A flare is the result of a controlled burn of natural gas from a well — a safe way to test a well’s performance. Although some residents of North Texas may be unfamiliar with this process, flaring is a common practice for the oil and gas industry, as well as many other industries. Garbage dumps and landfills often flare in order to control the methane gas naturally produced by the decomposition of organic materials.
A single flame on a wellsite in Fort Worth indicates that flaring is taking place.
Q. How is flaring done?
A. The flaring process involves directing the gas into a vertical pipe and lighting it. This controlled flame rises from the stack and is never large enough to extend beyond the perimeter of the site. Because only natural gas is burned during this process, no sparks or embers are generated to cause a fire concern in the surrounding area.
Q. Why is flaring done?
A. Through the use of flaring, Chesapeake Energy is able to more effectively assess a natural gas well’s production capabilities and determine areas where pipelines are most needed to begin transporting the gas to market — and eventually, to homes, schools, offices and factories. In urban areas, building natural gas pipelines often involves numerous tracts of land and extensive negotiations of right-of-way easements for the development of a proposed natural gas pipeline route. To avoid constructing unnecessary pipelines, a well may be flare-tested to judge the quality and quantity of its production. Depending on the results, a decision is made on whether or not to build the natural gas pipeline.
Flaring helps confirm that a natural gas well's production will be economically viable,
so that construction of unnecessary pipelines can be avoided.
Q. Is flaring safe?
A. Before any natural gas producer can flare a well, a permit is required by the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC), the regulatory agency for the natural gas industry in the state. The process is closely monitored in accordance with RRC regulations, with a supervisor on-site 24 hours a day during the short period of time the flaring takes place — usually a few days.
Q. Does Chesapeake Energy flare?
A. Chesapeake flares on a case-by-case basis, as needed.