Energy relations of gas estimated from flare radiation in Nigeria

Nigeria is one of the major petroleum producers in the world. It hares an a verage of 22 billion cubic metres of gas annually as a by-product of petrol eum exploitation. This practice is inimical both to the environment and a w aste to the economy. There are over 300 hares sites in the country and for this study 10 were monitored. Measurements were taken over a period of 24 h for each of the flares to determine the energy flux. The heat radiation wa s measured with a non-contact thermometer mounted on tripod 50 m from the f lare. When the product of the measurement was converted into other energy e quivalents for the flared gas it is observed that the hared gas is greater than the total electric power generated in the country for any given period even at 30 per cent fuel conversion. This paper proposes that other option s for gas utilization be explored to check the trend. Copyright (C) 2001 Jo hn Wiley & Sons, Ltd.