The objective of this dissertation is to evaluate the influence of the composition of the natural gas on the flow rate measurements in pressure relief flare systems. The consideration of the gas composition in the correction of the gas flow rate measurements in the flare system is a legal requirement imposed by the Brazilian regulating agency for oil, natural gas and biofuels. The historical technical difficulties associated with collecting gas samples from flare systems and the constant questions about the representativeness of the collected samples are the main motivations for this study. The methodology used was based on literature, documental and field research. Through literature, documental and normative research was conducted at the technical and theoretical foundation of the study. The field research aimed at collecting information of measurement systems of gas flare in a maritime unit of oil and gas production. From the treatment of collected information, the research results allowed to quantify that the maximum error in the measurement of gas flow rate by ultrasonic meters due to the lack of knowledge of its actual composition is 0.04 percent. Among the conclusions, (i) the collected gas samples in flare systems do not adequately represent the volume of measured gas and (ii) the estimated maximum error associated with the totalization of the gas volume was found to be negligible compared to the documented total volume gas on historical measurements and to acceptable random errors for the type of the considered measurement system.