A Norwegian firm, Fluenta, has announced the completion of work on the Africa’s biggest oil refining facility, the Dangote Refinery in Nigeria, with the installation of 18 ultrasonic flare gas meters on large pipelines around the plant.

The company which prides itself as a global leader in ultrasonic sensing technology for measurement of flare gas, in a statement made available in Abuja, said that the move will help accurate emissions monitoring on the plant.

Fluenta , which has offices globally, noted that Nigerian authorities have recently been leading the charge in the control and regulation of flaring gas and looking towards eliminating the need for routine flaring over the next few years, with a key component in the challenge being accurate measurement.

It is believed that the refinery will help the country towards energy self-sufficiency, since it currently imports refined petroleum products for its use, even though it is Africa’s biggest oil producer.

The world’s largest single-train refinery is capable of refining 650,000 barrels of oil per day, enough to meet Nigeria’s daily fuel supply requirements, with daily surplus of 38 million litres of refined products, already earmarked for export.

“Nigeria is positioning itself as a world leader when it comes to reducing its emissions, and flaring – the controlled burning or combustion of excess or waste gases that cannot be processed or captured for productive use – is a safety and environmental practice employed in the petroleum industry to prevent release of potentially harmful or combustible gases into the atmosphere.

“Flare measurement in a refinery is essential, from a regulatory and environmental law compliance perspective, and for accurate emissions monitoring,” it stated on the usefulness of the devices.

The statement added that Fluenta spent more than four months working with its exclusive Nigerian representative, Daptem Engineering, and the Dangote project team to deliver a workable, accurate and reliable flare measurement solution.

“Whilst it’s not unusual to have high levels of customisation associated with such installations, the wide variety and sizes of pipelines, which ranged from 18 to 90 diameters, presented a unique engineering challenge.

“Larger pipelines make it difficult to measure accurately as the acoustic pulse has further travel which could weaken it and lead to less accurate readings. In addition, flared gas expelled through these pipelines is high in CO2, a particularly difficult gas to measure using ultrasonic technology.

“The team implemented a multitude of innovative, bespoke solutions, each considered on a case-by-case basis, to ensure accuracy of the system,” Fluenta stated.

It noted that under current Nigerian law, companies refining oil and gas must pay a ‘tax’ for flared gas, to encourage an overall reduction in flaring, underlining the importance of Fluenta’s accurate, trustworthy flare measurement and management.

A Director at Fluenta, Radek Kurkowski, while highlighting the innovative measures to bring the work to fruition, reiterated that flare gas measurement and control remain vital to ensure compliance with environmental regulations and to help identify potential safety hazards.

“This is especially true at a plant on this never-before-seen scale and with the world’s largest flare pipe.

“Delivering this solution meant some close work with our local partner and the client project team, and we are delighted with the end result – which will support bringing energy security to Nigeria and the wider Africa region.“

Our team used a range of state-of-the-art technology, adapted meter software and special pipe gaskets and ball valves to deliver the pipe flare gas measurement solution,” he explained.

Kurkowski pointed out that Fluenta’s work stands as testament to the power of innovation, creative team work and a desire to always meet the client’s needs.“ We are extremely proud to support the domestic security of energy supply in Nigeria,” he added.

The statement stressed that the company has deep experience of working in Africa, noting that in 2017, the it was approached by an International Oil Company (IOC) working in Nigeria, who were looking for a reliable flare measurement solution.

“Fluenta developed bespoke solutions in response to the IOC’s requirements, which were installed in 2019. Since then, the IOC has ordered an additional 32 Fluenta flare measurement meters.“Fluenta has now been awarded preferred supplier status and all flare gas flowmeters on the IOC’s assets have been replaced (or are in the replacement process) with the Fluenta solution,” it added.

The firm boasts of more than 30 years’ expertise in the technology, including thousands of deployments, often in some of the most challenging environments in the world, the statement said.

The pace at which our commitment to the industrialization of our dear Imo State is yielding projected results is quite impressive as I received the Hydrographic and Comprehensive Bathymetric / Investigative Survey Report of the Charting of the Oguta Lake to the Atlantic Ocean.

I commended the Chief of Naval Staff; Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, the Hydrographer of Nigerian Navy; Rear Admiral Ayo Olugbode, who presented the report and indeed, the Nigerian Navy for this painstaking assignment and their dedication to the success of the project.

As work continues at the Oguta Lake, the State Government will further study the report together with the
@NigerianNavy
and the consortium partners for professional decisions in the project.

– Hope Uzodimma

Oguta Lake is a lean ‘finger lake’ formed by the damming of the lower Njaba River with alluvium. It is the largest natural lake in Imo State, Southeastern Nigeria; within the equatorial rainforest region of Niger Delta.

Oguta Lake’s catchment area comprises the drainage area of the Njaba River and a part of the River Niger floodplain in the region south of Onitsha.

Location

The lake is situated in Oguta about 50 kilometres (30 mi) from the junction of the Ndoni and Orashi River.

It is about eight kilometres (5 mi) long from east to west and 2.5 kilometres (1+1⁄2 mi)wide.

The stream from Njaba River is the major inflow to Oguta Lake. The other three tributaries are Awbana, Utu and Orashi.

The Orashi River flows past Oguta Lake in its southwestern portion.

Urashi River takes off as a stream, from the rocks, at the base of a waterfall, 183 m above mean sea level, in the Urashi enclave of Ezeama in Dikenafai, Imo State.

Urashi region is in the rainforest zone, southeastern Nigeria.[1] Crop cultivation, Oil Palm and fishing are the major occupation of the people and source of livelihood.

The zone may be termed an ‘oil palm bush.’ The forest zone is characterized by abundance of plant species, sometimes exceeding 150 different species per hectare.

From its source down to the Atlantic, the river supports several fishermen and provides means of liveli-hood for their families.

Urashi Region, which includes Njaba River basin, holds over 35% of the oil wells in the Niger Delta states of Imo and Rivers.

Farmers battling drought in India’s southern state of Karnataka began a day-long strike on Friday to protest against the sharing of water from a river that also runs through the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu.

Police urged calm with all schools and public places staying shut, as thousands of farmers and trade union members held rallies after protests began this week in the tech hub of Bengaluru, against an order from the Supreme Court to share the waters.

“We will not let water from our river enter into the other state at a time when our farmlands are barren,” said T. Ramanujan, the leader of a farmers’ union in Karnataka.

With millions of farmers dependent on the river Cauvery for irrigation in both states, the dispute over sharing its waters has been one of the long-standing legal battles.

In August the Tamil Nadu government approached the Supreme Court, requesting its intervention, while Karnataka argued that it had inadequate water in its reservoirs due to low rainfall.

Street protests began this week after the court directed Karnataka to release 5,000 cusecs of river water to Tamil Nadu for 15 days this month. A cusec is a volume equivalent to one cubic foot, or 28 cubic litres, per second.

Protesters in Bengaluru chanted “ours, ours, Cauvery is ours,” slogans and called for police and government officials to join the protest

Scores of people and some children from distressed districts carried placards with signs that said “We will give our blood but not water.”

The government of Tamil Nadu says Karnataka had failed to manage the river and it must limit over-consumption of the shared resource.

“I have sown seeds but the ground is dry due to scanty rainfall and now we have shortage of supply from Cauvery river,” said S. Kumar, a 48-year-old farmer in the state’s district of Pudukkottai. “Small farmers are struggling this year.”

The Cauvery originates in the Karnataka region of Talakaveri and flows through Tamil Nadu before entering the Bay of Bengal.

Officials at an industry body in Karnataka said over 60% of manufacturing plants adhered to the call for strike, a decision that cost them about four billion Indian rupees (over $48 million).

“Nevertheless, we readily accept our losses because we accept that water is crucial for both sustaining life and food production,” said Ramesh Chandra Lahoti, President at Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

Water Shortage in Bolivia: A prolonged drought and one of the hottest winters on record is threatening to leave parts of the South American country short of water, including in the high-altitude city of El Alto, some 4,000 meters above sea level.

Bertha Apaza, a local resident, said the extreme heat was a clear sign of shifting climates that had now forced the city to ration water use.

“We have schedules to receive water, we don’t have enough to cook or wash clothes, much less take a shower,” she said.

Bolivia has experienced some of the most extreme temperatures in August and September, which are usually temperate months.

Neighboring Brazil, Paraguay and Peru have also experienced unusual late winter and early spring heat waves, with temperatures at all-time records in the Southern Hemisphere, including large parts of southeastern Australia.

Some once fertile areas across the western region of Bolivia have been reduced to dust. Many of those living in El Alto, a city of around one million people, come from farming communities raising livestock and planting vegetables to survive.

The dry spell has taken a heavy toll on Catalina Mancilla, who recently saw some of her farm animals die of thirst, before the local government set up a community water tank.

“We can now drink water and my animals will also drink enough water,” she said.

Authorities remain confident that water reserves will last until December when the rainy season usually arrives, though hundreds of thousands of families and vast swathes of crop and cattle farmland has already been impacted.

Members of the scientific community warn the situation could become critical with the El Nino weather pattern set to arrive in December, potentially altering the forecast and turning up the temperature.

“We are facing a very, I don’t want to use the word dangerous, but worrying situation,” said Oscar Paz, an expert in climate change and professor at the Universidad Mayor de San Andres, adding the El Nino could last for two years.

El Nino can prompt extreme weather events from wildfires to cyclones and droughts in some areas and more rainfall in others.

A key stretch of the lower Mississippi River dropped this week to within inches of its lowest-ever level and is expected to remain near historic lows just as the busiest U.S. grain export season gets underway, according to the National Weather Service.

Low water has slowed hauling of export-bound corn and soybean barges over recent weeks as shippers lightened loads to prevent vessels from running aground and reduced the number of barges they haul at one time to navigate a narrower shipping channel.

The water woes come at the worst possible time for U.S. farmers as newly harvested corn and soybeans are beginning to flood the market and as stiff market competition from Brazil has already eroded once-dominant U.S. exports.

Portions of the river have been closed 22 times since Sept. 1 for dredging or to remove barges that have run aground, and at least 36 groundings have been reported, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

The Mississippi River dropped to a reading of -10.62 feet on the Memphis, Tennessee, gauge on Thursday, just above its all-time low of -10.81 feet on October 21 last year, according to NWS data.

The river is expected to remain below the -10 foot mark into at least mid-October, according to the latest forecast, creating a choke point between heavy production areas in the Midwest and Gulf Coast terminals, where around 60% of U.S. grain exports exit the country.

“October’s not normally a robust precipitation month, and if we’re here already … it’s a real cause for concern,” said Mike Steenhoek, executive director of the Soy Transportation Coalition.

Low water has also driven freight costs to the highest levels since last year’s historic river woes and made U.S. grain much less competitive in the global marketplace.

The Mississippi River is the primary river, and second-longest river, of the largest drainage basin in the United States.

Torrential downpours after a week of mostly steady rainfall triggered flash flooding in New York City on Friday, disrupting subway service in the most populous U.S. city and turning some streets into small lakes.

A flash flood warning was in effect for New York City until midday, with as much as 6 inches (15 cm) of rain falling in some locations, including Brooklyn, lower Manhattan and John F. Kennedy International Airport in the borough of Queens, said Zack Taylor of the National Weather Service.

Across the region, another 2 to 3 inches (5 to 8 cm)of rain could fall throughout the day and into the night, but some locations could see even more, said Taylor, a meteorologist with the service’s Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland

“This is seriously a life-threatening situation,” he said.

Taylor warned against travel until the weather system pulls away from the coast later on Friday evening.

The extreme rainfall prompted New York Governor Kathy to declare a state of emergency for New York City, Long Island, and the Hudson Valley.

Flooding caused major disruptions to New York’s subway system and the Metro North commuter rail service, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Agency. Some subway lines were suspended entirely, including the G, which connects Brooklyn and Queens, and many stations were closed.

In New York, intermittent rain this week further saturated the ground, setting up conditions conducive to flash flooding.

New York stunned and swamped by record-breaking rainfall as more downpours are expected

One of New York’s wettest days in decades left the metropolitan area stunned and swamped Friday after heavy rainfall knocked out several subway and commuter rail lines, stranded drivers on highways, flooded basements and shuttered a terminal at LaGuardia Airport for hours.

Some 8.65 inches (21.97 centimeters) of rain had fallen at John F. Kennedy Airport by nightfall Friday, surpassing the record for any September day set during Hurricane Donna in 1960, the National Weather Service said.

Parts of Brooklyn saw more than 7.25 inches (18.41 centimeters), with at least one spot recording 2.5 inches (6 centimeters) in a single hour, according to weather and city officials.

More downpours were expected Saturday.

Britain has designated a plan to build a subsea cable carrying renewable energy from Morocco as a project of “national significance”, which could help smooth planning hurdles.

Xlinks, a company chaired by former Tesco (TSCO.L) chief executive Dave Lewis, wants to build 3,800 kilometres (2361.21 miles) of subsea cables to supply solar and wind power from the Sahara to 7 million British homes by 2030.

While Xlinks called the government’s recognition of its project “a major milestone”, many challenges remain.

As well as needing to build the world’s longest high-voltage direct current subsea cable, Xlinks needs to secure more funding, agree long-term pricing contracts, and be granted permission to run through Spanish and French waters.

The estimated cost is between 20 billion pounds ($24.47 billion) and 22 billion pounds, Lewis told the Financial Times.

Xlinks said that the project would create nearly 10,000 jobs in Morocco, of which 2,000 will become permanent, and that it was consistent with the country’s energy export strategy.

New UK energy security and net zero minister Claire Coutinho said in a statement the project was nationally significant because of its potential to help Britain ditch fossil fuels.

“The proposed project could play an important role in enabling an energy system that meets the UK’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions and the government’s objectives to create a secure, reliable and affordable energy supply for consumers,” the statement said.

Under the national significance designation for the Xlinks cables, which would come onshore in south west England, the infrastructure needed would be approved by the government, instead of local authorities.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s strategy to meet Britain’s net zero emissions target has come under intense scrutiny after he watered down targets on banning new petrol cars, and after the government was accused of offering insufficient subsidies to developers of domestic offshore wind farms.

Earlier this week, the government approved the development of its biggest new North Sea oilfield in years, citing a need to improve energy security.

The Devon House Heritage Site is a national monument and an old historic landmark which is located in the central part of the capital city of the Caribbean island nation of Jamaica, Kingston.

Built in 1881 as a mansion for Jamaica’s first black millionaire, George Stiebel, this nowadays 4 hectares (11 acres) landmark is settled with plenty of lush, sprawling lawns which provide a unique ambience which helps visitors to feel as calm as possible while visiting it.

The mansion itself is a mesmerizing blend of Caribbean and Georgian architecture that is easily distinguishable from other structures in Jamaica.

Unfortunately, in 1923 the mansion had to be sold to Reginald Melhado, however, it was sold with the 4 hectares (11 acres) lawns that we are able to see today, from the original 21 hectares (51 acres), which were later used to construct the Waterloo and Devon Roads.

Later in 1928, the mansion was sold once again to the businessman Cecil Lindo who had investments in the alcohol industry, and after his death in 1960, his wife left the Devon House vacant.

There were some serious plans for demolition of this grandiose marvel, and when the then Minister of Welfare and Development, the Hon.

Edward Seaga, became aware of these plans, the Government acted quickly and purchased it under the National Trust Act. After years of restoration that began in 1965 under the supervision of architect Tom Concannon, assisted by Raymond McIntyre, and once again in 1974 in the Victorian style, it was back then when the Prime Minister of Jamaica, the Hon. Michael Manley opened Devon House as the National Gallery.

Later in 1982, the entire mansion was completely refurbished with the assistance of Tom Concannon, and it was officially opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who admired its unique and amazing style.

Becoming officially a National Monument by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust in 1990, nowadays, the Devon House Heritage Site is the perfect place where locals and tourists can get a closer look of the long standing Jamaican history.

As there are a gastronomy center and place where visitors can enjoy quite nice locally made ice cream, visiting Devon House is something which will not bring regrets to anyone who decides to see Jamaica’s historic side that secretly hides in the green, lush lawns that are tucked away in the capital city of Jamaica, Kingston.