Evaluation and modeling of radiation and noise pollution in the north of the Persian Gulf (Case study: South Pars gas platforms)

Document Type : Case Study

Authors

1 Department of Science and Biotechnology, Faculty of Nano and Bio Science and Technology, Persian Gulf University, Bushehr, Iran

2 Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Fisheries and Environmental Sciences, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran

Abstract

Gas flaring in the petrochemical industries is an important issue due to the significant economic value of the emitted gases and the detrimental effects on the environment and workers’ health through gas combustion. Iran has the second largest gas reservoir in the world, with an extensive facility for gas exploitation in the Persian Gulf, indicating its significant role in the environmental conditions of the Persian Gulf. Therefore, this investigation, for the first time, endeavored to evaluate the design of offshore flares and model the amount of produced radiation and noise in the South Pars gas platforms using Flaresim software. The field data were obtained from Phase 7 of the South Pars platform. The results indicated that the amount of radiation from the flare flame in the surrounding area and the receptor points was less than the American Petroleum Institute (API) standard 521 regarding the stack length of 305 ft. The estimated values were 286 (0.9021 kW/m2) and 283.9 btu/h/ft2 (0.8955 kW/m2) in the base-flare and helideck areas, respectively. Moreover, the noise level in the receptors was less than the standard of the Occupational Health Organization of Iran. The current investigation can provide a practical framework to assess the compatibility of flare systems with environmental standards towards achieving sustainable development.

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