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July
2020
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HYDROCARBON
ENGINEERING
T
he global COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 has had a
dramatic effect on the oil and gas industry, with
shelter-in-place mandates resulting in a sharp drop
in demand and triggering a slowdown in crude
drilling. In the Permian Basin, the US’s biggest oilfield, flaring
has dropped to the lowest levels since 2018. That may be a
silver lining considering the recent criticism it has faced due to
challenges with flaring. Though the practice surged with
David Ducharme, Advanced Energy, USA,
outlines the top three considerations
for flare pilot monitoring in the
downstream industry.