typically between 10 to 30% by relatively simple and cost-effective methods. In parallel, change in design practise for new plants has contributed to similar reductions. This paper outlines the analysis and methods used and the results achieved.