Panorama 2012 - Offshore hydrocarbons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Serbutoviez, Sylvain

2011-12-01

Technological progress is enabling production from offshore oil and gas fields at increasingly ambitious depths (3, 000 metres). Investment in offshore production is running at around $100 billion per year, accounting for one-fifth of all investment in oil exploration and development worldwide. However, the global economic crisis that broke at the end of 2008 and the accident involving the Macondo well temporarily disrupted the race to deep offshore technology. (author)

Offshore oil production not significant polluter, says government report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Danenberger, E.P.

1977-11-01

Only 0.0028% of the oil produced in the Gulf of Mexico from 1971 through 1975 was spilled. World-wide, natural seeps introduce nearly 7 times more oil into the sea than offshore activity, while transportation, the worst offender, puts in 25 times more than offshore oil. The report includes data for spills of 50 bbl or less; about 85.5% of the total spill volume was from 5 of the 5857 incidents. In only one case was environmental damage reported, when minor amounts of oil reached 1000 ft of beach on the Chandeleur Islands after the 9/9/74 Cobia pipeline break. The report states that 50 ppm discharges cause no adverse effect, and that hydrocarbons in this concentration may even benefit microbial sea life.

75 FR 29397 - National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-26

... National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling By the authority vested in... Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling (the ``Commission''). Sec. 2. Membership. (a) The... impact of, oil spills associated with offshore drilling, taking into consideration the environmental...

Offshore field development. Statfjord - a geologist's dream: an economist's nightmare

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1980-09-01

On September 3, 1980, the water injection module was lifted on board the Statfjord A platform. That marks the completion of the platform, a giant 3,000,000 bpd capacity monster of an offshore structure, carrying a price tag of $1.5 billion. Two more such giants are scheduled to follow, each costing approximately $2 billion in the North Sea's largest and most expensive offshore field development ever. Oil wells in the Statfjord field, the largest North Sea field to date, are now producing at up to 30,000 bpd each. The reservoir proves particularly open, and the filling of it is extremely good. Wells have produced up to 40,000 bpd, but with that kind of flow, sand problems occur. Gravel packs have had to be installed in several of the wells. Mobil's Dallas facilities have uncovered the fact that now dominates the Norwegian North Sea scene, i.e., the cut off point for gas reinjection into the Statfjord sand is late 1985. After that point a possible breakthrough of gas could block the oil or even damage the reservoir if reinjection is continued.

What can wave energy learn from offshore oil and gas?

Science.gov (United States)

Jefferys, E R

2012-01-28

This title may appear rather presumptuous in the light of the progress made by the leading wave energy devices. However, there may still be some useful lessons to be learnt from current 'offshore' practice, and there are certainly some awful warnings from the past. Wave energy devices and the marine structures used in oil and gas exploration as well as production share a common environment and both are subject to wave, wind and current loads, which may be evaluated with well-validated, albeit imperfect, tools. Both types of structure can be designed, analysed and fabricated using similar tools and technologies. They fulfil very different missions and are subject to different economic and performance requirements; hence 'offshore' design tools must be used appropriately in wave energy project and system design, and 'offshore' cost data should be adapted for 'wave' applications. This article reviews the similarities and differences between the fields and highlights the differing economic environments; offshore structures are typically a small to moderate component of field development cost, while wave power devices will dominate overall system cost. The typical 'offshore' design process is summarized and issues such as reliability-based design and design of not normally manned structures are addressed. Lessons learned from poor design in the past are discussed to highlight areas where care is needed, and wave energy-specific design areas are reviewed. Opportunities for innovation and optimization in wave energy project and device design are discussed; wave energy projects must ultimately compete on a level playing field with other routes to low CO₂ energy and/or energy efficiency. This article is a personal viewpoint and not an expression of a ConocoPhillips position.

Offshore oil spill recovery operations in the Persian Gulf

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Williams, H.D.; Gangsaas, G.K.

1993-01-01

On or about January 25, 1991, Iraqi forces in Kuwait discharged more than 4 million barrels of Kuwait crude oil into the Persian Gulf. The counterclockwise current carried the resulting slick southeastward along the coast of Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Arabian oil company, Aramco, chartered the multiclassed tanker and response vessel Al Waasit, based in Dubai, to assist in the offshore recovery operation. The Al Waasit's response resulted in the offshore recovery of about 100,000 barrels of oil during a 42-day period, without a recovery system failure. The authors both served on board Al Waasit as operations managers during this response operation

Tacit knowledge and risk perceptions: Tullow Oil and lay publics in Ghana's offshore oil region.

Science.gov (United States)

Ofori-Parku, Sylvester Senyo

2018-02-01

This study examines how local residents make sense of offshore oil production risks in Ghana's nascent petroleum industry. From a naturalistic-interpretive perspective, it is primarily based on in-depth interviews with community residents: 8 opinion leaders, 15 residents, and 1 journalist. Residents associate Tullow's oil activities with health concerns (e.g. conjunctivitis), environmental challenges (e.g. the emergence of decomposed seaweeds along the shore), and socio-economic concerns (e.g. loss of livelihoods, decline in fish harvest, and increased rent and cost of living). Focusing on how the local, practical knowledge of interviewees manifest in their sense of offshore oil risks, the study identifies two strategies-scapegoating and tacit knowing-underlying how residents construe offshore oil risks and benefits. Beyond its theoretical contribution to the social construction of risk process, the study illustrates the challenge the expert-lay publics dichotomy poses (and the potential bridging this dichotomy has) for corporate and societal risk management.

Industrial opportunities - offshore

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerrits, D.J.

1998-01-01

Industrial opportunities available in the Canadian offshore petroleum industry are discussed. Oil has been produced offshore from Nova Scotia since 1992, and offshore from Newfoundland since 1997. Special needs that must be addressed in offshore operations in eastern Canada such as the cold North Atlantic environment, isolation, logistics, safety, and quality assurance, are examined. The most obvious opportunities lie with the designing, building and installing the facilities needed to extract oil and gas from beneath the sea floor and transport it to market. However, there are also opportunities in designing and fabricating clothing, customized food containers and other equipment for offshore needs. Short term opportunities also exist in the decommissioning of depleted production fields and their facilities. One of the greatest obstacles facing new entrants into the offshore oil and gas industry is the lack of a track record. To meet this challenge, the ability to seek out partners to pursue local and international opportunities through joint ventures, strategic alliances and technology sharing partnering arrangements is of great importance. It may be the difference between success and failure. 6 figs

California State Waters Map Series: offshore of Coal Oil Point, California

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Samuel Y.; Dartnell, Peter; Cochrane, Guy R.; Golden, Nadine E.; Phillips, Eleyne L.; Ritchie, Andrew C.; Kvitek, Rikk G.; Dieter, Bryan E.; Conrad, James E.; Lorenson, T.D.; Krigsman, Lisa M.; Greene, H. Gary; Endris, Charles A.; Seitz, Gordon G.; Finlayson, David P.; Sliter, Ray W.; Wong, Florence L.; Erdey, Mercedes D.; Gutierrez, Carlos I.; Leifer, Ira; Yoklavich, Mary M.; Draut, Amy E.; Hart, Patrick E.; Hostettler, Frances D.; Peters, Kenneth E.; Kvenvolden, Keith A.; Rosenbauer, Robert J.; Fong, Grace; Johnson, Samuel Y.; Cochran, Susan A.

2014-01-01

break, roughly coincident with the California’s State Waters limit, are about 90 m. This part of the Santa Barbara Channel is relatively well protected from large Pacific swells from the north and northwest by Point Conception and from the south and southwest by offshore islands and banks. The shelf is underlain by variable amounts of upper Quaternary marine and fluvial sediments deposited as sea level fluctuated in the late Pleistocene. The large (130 km2) Goleta landslide complex lies along the shelf break in the southern part of the map area. This compound slump complex may have been initiated more than 200,000 years ago, but it also includes three recent failures that may have been generated between 8,000 to 10,000 years ago. A local, 5- to 10-m-high tsunami may have been generated from these failure events. The map area has had a long history of hydrocarbon development, which began in 1928 with discovery of the Ellwood oil field. Subsequent discoveries in the offshore include South Ellwood offshore oil field, Coal Oil Point oil field, and Naples oil and gas field. Development of South Ellwood offshore field began in 1966 from platform “Holly,” the last platform to be installed in California’s State Waters. The area also is known for “the world’s most spectacular marine hydrocarbon seeps,” and large tar seeps are exposed on beaches east of the mouth of Goleta Slough. Offshore seeps adjacent to South Ellwood oil field release about 40 tons per day of methane and about 19 tons per day of ethane, propane, butane, and higher hydrocarbons. Seafloor habitats in the broad Santa Barbara Channel region consist of significant amounts of soft sediment and isolated areas of rocky habitat that support kelp-forest communities nearshore and rocky-reef communities in deep water. The potential marine benthic habitat types mapped in the Offshore of Coal Oil Point map area are directly related to its Quaternary geologic history, geomorphology, and active sedimentary

The ARGO Project: assessing NA-TECH risks on off-shore oil platforms

Science.gov (United States)

Capuano, Paolo; Basco, Anna; Di Ruocco, Angela; Esposito, Simona; Fusco, Giannetta; Garcia-Aristizabal, Alexander; Mercogliano, Paola; Salzano, Ernesto; Solaro, Giuseppe; Teofilo, Gianvito; Scandone, Paolo; Gasparini, Paolo

2017-04-01

ARGO (Analysis of natural and anthropogenic risks on off-shore oil platforms) is a 2 years project, funded by the DGS-UNMIG (Directorate General for Safety of Mining and Energy Activities - National Mining Office for Hydrocarbons and Georesources) of Italian Ministry of Economic Development. The project, coordinated by AMRA (Center for the Analysis and Monitoring of Environmental Risk), aims at providing technical support for the analysis of natural and anthropogenic risks on offshore oil platforms. In order to achieve this challenging objective, ARGO brings together climate experts, risk management experts, seismologists, geologists, chemical engineers, earth and coastal observation experts. ARGO has developed methodologies for the probabilistic analysis of industrial accidents triggered by natural events (NA-TECH) on offshore oil platforms in the Italian seas, including extreme events related to climate changes. Furthermore the environmental effect of offshore activities has been investigated, including: changes on seismicity and on the evolution of coastal areas close to offshore platforms. Then a probabilistic multi-risk framework has been developed for the analysis of NA-TECH events on offshore installations for hydrocarbon extraction.

Washing ashore: The politics of offshore oil in northern Angola

Science.gov (United States)

Reed, Kristin Michelle

This dissertation examines the political ecology of Angolan oil, by exploring state and corporate political economies; historical convergences of violence and capital; and struggles over the costs and benefits of oil production from the perspective of artisanal fishing and farming communities in the extractive zones. Angola is sub-Saharan Africa's second-largest oil producer but revenues from the enclave sector in oil rarely trickle down to the impoverished populace. The Angolan government strategically invests petrodollars in patronage networks to bolster their power; and watchdog agencies claim top officials divert the balance to offshore accounts. While the enclaved nature of production facilitates the restricted distribution of oil monies by concentrating services and revenue streams, the distortions and externalities that bleed out from these enclaves increase the misery of Angolans---especially those living in the extractive zones. By focusing on the lived experience of extraction, I explore the politics of oil through the forms of violence and degradation threatening the lives and livelihoods of local people. Most of Angola's oil is produced from offshore fields, so oil spills present a considerable risk to the health of local communities and ecosystems. The fishers and fish traders suffering from oil spills demand compensation from the liable oil corporations, yet the skewed system of disbursements only reaches the most powerful claimants. Moreover, faced with a repressive and unresponsive government, communities in extractive zones have come to rely on the same corporations for schools and health posts in a system I refer to as oil-backed development. I demonstrate that local histories of violence, national political exigencies, and transnational corporate interests govern the distribution of oil-backed development projects. Furthermore, I argue that the Angolan government leverages corporate donations for development to suit its own exclusionary interests

Offshore oil and gas development costs: Four decades of technical change

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lohrenz, J.

1997-01-01

The worldwide offshore oil and gas business is over 40 years old, but is not, nor does it appear to be soon destined to be, in its dotage. The key role of technology played to enable the business to prosper in volatile and severe environments--physically and otherwise--examined here. Offshore oil and gas technology, like all technologies, is only effective when it shows up at the bottom line. Here the author shows how the 1970's offshore technology continued would have virtually ended the business. But that technology changed the bottom line

Environmental risk analysis for offshore oil and gas activities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brude, Odd Willy; Aspholm, Ole O.; Rudberg, Anders [Det Norske Veritas (Brazil)

2008-07-01

Offshore oil and gas activities always have a risk for environmental impact due to potential accidental releases of oil and gas. The environmental risk can be calculated as a combination of the frequency of such accidents to occur and their environmental consequences in terms of environmental damage to habitats or populations. A method for conducting environmental risk analysis has been in use in Norwegian offshore waters for a decade, with a continuously refinement of methodology over the past years. This paper outlines the principles in the MIRA method and gives examples and discussions regarding use in different environmental compartments. The risk assessment starts with identification of oil spill scenarios with frequencies of potential release rates and spill durations. The next step is to model the oil drift for each accidental oil spill scenario. Drift and fate of oil is modeled probabilistic. Based on the oil spill scenarios and their probability of oil pollution, the potential environmental damage is quantified for each scenario. The endpoint of environmental damage is reduction of a population and the resulting recovery time (in years) for various species and habitats. Environmental risk levels are then evaluated against the operating companies' environmental acceptance criteria. (author)

Insight conference proceedings : Pacific Canada and north coast offshore oil and gas development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

This conference provided a forum for reviewing oil and gas activities in offshore basins around the world and their influence on British Columbia's plans to reopen its offshore to exploration and development. Details on jurisdictional issues were provided along with potential environmental impacts and remedial actions. Speakers with first hand experience in the latest technologies and mitigation measures addressed issues regarding regulatory regimes used in the Arctic offshore and compared them with proposed developments in British Columbia. Issues specific to the Pacific coast were also discussed, such as the current offshore oil and gas moratorium, land use and the views of First Nations and environmental non-governmental organizations. A current industry perspective of offshore oil and gas development was presented with lessons learned from the east coast. The opportunities for constructing liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals and their associated facilities in the Pacific coast were also presented. This conference featured 14 presentations, of which 3 have been indexed separately for inclusion in this database

Oil and Gas Field Code Master List 1990

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1991-01-04

This is the ninth annual edition of the Energy Information Administration's (EIA) Oil and Gas Field Code Master List. It reflects data collected through October 1990 and provides standardized field name spellings and codes for all identified oil and/or gas fields in the United States. There are 54,963 field records in this year's Oil and Gas Field Code Master List (FCML). This amounts to 467 more than in last year's report. As it is maintained by EIA, the Master List includes: Field records for each state and county in which a field resides; field records for each offshore area block in the Gulf of Mexico in which a field resides;field records for each alias field name; fields crossing state boundaries that may be assigned different names by the respective state naming authorities.

SEASAT demonstration experiments with the offshore oil, gas and mining industries

Science.gov (United States)

Mourad, A. G.; Robinson, A. C.; Balon, J. E.

1979-01-01

Despite its failure, SEASAT-1 acquired a reasonable volume of data that can be used by industrial participants on a non-real-time basis to prove the concept of microwave sensing of the world's oceans from a satellite platform. The amended version of 8 experimental plans are presented, along with a description of the satellite, its instruments, and the data available. Case studies are summarized for the following experiments: (1) Beaufort Sea oil, gas, and Arctic operations; (2) Labrador Sea oil, gas, and sea ice; (3) Gulf of Mexico pipelines; (4) U.S. East Coast offshore oil and gas; (5) worldwide offshore drilling and production operations; (6) Equatorial East Pacific Ocean mining; (7) Bering Sea ice project; and (8) North Sea oil and gas.

Offshore industry: medical emergency response in the offshore oil and gas industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Ponsonby, Will; Mika, Frano; Irons, Greg

2009-08-01

The hunt for oil and gas has taken workers into new more distant locations including those offshore. The remoteness of the offshore platforms and vessels coupled with the potential risk of being cut off by bad weather presents particular challenges for medical emergency response (MER). Firstly to define the challenges for MER in terms of locations, population and epidemiology of injuries and illnesses in the offshore environment. Secondly to give examples of legal requirements and industry standards to manage MER. Thirdly to look at existing and emerging practice to manage these challenges. A review of published literature was supplemented with a summary of current practice in the industry. Medical professionals (medics) working offshore on installations and vessels are primarily responsible for the medical care of the workers. The medics have clinics with suitable medical equipment for managing emergencies as well as providing limited primary care. Some countries have legislation that stipulate minimum requirements. Where there is no national legislation, industry and company guidance is used to define the MER standards. Supervision of the offshore medics is often provided by doctors on shore via radio and phone links. These methods of communication are now being augmented with more sophisticated telemedicine solutions such as the Internet and live video links. These newer solutions allow for prompt high-quality care and provide the scope for a variety of new treatment options to be available for the offshore workforce.

Study of environmental concerns: offshore oil and gas drilling and production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baker, R

1978-01-01

Material on the environmental concerns associated with offshore drilling and production activities has been synthesized with Department of Fisheries and Environment files on specific projects, these being the primary information source. Recommendations to resolve these concerns have also been provided. Most of the environmental concerns identified in this study are traceable to specific weaknesses in offshore drilling and production procedures and management systems. Hardware weaknesses are seldom of central importance. Areas of concern include the gradual deposition of pollutants from rigs, underwater pipelines and onshore ancillary structures, and the quality of the following: action plans to deal with oil spills, standards for safety and anti-pollution equipment, information provided on the environmental hazards in offshore drilling and production areas, environmental impact assessments, and communication links between those having environmental concerns and expertise (including the public-at-large) and those who make the decisions regarding offshore oil and gas development.

Offshore oil and gas activities in the PERD program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Billette, N. [Natural Resources Canada, Ottawa, ON (Canada). Office of Energy Research and Development

2001-07-01

Natural Resources Canada manages the Program of Energy Research and Development (PERD), which covers all but a few of non-nuclear energy areas. The aim of the Program is to focus on research and technology developments that support a dynamic and diversified energy supply, while encouraging industries to consume the energy efficiently. Twelve federal departments and agencies are stakeholders in energy research and development and the 57 million dollar annual budget is allocated amongst the stakeholders according to the priorities established. Each year, one-quarter of the program is evaluated externally and potential reallocation examined, a recent initiative implemented as part of a results-based management (RBM) system. Five federal departments and one agency carry out offshore research and development activities, touching the fields of basin assessment and geotechnics in the Canadian North and offshore East Coast, winds-wave-current modelling, the management of sea ice, iceberg and ice-structure interactions, ship design and navigation issues. In this last category, activities related to offshore safety, management of offshore drilling and production wastes, oil spills remediation, and assessment of cumulative effects of wastes and produced waters are included. These activities are detailed in the presentation, and the author discussed the future shifts likely to occur in PERD so that the needs of the regulatory agencies in terms of science and technology are met. There is also the aspect of the protection of the interests of the Canadian public to consider. 1 tab.

Challenges in Modelling and Control of Offshore De-oiling Hydrocyclone Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Løhndorf, Petar Durdevic; Pedersen, Simon; Yang, Zhenyu

2017-01-01

, and alternatively this task imposes a number of key control challenges. Specifically, there is much research to be performed in the direction of dynamic modelling and control of de-oiling hydrocyclone systems. The current solutions rely heavily on empirical trial-and-error approaches. This paper gives a brief......Offshore de-oiling installations are facing an increasing challenge with regards to removing oil residuals from produced water prior to discharge into the ocean. The de-oiling of produced water is initially achieved in the primary separation processes using gravity-based multi-phase separators...... in the produced water before it can be discharged into the ocean. The popularity of hydrocyclone technology in the offshore oil and gas industry is mainly due to its rugged design and low maintenance requirements. However, to operate and control this type of system in an efficient way is far less simple...

British Columbia offshore oil and gas socio-economic issue papers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boydell, T.; Brar, C.; Dodd, M.; Kwong, N.; Seeley

2004-05-01

Some of the key social and economic issues regarding offshore oil and gas exploration and development in British Columbia's coastal waters were examined by the Science, Technology and Environment Division of Royal Roads University in conjunction with Glenn Bridges and Associates. In 1972, the federal government imposed a moratorium to prevent crude oil tankers from travelling the west coast due to concerns over environmental impacts. A provincial moratorium on exploration followed shortly thereafter. The government of British Columbia recently suggested lifting the moratorium, and conducted public hearings and scientific reviews of issues related to offshore oil and exploration. In the Spring of 2002, the provincial government asked the federal government to consider lifting its moratorium. In response, a Federal Interdepartmental Offshore Oil and Gas Socio-Economic Issues Working Group conducted a series of study plans in the areas of science, legal, aboriginal, socio-economic, oceans and management regimes. This report provides the outcomes of the studies. It is organized in tabular form to facilitate presentation. All 8 tabs were catalogued separately for inclusion in this database. They include: (1) an introduction and overview, (2) illustrative development scenarios, (3) resource revenues report, (4) socio-economic expenditure report, (5) human resources report, (6) due diligence issues report, (7) knowledge management strategy for policy formation, and, (8) bibliography. refs., tabs., figs

British Columbia offshore oil and gas socio-economic issue papers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boydell, T.; Brar, C.; Dodd, M.; Kwong, N.; Seeley [Royal Roads Univ., Victoria, BC (Canada). Science Technology and Environment Division; Bridges, G.; Shrimpton, M.; Burke, H.; Johnson, J. [GE Bridges and Associates, Victoria, BC (Canada)

2004-05-01

Some of the key social and economic issues regarding offshore oil and gas exploration and development in British Columbia's coastal waters were examined by the Science, Technology and Environment Division of Royal Roads University in conjunction with Glenn Bridges and Associates. In 1972, the federal government imposed a moratorium to prevent crude oil tankers from travelling the west coast due to concerns over environmental impacts. A provincial moratorium on exploration followed shortly thereafter. The government of British Columbia recently suggested lifting the moratorium, and conducted public hearings and scientific reviews of issues related to offshore oil and exploration. In the Spring of 2002, the provincial government asked the federal government to consider lifting its moratorium. In response, a Federal Interdepartmental Offshore Oil and Gas Socio-Economic Issues Working Group conducted a series of study plans in the areas of science, legal, aboriginal, socio-economic, oceans and management regimes. This report provides the outcomes of the studies. It is organized in tabular form to facilitate presentation. All 8 tabs were catalogued separately for inclusion in this database. They include: (1) an introduction and overview, (2) illustrative development scenarios, (3) resource revenues report, (4) socio-economic expenditure report, (5) human resources report, (6) due diligence issues report, (7) knowledge management strategy for policy formation, and, (8) bibliography. refs., tabs., figs.

Comparative toxicity of offshore and oil-added drilling muds to larvae of the grass shrimp Palaemonetes intermedius

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Conklin, P.J.; Rao, K.R.

1984-11-01

Offshore drilling fluids (muds) varied widely in their toxicity to grass shrimp (Palaemonetes intermedius) larvae. The 96-h LC/sub 50/s for the eleven drilling muds tested ranged from 142 to > 100,000 ppM (..mu..l/L). There was a significant correlation between oil content of the drilling muds and their toxicity. Furthermore, addition of diesel oil (No. 2 fuel oil) or mineral oil to an offshore drilling mud having a low oil content or to an oil-free synthetic drilling mud led to a marked increase in the toxicity of these muds. Thus, much of the toxicity of the offshore drilling muds tested can be attributable to the oil content. 24 references, 2 figures, 3 tables.

Application of H∞ Robust Control on a Scaled Offshore Oil and Gas De-Oiling Facility

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Løhndorf, Petar Durdevic; Yang, Zhenyu

2018-01-01

The offshore de-oiling process is a vital part of current oil recovery, as it separates the profitable oil from water and ensures that the discharged water contains as little of the polluting oil as possible. With the passage of time, there is an increase in the water fraction in reservoirs...... are inefficient in handling fluctuating inflows or complicated operating conditions. This work introduces a model-based robust H ∞ control solution that handles the entire de-oiling system and improves the system’s robustness towards fluctuating flow thereby improving the oil recovery and reducing...

An air quality emission inventory of offshore operations for the exploration and production of petroleum by the Mexican oil industry

Science.gov (United States)

Villasenor, R.; Magdaleno, M.; Quintanar, A.; Gallardo, J. C.; López, M. T.; Jurado, R.; Miranda, A.; Aguilar, M.; Melgarejo, L. A.; Palmerín, E.; Vallejo, C. J.; Barchet, W. R.

An air quality screening study was performed to assess the impacts of emissions from the offshore operations of the oil and gas exploration and production by Mexican industry in the Campeche Sound, which includes the states of Tabasco and Campeche in southeast Mexico. The major goal of this study was the compilation of an emission inventory (EI) for elevated, boom and ground level flares, processes, internal combustion engines and fugitive emissions. This inventory is so far the most comprehensive emission register that has ever been developed for the Mexican petroleum industry in this area. The EI considered 174 offshore platforms, the compression station at Atasta, and the Maritime Ports at Dos Bocas and Cayo Arcas. The offshore facilities identified as potential emitters in the area were the following: (1) trans-shipment stations, (2) a maritime floating port terminal, (3) drilling platforms, (4) crude oil recovering platforms, (5) crude oil production platforms, (6) linking platforms, (7) water injection platforms, (8) pumping platforms, (9) shelter platforms, (10) telecommunication platforms, (11) crude oil measurement platforms, and (12) flaring platforms. Crude oil storage tanks, helicopters and marine ship tankers were also considered to have an EI accurate enough for air quality regulations and mesoscale modeling of atmospheric pollutants. Historical ambient data measure at two onshore petroleum facilities were analyzed to measure air quality impacts on nearby inhabited coastal areas, and a source-receptor relationship for flares at the Ixtoc marine complex was performed to investigate health-based standards for offshore workers. A preliminary air quality model simulation was performed to observe the transport and dispersion patterns of SO 2, which is the main pollutant emitted from the offshore platforms. The meteorological wind and temperature fields were generated with CALMET, a diagnostic meteorological model that used surface observations and upper

Environmental law issues: Offshore oil and gas activities and tanker transportation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chapman, P.M.

1991-01-01

The environmental law issues that arise from offshore oil/gas activities and petroleum transport are reviewed, focusing on marine oil pollution and especially on the issues surrounding accidental spills. Some observations are offered on the context of these issues, namely on the risks of oil spills, the difficulty of spill response in the ocean and on shorelines, and the possible environmental damage. Environmental control of petroleum operations is discussed with reference to Canadian regulation, the primary source of which is the Oil and Gas Production and Conservation Act. These regulations require developmental approval for offshore operations, formulation of plans for foreseeable spill emergencies, and compensation to those affected by spills, notably those in the fishing industry. Ship-source oil pollution and spill compensation is discussed with reference to international agreements and the Canada Shipping Act. Some problems and trends with oil spill compensation and recovery for environmental damage are noted in such areas as tanker ship standards, cleanup capabilities, and inadequacy of spill penalties and compensation. 18 refs., 1 fig

[Relationship between occupational stress and mental health in offshore oil platform workers].

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Hongtao; Xiao, Taiqin; Zou, Jianfang; Shan, Yongle; Li, Zijian

2014-02-01

To investigate the relationship between occupational stress and mental health in offshore oil platform workers and to provide a scientific basis for protection of their mental health. A total of 768 workers on offshore oil platform were surveyed with the Occupational Stress Inventory Revised Edition and Symptom Check List-90 (SCL-90). The total score of Occupational Role Questionnaire (ORQ) for the workers (160.27±24.63) was significantly lower than the national norm (166.52±27.01) (P 0.05), but the items of recreation, social support, and rational/cognitive found significant difference (P work seniority, education background, drinking, role overload, role insufficiency, role ambiguity, responsibility, physical environment, and rational/cognitive conduct impacted the score of SCL-90 (P mental health of workers on offshore oil platform is related to occupational stress, and role overload, role ambiguity, physical environment, and rational/cognitive conduct, etc, are closely associated with the workers' mental health.

Offshore oil and gas : a community development perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pierce, J.; Vodden, K.; House, D.

2003-01-01

A community perspective on offshore oil and gas development in British Columbia was presented. It was noted that local benefits depend greatly on the level of regulation and government intervention in the industry. Community preparedness, jurisdictional certainty and corporate ethics also play a vital role. It is also necessary to clearly understand legal, economic, environmental, social and industrial aspects of offshore development. Jurisdictional concerns include the International Free Trade Agreement, ambiguities over mineral rights, and claims by First Nations to seabed and ocean resources. It was emphasized that the impact of offshore development on ecotourism and fisheries should not be underestimated. Community-based planning is critical. Economic imperatives include international prices, recovery costs, distribution of royalties, and alternative opportunities. It was also noted that communities in British Columbia have much to learn from other gas dependent regions

Detection of oil spills near offshore installations using synthetic aperture radar (SAR)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Espedal, H.A.; Johannessen, O.M.

2000-01-01

Remote sensing using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is attracting increasing interest for the detection of oil spills from offshore oil installations. Three systems are already operating and three more are planned. SAR can provide high spatial resolution and is not affected by the time of day or cloud conditions. Examples of images obtained from UK and Norwegian offshore installations are shown and their interpretation are explained. SAR image analysis is used by a satellite-based oil spill monitoring service covering the Norwegian sector of the North Sea and part of the North Sea, the Norwegian Sea and the Baltic Sea. An algorithm has been developed at the Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Centre (NERSC) in Norway to help distinguish between oil spills, natural films, current shear zones and rain cells

Offshore oil and gas and offshore wind power - different in terms of safety.?; Offshore Oel and Gas und Offshore Wind - mit Sicherheit ''anders''.?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weise, F.; Tatulinski, M. [DNV GL - Oil and Gas Germany, Hamburg (Germany)

2014-07-01

Safety standards in the oil and gas industry have risen to a high level over the past decades, driven in part by momentous accidents. Furthermore, an expanded framework has recently been defined through the new EU Offshore Safety Directive, which in Germany is still in the process of its transposition into national law. The installation of offshore wind farms in the North and Baltic Sea has within the shortest of time brought forth an entirely new branch of industry, most of whose players have no significant experience with offshore operations. One of the greatest challenges is the working environment, which is being approached in different ways by those involved. The supervisory authorities responsible are only just beginning to develop the competence required for their tasks, with the effect that regulations pertaining to onshore operations are often simply adopted as they are. This is in some cases impacting on the oil and gas industry, as is discussed in the present lecture. [German] Die Oel und Gas Industrie hat in den vergangen Jahrzehnten einen hohen Sicherheitsstandard entwickelt, teilweise getrieben durch signifikante Unfallereignisse. Aktuell wurde zudem mit der neuen EU-Offshore Richtlinie ein erweiterter Rahmen definiert, der sich in Deutschland noch in der gesetzgeberischen Umsetzung befindet. Durch die Installation von Offshore-Windparks in der Nord- und Ostsee ist innerhalb kuerzester Zeit zusaetzlich ein neuer Industriebereich entstanden, dessen Marktteilnehmer mehrheitlich nicht ueber signifikante Offshore-Erfahrung verfuegen. Insbesondere das Arbeitsumfeld stellt dabei eine Herausforderung dar, die von den Beteiligten unterschiedlich geloest wird. Ferner beginnen auch die verantwortlichen Aufsichtsbehoerden erst mit dem Aufbau entsprechender Kompetenzen, so dass vielfach auch Regelungen aus dem Onshore-Bereich uebertragen werden. Dies fuehrt teilweise zu Auswirkungen auf die Oel- und Gasindustrie, die im Rahmen dieses Vortrages diskutiert werden.

Abundance of Corals on Offshore Oil and Gas Platforms in the Gulf of Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Kolian, Stephan R.; Sammarco, Paul W.; Porter, Scott A.

2017-08-01

Scleractinian, octocoral, and antipatharian corals have colonized many of the offshore oil and gas platforms in the northern Gulf of Mexico. We surveyed 25 offshore oil and gas platforms for these cnidarians. Few to no corals were detected on inshore, shallow-water structures at data suggest that the offshore platforms located in waters of >25-30 m in the study area are often colonized by these corals. We recommend that structures located in deeper waters should be surveyed for coral and, if the populations are substantial, consider alternate uses for the retired platforms, and leaving them in place, when feasible.

Weathering of oils at sea: model/field data comparisons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daling, Per S.; Stroem, Tove

1999-01-01

The SINTEF Oil Weathering Model (OWM) has been extensively tested with results from full-scale field trials with experimental oil slicks in the Norwegian NOFO Sea trials in 1994 and 1995 and the AEA 1997 trials in UK. The comparisons between oil weathering values predicted by the model and ground-truth obtained from the field trials are presented and discussed. Good laboratory weathering data of the specific oil as input to the model is essential for obtaining reliable weathering predictions. Predications provided by the SINTEF-OWM enable oil spill personnel to estimate the most appropriate 'window of opportunity' for use of chemical dispersants under various spill situations. Pre-spill scenario analysis with the SINTEF Oil Spill Contingency and Response (OSCAR) model system, in which the SINTEF-OWM is one of several components, has become an important part of contingency plans as well as contingency training of oil spill personnel at refineries, oil terminals and offshore installations in Norway. (Author)

Global climate change implications for coastal and offshore oil and gas development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burkett, Virginia

2011-01-01

The discussion and debate about climate change and oil and gas resource development has generally focused on how fossil fuel use affects the Earth's climate. This paper explores how the changing climate is likely to affect oil and gas operations in low-lying coastal areas and the outer continental shelf. Oil and gas production in these regions comprises a large sector of the economies of many energy producing nations. Six key climate change drivers in coastal and marine regions are characterized with respect to oil and gas development: changes in carbon dioxide levels and ocean acidity, air and water temperature, precipitation patterns, the rate of sea level rise, storm intensity, and wave regime. These key drivers have the potential to independently and cumulatively affect coastal and offshore oil and gas exploration, production, and transportation, and several impacts of climate change have already been observed in North America. - Highlights: ► Climate change effects on coastal and offshore energy development have been observed in some regions. ► Key drivers include changes in temperature, precipitation, sea level rise, storm intensity and wave regime. ► These can independently and cumulatively affect coastal and offshore exploration, production, and transportation. ► A methodical vulnerability and impact assessment is needed to support adaptation in this sector of the global economy.

An Innovative Oil Pollution Containment Method for Ship Wrecks Proposed for Offshore Well Blow-outs

OpenAIRE

ANDRITSOS Fivos; COJINS Hans

2011-01-01

In the aftermath of the PRESTIGE disaster, an innovative system for the prompt intervention on oil pollution sources (primarily ship wrecks) at great depths was conceived at the Joint Research Center of the European Commission. This system, with some re-engineering, could also serve for collecting oil and gas leaking after an offshore well blow-out and could constitute a reference method for prompt intervention on deep water oil pollution sources like ship wrecks and blown-out offshore wells....

Legal aspects of financing Canadian offshore oil and gas developments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, J.M.; Hudec, A.J.

1992-01-01

A review is presented of the significant legal considerations involved in structuring, negotiating, and documenting commercial financing of a Canadian offshore oil and gas production facility. Emphasis is placed on the Hibernia Project in the Newfoundland offshore as an example, and more specifically the $450 million bank financing completed in November 1991. The legal framework governing offshore production financing in this case was complex, due to the project's location in international waters on the continental shelf. Complex intergovernmental arrangements have been implemented between Canada and Newfoundland to govern the offshore area and regulate the project. An agreement called the Atlantic Accord allowed the Canada Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board (CNOPB) to grant production licenses and to regulate offshore exploration and development, with matters relating to legislation, taxation, and royalties shared between the governments. Certain other acts were enacted or extended for application to the offshore area. The CNOPB administers a registry system for transfers and security interests in offshore licenses. Security interests including property are ensured by the Hibernia Act, which makes Newfoundland's existing security interest regime applicable to the offshore. The project owners are operating Hibernia as a joint venture, and the structure of project financing and inter-creditor arrangements is examined. The competing security interest of project lenders and non-defaulting participants is discussed, along with assignment of priorities on the security in case of default

Opening of Offshore Oil Business in Mexico and Associated Framework to Cope with Potential Maritime Security Threats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adriana Ávila-Zúáiga-Nordfjeld

2018-03-01

Full Text Available After 75 years of State oil monopoly, Mexico performed the first business oil round in 2015 involving the private sector. This auction-round offered 14 oil exploration fields located on the continental shelf to private companies. The development and exploitation of these hydrocarbon fields faces significant challenges regarding security. The economic loss for theft of hydrocarbons through illegal connections to pipelines is estimated to 973 million, 125 thousand U.S. dollar, only for the year of 2014. While productive research has been made, it has mainly focused on transportation systems and basically, pipelines. The development and establishment of policies prioritizing maritime security and protection of critical offshore infrastructure against theft of hydrocarbons, drugs organizations and terror attacks needs to be included in the national agenda to improve maritime security and mitigate potential security threats at sea, including damage to the marine environment. This could increase the trust of investors and stakeholders and would contribute to the faster development of new exploration and production fields. While the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code is the cornerstone for the construction of the port?s security program and establishes the requirements of the Port Facility Security Plan (PFSP, including oil port facilities, it has not been fully implemented in several important Mexican ports. It is concluded that some important ports lack many of the core security processes, procedures and controls that should be included in any PFSP. This article briefly reviews the situation of the oil industry from a security perspective and discusses key elements of maritime security; addressing the necessity of the inclusion of maritime security and protection of critical oil infrastructure offshore in the national agenda that would provide for future research directions in the maritime security domain and contribute to

Radioisotope techniques for process optimisation and control in the offshore oil and gas industries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Charlton, J.S.

2002-01-01

For over fifty years, radioisotope technology has been used by the oil industry to solve problems and to help optimise process operations. The widespread development of offshore oil and gas fields has brought, and continues to bring, new challenges and, in response, new or modified applications of radioisotope technology have been introduced. This paper presents case studies, which illustrate the use of radioisotopes, both in the sub-sea environment and on the offshore production platforms. On the platform, radioisotope techniques applied singly or in combination, have been applied to the performance assessment of oil/gas separation and gas dehydration units. Novel nucleonic instrumentation has been developed for the control of three-phase separators. Sub-sea, radioactive tracers and/or sealed sources have been used to investigate the integrity of submerged structures and to troubleshoot pipeline problems. The continuing expansion in the use of this technology stems from industry increasing awareness of its versatility and from the fact that the benefits it confers can be obtained at a relatively modest cost. Examples of economic benefit described in the paper are associated with production enhancements derived from the ability of radioisotope technology to measure performance and diagnose problems on line, without disrupting process operations in any way. (Author)

Review of technology for Arctic offshore oil and gas recovery. Appendices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sackinger, W. M.

1980-06-06

This volume contains appendices of the following: US Geological Survey Arctic operating orders, 1979; Det Noske Vertas', rules for the design, construction and inspection of offshore technology, 1977; Alaska Oil and Gas Association, industry research projects, March 1980; Arctic Petroleum Operator's Association, industry research projects, January 1980; selected additional Arctic offshore bibliography on sea ice, icebreakers, Arctic seafloor conditions, ice-structures, frost heave and structure icing.

Environmental perspectives on the East Coast offshore oil and gas industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor, D.G.

2001-01-01

In this presentation, the author examined the environmental aspects affecting the offshore oil and gas development on the East Coast of Canada. Selected topics were covered to highlight what has been accomplished and the goals for the future in terms of the environment. The development of the oil and gas industry in the region has really taken off in the past twenty years, suffering from growing pains and enduring myths. An oil and gas project begins with seismic surveys, followed by exploratory wells being drilled, then proceeding to the construction and installation of the drilling production facilities, the production phase and the decommissioning of the facilities at the end of the useful life. Each phase of a project was reviewed and environmental concerns identified. Specific topics were addressed, such as drill cuttings, produced water, flaring, and decommissioning and abandonment. Selected problems were examined, notably fish and oil, spills, cumulative effects, the Oceans Act, and the regulatory evolution in the East Coast offshore. 9 refs., 1 tab., 1 fig

Influence of occupational stress on mental health among Chinese off-shore oil workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Wei-Qing; Wong, Tze-Wai; Yu, Tak-Sun

2009-09-01

To explore the influence of occupational stress on mental health in off-shore oil production. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 561 Chinese off-shore oil workers. The workers were invited to fill in a self-administered questionnaire exploring their socio-demographic characteristics, occupational stress levels, and 12-item general health questionnaire. A hierarchical multiple regression procedure was used to assess the effects of occupational stress on mental health. After controlling for age, educational level, marital status and years of off-shore work, poor mental health was found to have a significant positive association with seven of the nine identified sources of occupational stress. They were: conflict between job and family/social life, poor development of career and achievement at work, safety problems at work, management problems and poor relationship with others at work, poor physical environment of the work place, uncomfortable ergonomic factors at work, and poor organizational structure at work. All of these occupational stress sources together explained 19.9% of the total variance. The results confirmed that occupational stress was a major risk factor for poor mental health among Chinese off-shore oil workers. Reducing or eliminating occupational stressors at work would benefit workers' mental health.

Oil and Gas field code master list 1995

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-12-01

This is the fourteenth annual edition of the Energy Information Administration`s (EIA) Oil and Gas Field Code Master List. It reflects data collected through October 1995 and provides standardized field name spellings and codes for all identified oil and/or gas fields in the US. The Field Code Index, a listing of all field names and the States in which they occur, ordered by field code, has been removed from this year`s publications to reduce printing and postage costs. Complete copies (including the Field Code Index) will be available on the EIA CD-ROM and the EIA World-Wide Web Site. Future editions of the complete Master List will be available on CD-ROM and other electronic media. There are 57,400 field records in this year`s Oil and Gas Field Code Master List. As it is maintained by EIA, the Master List includes the following: field records for each State and county in which a field resides; field records for each offshore area block in the Gulf of Mexico in which a field resides; field records for each alias field name (see definition of alias below); and fields crossing State boundaries that may be assigned different names by the respective State naming authorities. Taking into consideration the double-counting of fields under such circumstances, EIA identifies 46,312 distinct fields in the US as of October 1995. This count includes fields that no longer produce oil or gas, and 383 fields used in whole or in part for oil or gas Storage. 11 figs., 6 tabs.

Demonstrating multi-layered MAS in control of offshore oil and gas production

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lindegaard Mikkelsen, Lars; Næumann, J. R.; Demazeau, Y.

2013-01-01

From a control perspective, offshore oil and gas production is very challenging due to the many and potentially conflicting production objectives that arise from the intrinsic complexity of the oil and gas domain. In this paper, we demonstrate how a multi-layered multi-agent system can be used in...

Dutch offshore skills assessed

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schaap, P

1988-11-01

The position is described of the different Dutch industries involved in the oil and gas exploitation business in the North Sea. Mentioned are, in the first place, the activities of towing services Smit Tak, and Wijsmuller. A well known drilling contractor is Neddrill. Drilling rigs are often designed in cooperation with consulting engineers firms Protech International, Heerema Engineering, Global Engineering, KTI, Fluor, and Tebodin. Drilling rigs constructors Grootint, Mercon Steel Structures, Heerema Havenbedrijf, HCG, Boele, and IHC have a sound name in the offshore construction scene. Offshore contractors like Heerema, Smit Tak, Volker Stevin and Allseas Engineering should be mentioned too. Special attention is given to the operation of saving drilling rigs in the Ekofisk field. Years of exploitation of oil and gas from this field resulted in subsidence of the sea floor, which endangered the drilling rigs. Hydraudyne designed the hydraulic lifter necessary for this saving operation. Dutch firms in this field have an estimated yearly turnover of Dfl 3 x 10/sup 9/. 6 figs.

Climate change, future Arctic Sea ice, and the competitiveness of European Arctic offshore oil and gas production on world markets.

Science.gov (United States)

Petrick, Sebastian; Riemann-Campe, Kathrin; Hoog, Sven; Growitsch, Christian; Schwind, Hannah; Gerdes, Rüdiger; Rehdanz, Katrin

2017-12-01

A significant share of the world's undiscovered oil and natural gas resources are assumed to lie under the seabed of the Arctic Ocean. Up until now, the exploitation of the resources especially under the European Arctic has largely been prevented by the challenges posed by sea ice coverage, harsh weather conditions, darkness, remoteness of the fields, and lack of infrastructure. Gradual warming has, however, improved the accessibility of the Arctic Ocean. We show for the most resource-abundant European Arctic Seas whether and how a climate induced reduction in sea ice might impact future accessibility of offshore natural gas and crude oil resources. Based on this analysis we show for a number of illustrative but representative locations which technology options exist based on a cost-minimization assessment. We find that under current hydrocarbon prices, oil and gas from the European offshore Arctic is not competitive on world markets.

Paying for the Piper. Capital and labour in Britain's offshore oil industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woolfson, C.; Foster, J.; Beck, M.

1996-01-01

This book makes the first serious appraisal of the current offshore safety regulatory regime instituted after Piper Alpha, and of the oil industry's attempts to contain subsequent unwelcome regulatory interference. It concludes that, as yet, offshore safety is little or not at all improved. The fraught history of trade unionism in the offshore industry and the largely successful strategies of employers to sustain a virtually union-free environment is also examined. The conflict over health and safety offshore has been inextricably bound up with the sometimes brutal struggle over union rights as the workforce has attempted to achieve a collective voice in the reform of safety and production standards. Paying for the Piper shows how the offshore unions have attempted to alter the unfavourable balance of class forces shaped by some of the world's most powerful concerns. (author)

Plant-wide Control for Better De-oiling of Produced Water in Offshore Oil & Gas Production

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yang, Zhenyu; Stigkær, Jens Peter; Løhndorf, Bo

2013-01-01

This paper discusses the application of plant-wide control philosophy to enhance the performance and capacity of the Produced Water Treatment (PWT) in offshore oil & gas production processes. Different from most existing facility- or material-based PWT innovation methods, the objective of this work...

Brazil: New Developmentalism and the Management of Offshore Oil Wealth

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giorgio Romano Schutte

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Since the 1930s development strategies in Brazil have made reducing its dependence on imported energy one of their priorities. Efforts focused on hydro-electric power, ethanol and oil. Offshore oil exploration by the state oil company Petrobras began in the 1970s and resulted in energy independence by 2006. In the same year, however, unexpectedly large oil reserves were discovered in the so-called Pre-Salt levels, transforming the country into a potential major oil exporter. This new reality creates major challenges for Brazil. New legislation and new policies have been set up to use this opportunity to accelerate development. The discussion on how to make the best use of offshore oil resources is guided by a so-called neo-developmentalism approach, introduced during President Lula’s second term. In practice this means a modest increase in state control with new regulations focused on local content. Special attention should be given to expanding research and development activities. Foreign capital and technology are welcome as long as they are willing to operate in the framework of a national development strategy. This paper will examine the main features and challenges of these new policies within the broader framework of the present discussion on neo-developmentalism in Brazil.Resumen: Brasil: Nuevo desarrollismo y la gestión de la riqueza petrolífera offshoreDesde los años treinta del siglo pasado, las estrategias de desarrollo en Brasil se han propuesto como una de sus prioridades reducir su dependencia de la energía importada. Los esfuerzos se enfocaron en la energía hidroeléctrica, en el etanol y en el petróleo. Las prospecciones petrolíferas offshore llevadas a cabo por la petrolera estatal Petrobras empezaron en los años setenta y tuvieron como resultado la independencia energética en 2006. Sin embargo, ese mismo año, se descubrieron inesperadamente grandes reservas de petróleo en los niveles llamados pre-sal, que

Canadian offshore standards become world model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reid, W.

2000-01-01

Newfoundland's emerging offshore industry is becoming known not only for its frontier petroleum exploration and development expertise, but it is also gaining international recognition for making good use of its experience to provide advice to future developers on how to deal with multiple levels of governments and community groups, infrastructure development, adverse effects on the local environment, society and the economy. The companies active offshore-Newfoundland have acquired world-class expertise from working their offshore oil fields on the Grand Banks. There is a steady demand for that expertise for application in other regions, mostly from oil-industry personnel. Requests for sharing that experience have come from the United States, Norway and Australia, but also from within Canada, particularly from British Columbia. In British Columbia, coastal exploration has been going on since the early 1900s, with increasing concern for the impact of petroleum activity on the coastal environment, culminating with the imposition of a moratorium in 1959. Now, the British Columbia government is interested in learning about the procedures it should follow to reach a decision on whether to lift the moratorium in effect (on and off) since 1959. The interest in possible resumption of exploration and development activity is motivated by recent studies by the Geological Survey of Canada, which suggest a hydrocarbon potential five times greater than the Hibernia oil field off Newfoundland. An indication of this interest in opening up the west coast to offshore exploration is the recent seminar at Memorial University in St. John's. Speakers at the seminar presented an overview of the lessons learned from the east coast, the social and economic impacts of offshore oil and gas development and how such development might co-exist with British Columbia's marine ecosystem and fishery resources

Environmental implications of offshore oil and gas development in Australia. Part 6; Oil spills

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Volkman, J.K.; Revill, A.T.; Miller, G.J.; Connell, D.W.

1994-01-01

The total amount of oil spilled in Commonwealth offshore waters from offshore oil exploration and production has been estimated by the Commonwealth Department of Primary Industry and Energy to be 440 barrels (70 000 litres) to the end of 1991. When more recent spills are added, plus spills from coastal waters under State jurisdiction, it is estimated that the total of oil spilled is about 600 barrels (95 000 litres). This estimate does not include hydrocarbon inputs from discharge of formation waters or drill cuttings. Most of these spills have been very small (less than 20 barrels) and in only a very few instances has any of the oil reached the shore. In most cases, it has been possible to allow the oil to degrade and disperse naturally. Given the small quantities spilled it is highly unlikely that these oil spills have caused significant environmental damage although it must be added that few follow up studies to assess this have been carried out. This review concludes that oil spills affect marine ecosystems generally in the same way as many other forms of marine pollutants even though the degree of persistence is less than with heavy metals for example. That is, the system is modified and destabilized and in severe cases it can shift to a reduced biological diversity characteristic of early successional or pioneer stages. Adverse effects range from the short term (days to months), to decades. Two phases and/or effects are usually observed: (i) the short-term mortality phase particularly affects biota at or near the air/sea interface and is attributed to physical coating, ingestion and inhalation of high concentrations of low-boiling aromatic hydrocarbons; and (ii) the longer term effects of the weathered oil being incorporated into the sediment where it inhibits the growth of seedlings and larger plants as well as affecting infauna and epifauna. 584 refs., 49 tabs., 43 figs

Norm in soil and sludge samples in Dukhan oil Field, Qatar state

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Al-Kinani, A.T.; Hushari, M.; Al-Sulaiti, Huda; Alsadig, I.A., E-mail: mmhushari@moe.gov.qa [Radiation and Chemical Protection Department, Ministry of Environment, Doha (Qatar)

2015-07-01

The main objective of this work is to measure the activity concentrations of Naturally Occurring radioactive Materials (NORM) produced as a buy products in oil production. The analyses of NORM give available information for guidelines concerning radiation protection. Recently NORM subjected to restricted regulation issued by high legal authority at Qatar state. Twenty five samples of soil from Dukhan onshore oil field and 10 sludge samples collected from 2 offshore fields at Qatar state. High resolution low-level gamma-ray spectrometry used to measure gamma emitters of NORM. The activity concentrations of natural radionuclide in 22 samples from Dukhan oil field, were with average worldwide values . Only three soil samples have high activity concentration of Ra-226 which is more than 185 Bq/kg the exempted level for NORM in the Quatrain regulation. The natural radionuclide activity concentrations of 10 sludge samples from offshore oil fields was greater than 1100Bq/kg the exempted values of NORM set by Quatrain regulation so the sludge need special treatments. The average hazards indices (H{sub ex} , D , and Ra{sub eq}), for the 22 samples were below the word permissible values .This means that the human exposure to such material not impose any radiation risk. The average hazards indices (H{sub ex} , D , and Ra{sub eq}), for 3 soil samples and sludge samples are higher than the published maximal permissible. Thus human exposure to such material impose radiation risk. (author)

Norm in soil and sludge samples in Dukhan oil Field, Qatar state

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Kinani, A.T.; Hushari, M.; Al-Sulaiti, Huda; Alsadig, I.A.

2015-01-01

The main objective of this work is to measure the activity concentrations of Naturally Occurring radioactive Materials (NORM) produced as a buy products in oil production. The analyses of NORM give available information for guidelines concerning radiation protection. Recently NORM subjected to restricted regulation issued by high legal authority at Qatar state. Twenty five samples of soil from Dukhan onshore oil field and 10 sludge samples collected from 2 offshore fields at Qatar state. High resolution low-level gamma-ray spectrometry used to measure gamma emitters of NORM. The activity concentrations of natural radionuclide in 22 samples from Dukhan oil field, were with average worldwide values . Only three soil samples have high activity concentration of Ra-226 which is more than 185 Bq/kg the exempted level for NORM in the Quatrain regulation. The natural radionuclide activity concentrations of 10 sludge samples from offshore oil fields was greater than 1100Bq/kg the exempted values of NORM set by Quatrain regulation so the sludge need special treatments. The average hazards indices (H ex , D , and Ra eq ), for the 22 samples were below the word permissible values .This means that the human exposure to such material not impose any radiation risk. The average hazards indices (H ex , D , and Ra eq ), for 3 soil samples and sludge samples are higher than the published maximal permissible. Thus human exposure to such material impose radiation risk. (author)

Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board annual report, 1992-1993

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-06-01

The Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board was established as the agency responsible for the regulation of the hydrocarbon resources in the Nova Scotia offshore. The Board evaluates resource potential, administers petroleum exploration and production rights, approves offshore activities, and approves benefits and development plans. The main activities of the Board in 1992-1993 are summarized and financial statements are presented. Highlights include production of 572,300 m 3 of oil during the first production season of LASMO Nova Scotia Ltd.'s Cohasset development, the first commercial offshore oil production for Canada; four major resource evaluation projects in the Glenelg Field, the Laurentian sub-basin, the Fundy Rift Basin, and the Panuke Field; holding of discussions between Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and Canada on the maritime boundary lines between respective offshore petroleum board jurisdictions, in the wake of a June 1992 determination of the disputed maritime boundary around St. Pierre et Miquelon; and amendments of certain safety-related legislation applicable to offshore operations. Employment benefits of the Cohasset project during 1992 totalled ca 470 Nova Scotians and 120 other Canadians. 3 tabs

Using decommissioned offshore oil/gas platforms for nuclear/RO desalination: the ONDP (Offshore Nuclear Desalination Platform)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagar, Ankesh

2010-01-01

Oil platforms are manmade concrete and steel giant structures standing high on ocean floor weighing anywhere between 10,000 tonnes and 150,000 tonnes or more and designed to withstand cruel forces of nature, having an average life of 70 years. With the declining petrol reserves within next 30 years, hundreds of platforms will be scheduled for decommissioning. This issue is a hot topic as oil companies tussle with environmentalists and state lawmakers over the future. The cash strapped oil companies have a legal obligation to remove each rig entirely, returning the ocean floor to its original condition. Lean times in oil industry mean a tight cash flow. Safely removing massive structures from deep waters and shipping the pile to the shores for reuse and recycling presents a technological challenge for operators. Some conceptual applications investigated to reuse them are the conversion of offshore structures into fish farms, prisons, military outposts, hotels, for Search and Rescue operations or Centers for Waste Processing and Disposal. Decommissioning oil and gas installation is exorbitantly expensive. On an average, removing a complete platform with or without pipeline in sea waters with 'clean sea approach' costs $15 million to $ 6 billion depending on location. Global warming has adversely affected world climate. Water levels in ground and reservoirs have shown drastic decrement. In future there will be need for more and more water all over the world. Fossil fuel energy based desalination is expensive and not eco-friendly so is dismantling of oil platform with its pipeline. The oil platforms are far located from population, have sufficient tank capacity and pipeline structure to store and pump water to shore. When found economically unviable these mammoth structures with modifications can be installed with 02 or more small or medium sized nuclear reactors such as KLT 40S with required module to desalinate water and co generate electricity which can be sent to

75 FR 37783 - National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-30

... Drilling AGENCY: Department of Energy, Office of Fossil Energy. ACTION: Notice of open meeting. SUMMARY... and Offshore Drilling (the Commission). The Commission was organized pursuant to the Federal Advisory..., any oil spills associated with offshore drilling in the future. The Commission is composed of seven...

75 FR 56526 - National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-16

... Drilling AGENCY: Department of Energy, Office of Fossil Energy. ACTION: Notice of open meeting. SUMMARY... and Offshore Drilling (the Commission). The Commission was organized pursuant to the Federal Advisory..., any oil spills associated with offshore drilling in the future. The Commission is composed of seven...

75 FR 60097 - National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-29

... Drilling AGENCY: Department of Energy, Office of Fossil Energy. ACTION: Notice of open meeting. SUMMARY... and Offshore Drilling (the Commission). The Commission was organized pursuant to the Federal Advisory..., and mitigate the impact of, any oil spills associated with offshore drilling in the future. The...

75 FR 69652 - National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling

Science.gov (United States)

2010-11-15

... Drilling AGENCY: Department of Energy, Office of Fossil Energy. ACTION: Notice of open meeting. SUMMARY... and Offshore Drilling (the Commission). The Commission was organized pursuant to the Federal Advisory..., and mitigate the impact of, any oil spills associated with offshore drilling in the future. The...

Risk assessment and safety regulations in offshore oil and gas ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Risk management of which risk assessment is part, and safety regulations are common in the offshore oil and gas industry management system. The process of conducting risk assessment is mostly a challenge for operational personnel assigned to perform this function. The most significant problem is the decision to use ...

75 FR 65309 - National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-22

... Drilling AGENCY: Department of Energy, Office of Fossil Energy. ACTION: Notice of open meeting. SUMMARY... and Offshore Drilling (the Commission). The Commission was organized pursuant to the Federal Advisory... to guard against, and mitigate the impact of, any oil spills associated with offshore drilling in the...

L'exploitation pétrolière offshore : production et sécurité Offshore Oil Production and Safety

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Champlon D.

2006-11-01

. To keep pace with increasing worldwide needs of hydrocarbons, exploration has steadily been extended to all sedimentary basins capable of containing oil or natural gas. Considering the promising hydrocarbon potential of seabeds, the search for new fields has been extended to sedimentary basins at sea - initially right near the coast, then on continental shelves (at depths of less than 200 m of water, and now farther offshore at water depths of several thousand meters. Since 1960, this expansion of offshore activities has been based on the development of many original techniques to face up to the novelty and complexity of the problems to be solved. At the saure time, the development of offshore activities and, now, the conquest of difficult and deep offshore areas have led to the implementation of safety specifications and vert' strict regulations so as to guarantee effective protection of installations, persons and other users of the sea, and to avert any danger of possible pollution. If all current offshore activities are considered within the world energy context, the following two questions can be asked: (1 Is the cost of offshore marine operations becoming prohibitive? (2 Does the energy situation justify the conquest of deeper and deeper seas? It would be useless as of now to pretend to give a precise and categorical answer to all such questions. Nevertheless, an economic analysis of offshore activities, being cons-cious of passed experience, and the extrapolating of the trends observed already constitute extremely useful bases for making an assessment.

Exploration and development of offshore oil and gas fields. [North Sea

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1979-01-01

In the last 9 years, the British companies, based on their rich engineering and commercial experience, have directed a considerable part of their material and manpower resources at developing oil and gas fields in the North Sea. The technological innovations used by British industry are: aero- and marine surveys to prospect for oil, underwater laying of pipelines, arrangement of platforms, etc.; exploratory drilling in the open sea and on dry land; design of platforms with regard for the depth of the water and unique weather conditions of the North Sea, their assembly and development; use of auxiliary ships and helicopters, and diving equipment.

Analysis of the orderly distribution of oil and gas fields in China based on the theory of co-control of source and heat

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gongcheng Zhang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Taking a hydrocarbon zone or a basin group as a unit, this paper analyzed the vertical hydrocarbon generation regularity of onshore and offshore oil and gas fields in China, based on the theory of co-control of source and heat. The results demonstrated that the hydrocarbon generation modes of oil and gas fields in China are orderly. First, the hydrocarbon zones in southeastern China offshore area, including the East and South China Sea basins, are dominated by single hydrocarbon generation mode, which displays as either single oil generation in the near shore or single gas generation in the offshore controlled by both source and heat. Second, the eastern hydrocarbon zones, including the Bohai Bay, Songliao and Jianghan basins and the North and South Yellow Sea basins, are dominated by a two-layer hydrocarbon generation mode, which performs as “upper oil and lower gas”. Third, the central hydrocarbon zones, including the Ordos, Sichuan and Chuxiong basins, are also dominated by the “upper oil and lower gas” two-layer hydrocarbon generation mode. In the Ordos Basin, gas is mainly generated in the Triassic, and oil is predominantly generated in the Paleozoic. In the Sichuan Basin, oil was discovered in the Jurassic, and gas was mostly discovered in the Sinian and Triassic. Fourth, the western hydrocarbon zones are dominated by a “sandwich” multi-layer mode, such as the Junggar, Tarim, Qaidam basins. In summary, the theory of co-control of source and heat will be widely applied to oil and gas exploration all over China. Oil targets should be focused on the near shore areas in the southeastern China sea, the upper strata in the eastern and middle hydrocarbon zones, and the Ordovician, Permian and Paleogene strata in the western hydrocarbon zone, while gas targets should be focused on the off-shore areas in the southeastern China sea, the Cambrian, Carboniferous, Jurassic, and Quaternary strata in the western hydrocarbon zone. A pattern of

Bridging IMO e-Navigation Policy and Offshore Oil and Gas Operations through Geospatial Standards

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Filipe Modesto Da Rocha

2016-04-01

Full Text Available In offshore industry activities, the suitable onboard provision of assets location and geospatial marine information during operations is essential. Currently, most companies use its own data structures, resulting in incompatibility between processes. In order to promote the data exchange, oil and gas industry associations have pursued initiatives to standardize spatial information. In turn, the IMO - International Maritime Organization - started the implementation of e-Navigation policy, which is the standardization of technologies and protocols applied to maritime information and navigation. This paper shows relationship and integration points between maritime activities of oil and gas industry and e-Navigation technologies and processes, highlighting geospatial information. This paper also preludes out an initiative for a suitable product specification for the offshore oil and gas industry, compliant with e-Navigation and IHO S-100 international standards.

Energy efficiency measures for offshore oil and gas platforms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen, Tuong-Van; Voldsund, Mari; Breuhaus, Peter; Elmegaard, Brian

2016-01-01

Oil and gas platforms are energy-intensive systems – each facility uses from a few to several hundreds MW of energy, depending on the petroleum properties, export specifications and field lifetime. Several technologies for increasing the energy efficiency of these plants are investigated in this work. They include: (i) the installation of multiple pressure levels in production manifolds, (ii) the implementation of multiphase expanders, (iii) the promotion of energy and process integration, (iv) the limitation of gas recirculation around the compressors, (v) the exploitation of low-temperature heat from the gas cooling steps, (vi) the downsizing or replacement of the existing gas turbines, and (vii) the use of the waste heat from the power plant. The present study builds on four actual cases located in the North and Norwegian Seas, which differ by the type of oil processed, operating conditions and strategies. The benefits and practical limitations of each measure are discussed based on thermodynamic, economic and environmental factors. Significant energy savings and reductions in CO_2-emissions are depicted, reaching up to 15–20%. However, they strongly differ from one facility to another, which suggests that generic improvements can hardly be proposed, and that thorough techno-economic analyses should be conducted for each plant. - Highlights: • Energy efficiency measures for offshore platforms are assessed. • Energy savings and reductions in CO_2-emissions can reach up to 15-20%. • They differ strongly depending on the oil type, operating conditions and strategies.

A Chronology of Attacks on and Unlawful Interferences with, Offshore Oil and Gas Installations, 1975 – 2010

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mikhail Kashubsky

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Throughout its history, the oil and gas industry has been a subject of environmental protests, labour disputes, tensions with local communities, and it has also been a target of various violent activities ranging from vandalism to political violence, which have impinged on the security of oil industry workers and interfered with operational activities of oil companies on numerous occasions. Although a considerable number of attacks on oil and gas infrastructure occurred over the course of the industry’s existence, most of those attacks were directed against onshore petroleum targets. Compared to onshore petroleum infrastructure, attacks on offshore oil and gas installations are relatively rare. The following chronology provides details of attacks, unlawful interferences, and security incidents involving offshore oil and gas installations that happened between 1975 and 2010. 

To put an end to the oil blue. For a better regulation of offshore oil and gas activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rochette, Julien; Chabason, Lucien; Callet, Sarah; Wemaere, Matthieu

2014-01-01

After having outlined the context of an endless race to offshore oil and gas, and the increased associated risks for the environment, this report discusses the relevance of the international regulation framework for offshore activities. While addressing the issues of responsibility and compensation, the authors analyse existing international and regional regulations, outline legal loopholes, and identify ways to address them. The objective is to propose a comprehensive analysis of the current international framework, to make some propositions to strengthen it. After an analysis of rules which now govern offshore activities, and of the framework regarding responsibility and compensation in case of accidents, the authors highlight the main loopholes of the international regulatory framework, and identify some perspectives to correct them. They discuss the main existing challenges and present some options for a better supervision of offshore activities

Modelling, analysis and optimisation of energy systems on offshore platforms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nguyen, Tuong-Van

of oil and gas facilities, (ii) the means to reduce their performance losses, and (iii) the systematic design of future plants. This work builds upon a combination of modelling tools, performance evaluation methods and multi-objective optimisation routines to reproduce the behaviour of five offshore......Nowadays, the offshore production of oil and gas requires on-site processing, which includes operations such as separation, compression and purification. The offshore system undergoes variations of the petroleum production rates over the field life – it is therefore operated far from its nominal...... with the combustion, pressure-change and cooling operations, but these processes are ranked differently depending on the plant layout and on the field production stage. The most promising improvements consist of introducing a multi-level production manifold, avoiding anti-surge gas recirculation, installing a waste...

75 FR 39518 - National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling; Correction

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-09

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling; Correction AGENCY: Office of Fossil Energy, Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of open meeting... Spill and Offshore Drilling, (75 FR 37783). This document makes several corrections to that notice. FOR...

Challenges in Slug Modeling and Control for Offshore Oil and Gas Productions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Simon; Løhndorf, Petar Durdevic; Yang, Zhenyu

2017-01-01

The upstream offshore multi-phase well-pipeline-riser installations are facing huge challenges related to slugging flow: An unstable flow regime where the flow rates, pressures and temperatures oscillate in the multi-phase pipelines. One typical severe slug is induced by vertical wells or risers...... most models require specific facility and operating data which, unfortunately, often is not available from most offshore installations. Anti-slug control have been investigated for several decades in oil & gas industry, but many of these existing methods suffer the consequent risk of simultaneously...... reducing the oil & gas production. This paper concludes that slug is a well defined phenomenon, but even though it has been investigated for several decades the current anti-slug control methods still have problems related to robustness. It is predicted that slug-induced challenges will be even more severe...

Review of technology for Arctic offshore oil and gas recovery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sackinger, W. M.

1980-08-01

The technical background briefing report is the first step in the preparation of a plan for engineering research oriented toward Arctic offshore oil and gas recovery. A five-year leasing schedule for the ice-prone waters of the Arctic offshore is presented, which also shows the projected dates of the lease sale for each area. The estimated peak production rates for these areas are given. There is considerable uncertainty for all these production estimates, since no exploratory drilling has yet taken place. A flow chart is presented which relates the special Arctic factors, such as ice and permafrost, to the normal petroleum production sequence. Some highlights from the chart and from the technical review are: (1) in many Arctic offshore locations the movement of sea ice causes major lateral forces on offshore structures, which are much greater than wave forces; (2) spray ice buildup on structures, ships and aircraft will be considerable, and must be prevented or accommodated with special designs; (3) the time available for summer exploratory drilling, and for deployment of permanent production structures, is limited by the return of the pack ice. This time may be extended by ice-breaking vessels in some cases; (4) during production, icebreaking workboats will service the offshore platforms in most areas throughout the year; (5) transportation of petroleum by icebreaking tankers from offshore tanker loading points is a highly probable situation, except in the Alaskan Beaufort; and (6) Arctic pipelines must contend with permafrost, making instrumentation necessary to detect subtle changes of the pipe before rupture occurs.

Impacts of offshore oil industry on the marine biota and mitigating measures; Impactos das atividades offshore da industria do petroleo sobre a comunidade biologica marinha e as medidas mitigadoras

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cotta, Patricia S. [PETROBRAS, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Unidade de Negocio SMS

2004-07-01

The growth of industrialization is generating an increase in environmental change, mainly in the marine environment.The petroleum industry is performing a great search for petroleum fields resulting in a transference from land activity to the sea and to deeper water layers (offshore). The offshore exploration in Brazil corresponds to 80% of the national petroleum production. This increasing production is raising questions about the impacts caused by its activities on aquatic biological communities. The potentially impactant activities of the petroleum industry are oil exploration, drilling and production. To mitigate and to accompany the potential environment impacts of its activities, the petroleum industry is implementing environmental monitoring projects whose guidelines directives are established by the responsible environmental agency. These projects aim at accompanying the effects of the continuos discharge of effluents on the local oceanic ecosystem through environmental characterization before, during and after the production activities, physical and chemical characterizations of sea water, qualitative and quantitative analyses of the biological monitoring, accompaniment of the environmental conditions during all oil rig activity and characterization of produced water, through physical, chemical and eco toxicological assays. (author)

Offshore in depth

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ebdon, J F

1968-08-01

The world-wide scope of offshore areas is discussed. Offshore areas of the U.S. and the world are where one of the ''hottest'' hydrocarbon booms--drilling, production, and pipelining--are in action today. Most of the current activity in offshore exploration and drilling is crude oil directed. However, big non-associated natural gas finds have been made. Additionally, for every barrel of crude oil produced, either or both associated natural gas and dissolved natural gas are produced in some varying ratio as casinghead gas. Thus, with worldwide production of some 2.5-million bbl of crude oil per day from offshore areas of Free-World countries, there are vast volumes of casinghead natural gas produced, over and above that produced from non-associated natural gas wells to the seaward of land masses. If offshore gas of any classification is produced in commercial volumes close to onshore population centers, then the possibility of marketing is fairly good. If remote from population centers, it is usually flared or shut-in. The development of gas liquefaction and cryogenic tankers has started, but international ocean traffic in LNG is still in its infancy. Current offshore gas pipelines are described.

Offshore disposal of oil-based drilling fluid waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malachosky, E.; Shannon, B.E.; Jackson, J.E.

1991-01-01

Offshore drilling operations in the Gulf of Mexico may use oil-based drilling fluids to mitigate drilling problems. The result is the generation of a significant quantity of oily cuttings and mud. The transportation of this waste for onshore disposal is a concern from a standpoint of both personnel safety and potential environmental impact. A process for preparing a slurry of this waste and the subsequent disposal of the slurry through annular pumping has been put into use by ARCO Oil and Gas Company. The disposal technique has been approved by the Minerals Management Service (MMS). The slurried waste is displaced down a casing annulus into a permeable zone at a depth below the surface casing setting depth. The annular disposal includes all cuttings and waste oil mud generated during drilling with oil-based fluids. This disposal technique negates the need for cuttings storage on the platform, transportation to shore, and the environmental effects of onshore surface disposal. The paper describes the environmental and safety concerns with onshore disposal, the benefits of annular disposal, and the equipment and process used for the preparation and pumping of the slurry

Fragmented International Governance of Arctic Offshore Oil : Governance Challenges and Institutional Improvement

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Humrich, Christoph

The governance architecture in the Arctic region is subject to broad public and academic debate. Existing governance arrangements are not considered sufficient to minimize risks and impacts from Arctic offshore oil activities. These governance arrangements are fragmented between law of the sea

Impact of the oil price and fiscal facilities on offshore mining at the Dutch Continental Shelf

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cate, Arie ten; Mulder, Machiel

2007-01-01

The surge in the oil price has raised questions about the magnitude of global reserves of oil. According to some analysts, the current high oil prices indicate a looming decline in the global production of oil. Others believe, however, that the increased level of the oil price encourages exploration and production activities, bringing the oil price to a lower equilibrium level in the near future. In this paper, we assess the impact of the unit profit (depending on the oil price) as well as fiscal facilities on the level of exploration and development drillings in the Dutch Continental Shelf. We conducted an econometric analysis of exploration and development drillings in the Dutch Continental Shelf over the period 1981-2003. Except a few fiscal changes, the regulatory framework for offshore activities in the Netherlands, the so-called 'small fields policy' was unchanged in this period. We find that the expected unit profit based on a moving average of the oil price significantly explains the level of both exploration and development drillings. In addition, the analysis suggests that fiscal facilities have only a temporary effect on exploration activities but are more important for development activities. We conclude that the oil price is a major economic incentive for activities of the mining industry

Innovative technologies for managing oil field waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Veil, J.A.

2003-01-01

Each year, the oil industry generates millions of barrels of wastes that need to be properly managed. For many years, most oil field wastes were disposed of at a significant cost. However, over the past decade, the industry has developed many processes and technologies to minimize the generation of wastes and to more safely and economically dispose of the waste that is generated. Many companies follow a three-tiered waste management approach. First, companies try to minimize waste generation when possible. Next, they try to find ways to reuse or recycle the wastes that are generated. Finally, the wastes that cannot be reused or recycled must be disposed of. Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne) has evaluated the feasibility of various oil field waste management technologies for the U.S. Department of Energy. This paper describes four of the technologies Argonne has reviewed. In the area of waste minimization, the industry has developed synthetic-based drilling muds (SBMs) that have the desired drilling properties of oil-based muds without the accompanying adverse environmental impacts. Use of SBMs avoids significant air pollution from work boats hauling offshore cuttings to shore for disposal and provides more efficient drilling than can be achieved with water-based muds. Downhole oil/water separators have been developed to separate produced water from oil at the bottom of wells. The produced water is directly injected to an underground formation without ever being lifted to the surface, thereby avoiding potential for groundwater or soil contamination. In the area of reuse/recycle, Argonne has worked with Southeastern Louisiana University and industry to develop a process to use treated drill cuttings to restore wetlands in coastal Louisiana. Finally, in an example of treatment and disposal, Argonne has conducted a series of four baseline studies to characterize the use of salt caverns for safe and economic disposal of oil field wastes.

UV disinfection of injection and drinking water - an accepted method on offshore oil platforms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brunner, H.; Klein, H.P.

1985-01-01

Ultraviolet disinfection packages have been developed for the treatment of drinking water and injection water on offshore oil platforms. Large-scale tests with sulphate reducing bacteria out outlined. (Auth.)

[Relationship of job stress with job burnout and quality of work life in workers for offshore oil platforms].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Y; Liu, X L; Wei, T D; Lan, Y J

2017-03-20

Objective: To evaluate the current status of job burnout and qual ity of work life (QWL) in workers for offshore oil platforms, and to analyze the relationship of job stress with job burnout and QWL and the direct and indirect effects of job stress on QWL. Methods: Cluster random sampling was used to select 382 work-ers for 8 oil platforms of China National Offshore Oil Corporation in October 2015. A self - designed questionnaire was used to collect the individual characteristics of subjects. The Quality of Work Life Scale (QWL7 - 32) , Occupa-tional Stress Inventory - Revised Edition (OSI - R) , and Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey (MBI - GS) were used to investigate the QWL, job stress, and job burnout of subjects. Results: Among all the workers for offshore oil platforms, 87.2% had mild job burnout. The total QWL score was 116.01 ± 16.73; 8.3% of the workers had poor QWL, and 68.5% had moderate QWL. QWL was reduced with heavier task, vaguer task, and increasing mental stress and physical stress ( P stress had di-rect and indirect effects on QWL; stress reaction had the most effect on QWL (total effect size - 0.509) , followed by social support (total effect size 0.444) . Conclusion: Most workers for offshore oil platforms have mild job burn-out and moderate QWL. Job stress is associated with job burnout and QWL, and stress reaction and social support have relatively high influence on QWL.

Protective equipment against explosions for offshore oil and gas production; Explosionsgeschuetzte Ausruestung fuer den maritimen Oel- und Gassektor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Popp, Tobias [R. STAHL AG, Waldenburg (Germany)

2011-05-15

Offshore oil and gas production requires a multitude of explosion-proof components, systems and solutions both offshore and onshore. They serve different functions, from extraction and separation of fossil fuels to the production and storage of transportable products, sometimes on floating offshore platforms. There are also offshore cranes and pipelines to the onshore terminals. All this requires explostion-proof control cabinets, power distribution units and other equipment. The many different requirements are illustrated by the example of the world's biggest offshore production platform FPSO in the China Sea.

Global offshore pipeline markets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knight, R.; Parsons, B.

2001-01-01

In this article, two experts forecast a recovery in the offshore pipeline market followed by accelerating growth. A number of clearly definable macro trends are affecting the world offshore oil and gas industry and will be of considerable significance to the offshore pipelines industry. The authors' view is of markets that show every chance of enjoying long-term growth prospects driven by the fundamentals of a continuing increase in demand for offshore oil and gas. The offshore industry however has a highly cyclical nature, due to the impact of variations in oil and gas prices and the differing state of maturity of individual regions. Therefore those companies that are able to offer the widest range of pipe types and diameters and methods of installation across the greatest range of geographic markets are likely to prosper most. Thus, this continues to be a market best suited to those able to operate on a global scale and make a corporate commitment measured in decades

Oil and gas field code master list 1997

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-02-01

The Oil and Gas Field Code Master List 1997 is the sixteenth annual listing of all identified oil and gas fields in the US. It is updated with field information collected through October 1997. The purpose of this publication is to provide unique, standardized codes for identification of domestic fields. Use of these field codes fosters consistency of field identification by government and industry. As a result of their widespread adoption they have in effect become a national standard. The use of field names and codes listed in this publication is required on survey forms and other reports regarding field-specific data collected by EIA. There are 58,366 field records in this year`s FCML, 437 more than last year. The FCML includes: field records for each State and county in which a field resides; field records for each offshore area block in the Gulf of Mexico in which a field resides; field records for each alias field name (definition of alias is listed); fields crossing State boundaries that may be assigned different names by the respective State naming authorities. This report also contains an Invalid Field Record List of 4 records that have been removed from the FCML since last year`s report. These records were found to be either technically incorrect or to represent field names which were never recognized by State naming authorities.

The offshore accords and Hibernia's impact on the Newfoundland treasury

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Locke, W.

1992-01-01

The provincial governments of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia have each signed an accord with the government of Canada to manage and share revenues from the development of their respective offshore oil and gas fields. Negotiated provisions for offsetting equalization payments were an important component of each of these accords. The potential effectiveness of these provisions in sheltering offshore oil revenues derived from the Hibernia project under various oil price scenarios is reviewed. Both mathematical and simulation analyses demonstrate that the provisions negotiated by Nova Scotia shelter significantly more revenue than those by Newfoundland. Recommendations for future negotiating positions are presented. 4 refs., 3 tabs

Biomarkers in natural fish populations indicate adverse biological effects of offshore oil production.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lennart Balk

Full Text Available Despite the growing awareness of the necessity of a sustainable development, the global economy continues to depend largely on the consumption of non-renewable energy resources. One such energy resource is fossil oil extracted from the seabed at offshore oil platforms. This type of oil production causes continuous environmental pollution from drilling waste, discharge of large amounts of produced water, and accidental spills.Samples from natural populations of haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus and Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua in two North Sea areas with extensive oil production were investigated. Exposure to and uptake of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs were demonstrated, and biomarker analyses revealed adverse biological effects, including induction of biotransformation enzymes, oxidative stress, altered fatty acid composition, and genotoxicity. Genotoxicity was reflected by a hepatic DNA adduct pattern typical for exposure to a mixture of PAHs. Control material was collected from a North Sea area without oil production and from remote Icelandic waters. The difference between the two control areas indicates significant background pollution in the North Sea.It is most remarkable to obtain biomarker responses in natural fish populations in the open sea that are similar to the biomarker responses in fish from highly polluted areas close to a point source. Risk assessment of various threats to the marine fish populations in the North Sea, such as overfishing, global warming, and eutrophication, should also take into account the ecologically relevant impact of offshore oil production.

Cetacean occurrence near an offshore oil platform in southern Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marta Jussara Cremer

2009-09-01

Full Text Available Information about cetaceans in offshore Brazilian waters is scarce, and oil-rigs could provide an important opportunity to obtain new data. The present work was conducted on the P-XIV oil-rig (Petrobrás (26o46’02.2”S; 46o47’02.15”W, located on the border of the continental slope, in an area of 200m depth. In the period between July 2000 and August 2002, 75 sightings of cetaceans were recorded during 38 days of effort. Among the species identified, Tursiops truncatus was the most common, corresponding to 53.3% of the records. Among the misticets, only Balaenoptera acutorostrata was identified with accuracy, with 4 records (5.3%. These were the only species that approached and stayed close to the oil-rig. Many records were made at night, when the gas burner illuminated the area around the oil-rig. We recorded an aggressive interaction involving T. truncatus and B. acutorostrata.

Including impacts of particulate emissions on marine ecosystems in life cycle assessment: the case of offshore oil and gas production.

Science.gov (United States)

Veltman, Karin; Huijbregts, Mark A J; Rye, Henrik; Hertwich, Edgar G

2011-10-01

Life cycle assessment is increasingly used to assess the environmental performance of fossil energy systems. Two of the dominant emissions of offshore oil and gas production to the marine environment are the discharge of produced water and drilling waste. Although environmental impacts of produced water are predominantly due to chemical stressors, a major concern regarding drilling waste discharge is the potential physical impact due to particles. At present, impact indicators for particulate emissions are not yet available in life cycle assessment. Here, we develop characterization factors for 2 distinct impacts of particulate emissions: an increased turbidity zone in the water column and physical burial of benthic communities. The characterization factor for turbidity is developed analogous to characterization factors for toxic impacts, and ranges from 1.4 PAF (potentially affected fraction) · m(3) /d/kg(p) (kilogram particulate) to 7.0 x 10³ [corrected] for drilling mud particles discharged from the rig. The characterization factor for burial describes the volume of sediment that is impacted by particle deposition on the seafloor and equals 2.0 × 10(-1) PAF · m(3) /d/kg(p) for cutting particles. This characterization factor is quantified on the basis of initial deposition layer characteristics, such as height and surface area, the initial benthic response, and the recovery rate. We assessed the relevance of including particulate emissions in an impact assessment of offshore oil and gas production. Accordingly, the total impact on the water column and on the sediment was quantified based on emission data of produced water and drilling waste for all oil and gas fields on the Norwegian continental shelf in 2008. Our results show that cutting particles contribute substantially to the total impact of offshore oil and gas production on marine sediments, with a relative contribution of 55% and 31% on the regional and global scale, respectively. In contrast, the

Regulatory capture by default: Offshore exploratory drilling for oil and gas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Portman, Michelle E.

2014-01-01

This article examines a form of regulatory capture that occurs when significant ambiguity exists regarding the environmental protection standards for new types of activities in the marine environment. To begin with, there is little research that categorizes the typologies of regulatory capture despite the ubiquity of the phenomenon. After a discussion of theoretical approaches to regulatory capture, I describe the operative definition and theory appropriate to the situation related to authorization of oil and natural gas production in Israel following the discovery of large offshore reserves in 2010. This approach, embodying several facets of existing typologies, is applied to decisions made authorizing construction of the Gabriella offshore exploratory drilling platform. The analysis highlights the nature of capture in the absence of clear agency jurisdiction over new activities located in offshore environs organized as temporal and spatial “vacuums”. I conclude that comprehensive marine spatial planning would result in less capture and the development of more capture-resistant regulations. - Highlights: • Regulatory capture occurs when ambiguity exists about environmental protection standards for new types of activities in the marine environment. • A typology is developed from theories of regulatory capture (RC) and applied to cases of offshore exploratory drilling. • The typology is applied to offshore natural gas reserves discovered in 2010 offshore of Israel in the Mediterranean Sea. • Temporal aspects (anachronistic laws and regulations) and spatial aspects (jurisdictional ambiguity) have created regulatory vacuums leading to RC. • Comprehensive marine spatial planning would result in less capture and the development of more capture-resistant regulations

The offshore petroleum industry: The formative years, 1945-1962

Science.gov (United States)

Kreidler, Tai Deckner

1997-12-01

This dissertation is the first to examine the offshore oil industry that was born in the calm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. It describes the industry's origins and tracks its development as a consequence of a search for new oil frontiers. In addition, it elaborates how the oil industry moved into the marine province using available technology, and was driven by the economic urgency to compete and develop new territories. Enterprising drilling contractors and operators seized the offshore gamble, finding it possible to lower the economic and technological threshold by drawing directly from wartime research and surplus equipment. Though large oil companies had placed its indelible stamp upon the industry, the smaller, independent oil operators set the pace of early offshore development. As a technological frontier, offshore development depended upon creative and unconventional engineering. Unfamiliar marine conditions tested the imagination of oil industry engineering. The unorthodox methods of John Hayward of Barnsdall Oil and R. G. LeTourneau of LeTourneau, Inc. among others transformed the industry by blending petroleum and marine engineering. Grappling with alien marine conditions and lacking formal training, Hayward and LeTourneau merged a century of practical oil field knowledge and petroleum engineering with 2,000 years of shipbuilding experience. The Gulf of Mexico served as a fertile and protective environment for the development of a fledgling industry. With calm waters, lacking the tempestuous and stormy character of the Atlantic Ocean, with a gradual sea-floor slope and saturated with the highly productive salt dome reservoirs, the Gulf became the birth place of the modern offshore oil industry. Within its protective sphere, companies experimented and developed various technical and business adaptations. Operators used technology and business strategies that increased the opportunity for success. In addition, regional academic research institutes arose as

Field development. Concept selection in deep water environment offshore Angola

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guenot, A.; Berger, J.C.; Limet, N. [TotalFinaElf, la Defense 6, Rosa-Lirio Project Group, 92 - Courbevoie (France)

2002-10-01

The significant oil discoveries made at the end of the 90's in the deep water environment offshore the coast of Angola, has led to a considerable amount of development activities. The first field in production was the turnkey development of the Kuito field on the Block 14 operated by Chevron. More recently the Girassol field has been put successfully in production on the Block 17, operated by TotalFinaElf. Both developments are making use of sub-sea wells connected to a moored dedicated FPSO. On the western side of the Girassol field, several discoveries have been made. They are known as the Rosa Lirio pole, from the names of two of the main channels. Values for water depth are in the same range than on Girassol (1300- 1400 m). A project group has been established in 1999 to evaluate the development of these discoveries. The purpose of this paper is to present the conceptual work which as been carried out, and in particular to show that even if many different concepts have been evaluated, the final choice has been also to make use of sub-sea trees. (authors)

China places first self-financed offshore development on production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

This paper reports that China's Bohai Oil Co. (BOC) last month started up its first exclusively self-financed offshore petroleum development. Jinzhou 20-2 oil and gas/condensate field went on stream in the Liaodong Bay area of the Bohai Sea with production of 53 MMcfd of gas and 3,019 b/d of condensate

The contribution of human factors to accidents in the offshore oil industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gordon, Rachael P.E.

1998-01-01

Accidents such as the Piper Alpha disaster illustrate that the performance of a highly complex socio-technical system, is dependent upon the interaction of technical, human, social, organisational, managerial and environmental factors and that these factors can be important co-contributors that could potentially lead to a catastrophic event. The purpose of this article is to give readers an overview of how human factors contribute to accidents in the offshore oil industry. An introduction to human errors and how they relate to human factors in general terms is given. From here the article discusses some of the human factors which were found to influence safety in other industries and describes the human factors codes used in accident reporting forms in the aviation, nuclear and marine industries. Analysis of 25 accident reporting forms from offshore oil companies in the UK sector of the North Sea was undertaken in relation to the human factors. Suggestions on how these accident reporting forms could be improved are given. Finally, this article describes the methods by which accidents can be reduced by focusing on the human factors, such as feedback from accident reporting in the oil industry, auditing of unsafe acts and auditing of latent failures

The impact of water depth on safety and environmental performance in offshore oil and gas production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muehlenbachs, Lucija; Cohen, Mark A.; Gerarden, Todd

2013-01-01

This paper reports on an empirical analysis of company-reported incidents on oil and gas production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico between 1996 and 2010. During these years, there was a dramatic increase in the water depths at which offshore oil and gas is extracted. Controlling for platform characteristics such as age, quantity of oil and gas produced, and number of producing wells, we find that incidents (such as blowouts, injuries, and oil spills) are positively correlated with deeper water. Controlling for these and other characteristics, for an average platform, each 100 feet of added depth increases the probability of a company-reported incident by 8.5%. While further research into the causal connections between water depth and platform risks is warranted, this study highlights the potential value of increased monitoring of deeper water platforms. - Highlights: ► Analysis of performance indicators for oil production platforms in Gulf of Mexico. ► In recent years there have been dramatic increases in the water depths at which offshore oil and gas is extracted. ► Self-reported incidents (e.g. blowouts, injuries, spills) increase with water depth

A review of shape memory material’s applications in the offshore oil and gas industry

Science.gov (United States)

Patil, Devendra; Song, Gangbing

2017-09-01

The continuously increasing demand for oil and gas and the depleting number of new large reservoir discoveries have made it necessary for the oil and gas industry to investigate and design new, improved technologies that unlock new sources of energy and squeeze more from existing resources. Shape memory materials (SMM), with their remarkable properties such as the shape memory effect (SME), corrosion resistance, and superelasticity have shown great potential to meet these demands by significantly improving the functionality and durability of offshore systems. Shape memory alloy (SMA) and shape memory polymer (SMP) are two types of most commonly used SMM’s and are ideally suited for use over a range of robust engineering applications found within the oil and gas industry, such as deepwater actuators, valves, underwater connectors, seals, self-torqueing fasteners and sand management. The potential high strain and high force output of the SME of SMA can be harnessed to create a lightweight, solid state alternative to conventional hydraulic, pneumatic or motor based actuator systems. The phase transformation property enables the SMA to withstand erosive stresses, which is useful for minimizing the effect of erosion often experienced by downhole devices. The superelasticity of the SMA provides good energy dissipation, and can overcome the various defects and limitations suffered by conventional passive damping methods. The higher strain recovery during SME makes SMP ideal for developments of packers and sand management in downhole. The increasing number of SMM related research papers and patents from oil and gas industry indicate the growing research interest of the industry to implement SMM in offshore applications. This paper reviews the recent developments and applications of SMM in the offshore oil and gas industry.

Giant Oil Fields - The Highway to Oil: Giant Oil Fields and their Importance for Future Oil Production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robelius, Fredrik

2007-01-01

Since the 1950s, oil has been the dominant source of energy in the world. The cheap supply of oil has been the engine for economic growth in the western world. Since future oil demand is expected to increase, the question to what extent future production will be available is important. The belief in a soon peak production of oil is fueled by increasing oil prices. However, the reliability of the oil price as a single parameter can be questioned, as earlier times of high prices have occurred without having anything to do with a lack of oil. Instead, giant oil fields, the largest oil fields in the world, can be used as a parameter. A giant oil field contains at least 500 million barrels of recoverable oil. Only 507, or 1 % of the total number of fields, are giants. Their contribution is striking: over 60 % of the 2005 production and about 65 % of the global ultimate recoverable reserve (URR). However, giant fields are something of the past since a majority of the largest giant fields are over 50 years old and the discovery trend of less giant fields with smaller volumes is clear. A large number of the largest giant fields are found in the countries surrounding the Persian Gulf. The domination of giant fields in global oil production confirms a concept where they govern future production. A model, based on past annual production and URR, has been developed to forecast future production from giant fields. The results, in combination with forecasts on new field developments, heavy oil and oil sand, are used to predict future oil production. In all scenarios, peak oil occurs at about the same time as the giant fields peak. The worst-case scenario sees a peak in 2008 and the best-case scenario, following a 1.4 % demand growth, peaks in 2018

Bird interactions with offshore oil and gas platforms: review of impacts and monitoring techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

Ronconi, Robert A; Allard, Karel A; Taylor, Philip D

2015-01-01

Thousands of oil and gas platforms are currently operating in offshore waters globally, and this industry is expected to expand in coming decades. Although the potential environmental impacts of offshore oil and gas activities are widely recognized, there is limited understanding of their impacts on migratory and resident birds. A literature review identified 24 studies and reports of bird-platform interactions, most being qualitative and half having been peer-reviewed. The most frequently observed effect, for seabirds and landbirds, is attraction and sometimes collisions associated with lights and flares; episodic events have caused the deaths of hundreds or even thousands of birds. Though typically unpredictable, anecdotally, it is known that poor weather, such as fog, precipitation and low cloud cover, can exacerbate the effect of nocturnal attraction to lights, especially when coincidental with bird migrations. Other effects include provision of foraging and roosting opportunities, increased exposure to oil and hazardous environments, increased exposure to predators, or repulsion from feeding sites. Current approaches to monitoring birds at offshore platforms have focused on observer-based methods which can offer species-level bird identification, quantify seasonal patterns of relative abundance and distribution, and document avian mortality events and underlying factors. Observer-based monitoring is time-intensive, limited in spatial and temporal coverage, and suffers without clear protocols and when not conducted by trained, independent observers. These difficulties are exacerbated because deleterious bird-platform interaction is episodic and likely requires the coincidence of multiple factors (e.g., darkness, cloud, fog, rain conditions, occurrence of birds in vicinity). Collectively, these considerations suggest a need to implement supplemental systems for monitoring bird activities around offshore platforms. Instrument-based approaches, such as radar

Bioremediation of offshore oil spills

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goldman, E.; Tedaldi, D.J.

1994-01-01

This research program was directed towards the enhancement of insitu biorestoration of open sea oil spills. Bacteria possessing petroleum degrading enzymes are capable of splitting even thick, viscous oils and tars into lighter fractions. This process will occur at the oil/bacterial interface and depends upon viscosity of the oil, bacterial species, availability of ancillary nutrients, residence times and extent of mixing/oxygenation. Through the enzymatic metabolism of bacteria, a wide range of petroleum oils can be converted almost completely into CO 2 , water, cell mass and harmless biological waste products, usually within 60 to 90 days under favorable conditions. Specifically, this research work focused on the selection and examination of a floating medium which enhances the biodegradation process through improvement of conditions necessary for the process to occur. An additional effort was made to update previous citations of the order of magnitude of oil biodegradation rates and to compare laboratory measurements of biodegradation rates with field or mesocosm measurements

First evaluation of foraminiferal metabarcoding for monitoring environmental impact from an offshore oil drilling site

KAUST Repository

Laroche, Olivier

2016-08-29

At present, environmental impacts from offshore oil and gas activities are partly determined by measuring changes in macrofauna diversity. Morphological identification of macrofauna is time-consuming, expensive and dependent on taxonomic expertise. In this study, we evaluated the applicability of using foraminiferal-specific metabarcoding for routine monitoring. Sediment samples were collected along distance gradients from two oil platforms off Taranaki (New Zealand) and their physicochemical properties, foraminiferal environmental DNA/RNA, and macrofaunal composition analyzed. Macrofaunal and foraminiferal assemblages showed similar shifts along impact gradients, but responded differently to environmental perturbations. Macrofauna were affected by hypoxia, whereas sediment grain size appeared to drive shifts in foraminifera. We identified eight foraminiferal molecular operational taxonomic units that have potential to be used as bioindicator taxa. Our results show that metabarcoding represents an effective tool for assessing foraminiferal communities near offshore oil and gas platforms, and that it can be used to complement current monitoring techniques. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

First evaluation of foraminiferal metabarcoding for monitoring environmental impact from an offshore oil drilling site

KAUST Repository

Laroche, Olivier; Wood, Susanna A.; Tremblay, Louis A.; Ellis, Joanne; Lejzerowicz, Franck; Pawlowski, Jan; Lear, Gavin; Atalah, Javier; Pochon, Xavier

2016-01-01

At present, environmental impacts from offshore oil and gas activities are partly determined by measuring changes in macrofauna diversity. Morphological identification of macrofauna is time-consuming, expensive and dependent on taxonomic expertise. In this study, we evaluated the applicability of using foraminiferal-specific metabarcoding for routine monitoring. Sediment samples were collected along distance gradients from two oil platforms off Taranaki (New Zealand) and their physicochemical properties, foraminiferal environmental DNA/RNA, and macrofaunal composition analyzed. Macrofaunal and foraminiferal assemblages showed similar shifts along impact gradients, but responded differently to environmental perturbations. Macrofauna were affected by hypoxia, whereas sediment grain size appeared to drive shifts in foraminifera. We identified eight foraminiferal molecular operational taxonomic units that have potential to be used as bioindicator taxa. Our results show that metabarcoding represents an effective tool for assessing foraminiferal communities near offshore oil and gas platforms, and that it can be used to complement current monitoring techniques. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A crude solution: should the moratorium on offshore oil and gas development in BC be lifted

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parfitt, B.; Venton, M.; Bartoszewski, D.

1999-04-01

A discussion on the pros and cons of lifting the moratorium on offshore oil development is presented. The Federal Fisheries Minister is not convinced that technological advances have reached a point where the moratorium can be lifted and guarantee that major accidents would not occur. The Fisheries Act states that any degradation of fish habitat is illegal. Coastal communities are also opposed to lifting the moratorium, yet it is widely rumored that the provincial government is planning to set up an environmental review to investigate the possibility of developing the offshore resource. The Sierra Legal Defence Fund supports the federal government's position that lifting the moratorium on offshore oil development would seriously jeopardize many sectors of the coastal economy, and urges both levels of government to work together and instead of engaging in such potentially hazardous and costly endeavour, encourage growth and development in the domestic renewable energy sector. 37 refs., figs

Review of Slug Detection, Modeling and Control Techniques for Offshore Oil & Gas Production Processes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Simon; Løhndorf, Petar Durdevic; Yang, Zhenyu

2015-01-01

The current offshore oil & gas multi-phase production and transportation installations have big challenges related with the slugging flow: An unstable multi-phase flow regime where the flow rates, pressures and temperatures oscillate in the considered processes. Slug can be caused by different...... operating conditions and installation structures. The most severe slugs are often induced in long vertical risers or production wells, where liquid blocks gas at the riser/well base and correspondingly it causes the pressure to accumulate and hence originates the oscillating performance. There are many...... of these methods can simultaneously reduce the oil & gas production, which is a very big concern as the production rate is the key evaluation parameter for offshore production. We conclude that the slugging flow is a well-defined phenomenon, even though this subject has been extensively investigated in the past...

Governance of Arctic Offshore Oil & Gas Activities: Multilevel Governance & Legal Pluralism at Stake

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pelaudeix, Cecile

2015-01-01

This article analyses the governance process of offshore oil and gas activities in the Arctic with the concept of multilevelgovernance and legal pluralism to address both issues of management of the environment and public participation. The analysis goes beyond the single issue of fragmentation p...... and from regional government, indigenous shareholders and corporation perspectives, could be helpful in providing relevant actors with arguments to weigh the decision on seismic and drilling activities in relation to risk acceptance.......This article analyses the governance process of offshore oil and gas activities in the Arctic with the concept of multilevelgovernance and legal pluralism to address both issues of management of the environment and public participation. The analysis goes beyond the single issue of fragmentation...... pertaining to the international and supranational levels, to encompass national and regional levels and evaluate how the interactions between those levels structure the policy process and impact the efficiency of environmental management and public participation. Four paths of reflection arise from...

Cetacean occurrence near an offshore oil platform in southern Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marta Jussara Cremer

2009-06-01

Full Text Available http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/2175-7925.2009v22n3p247 Information about cetaceans in offshore Brazilian waters is scarce, and oil-rigs could provide an important opportunity to obtain new data. The present work was conducted on the P-XIV oil-rig (Petrobrás (26o46’02.2”S; 46o47’02.15”W, located on the border of the continental slope, in an area of 200m depth. In the period between July 2000 and August 2002, 75 sightings of cetaceans were recorded during 38 days of effort. Among the species identified, Tursiops truncatus was the most common, corresponding to 53.3% of the records. Among the misticets, only Balaenoptera acutorostrata was identified with accuracy, with 4 records (5.3%. These were the only species that approached and stayed close to the oil-rig. Many records were made at night, when the gas burner illuminated the area around the oil-rig. We recorded an aggressive interaction involving T. truncatus and B. acutorostrata.

Investment Analysis of Offshore Concessions in The Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

J.T.J. Smit (Han)

1997-01-01

textabstractDescribes the valuation of a complex capital project, the staged development of an oil field concession in the Netherlands. Stages of offshore petroleum development on the Dutch continental shelf; Asset valuation based on replication in financial markets; Major insights and conclusions.

III: Use of biomarkers as Risk Indicators in Environmental Risk Assessment of oil based discharges offshore.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanni, Steinar; Lyng, Emily; Pampanin, Daniela M

2017-06-01

Offshore oil and gas activities are required not to cause adverse environmental effects, and risk based management has been established to meet environmental standards. In some risk assessment schemes, Risk Indicators (RIs) are parameters to monitor the development of risk affecting factors. RIs have not yet been established in the Environmental Risk Assessment procedures for management of oil based discharges offshore. This paper evaluates the usefulness of biomarkers as RIs, based on their properties, existing laboratory biomarker data and assessment methods. Data shows several correlations between oil concentrations and biomarker responses, and assessment principles exist that qualify biomarkers for integration into risk procedures. Different ways that these existing biomarkers and methods can be applied as RIs in a probabilistic risk assessment system when linked with whole organism responses are discussed. This can be a useful approach to integrate biomarkers into probabilistic risk assessment related to oil based discharges, representing a potential supplement to information that biomarkers already provide about environmental impact and risk related to these kind of discharges. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Federal Offshore Statistics, 1993. Leasing, exploration, production, and revenue as of December 31, 1993

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Francois, D.K.

1994-12-31

This document contains statistical data on the following: federal offshore lands; offshore leasing activity and status; offshore development activity; offshore production of crude oil and natural gas; federal offshore oil and natural gas sales volume and royalties; revenue from federal offshore leases; disbursement of federal offshore revenue; reserves and resource estimates of offshore oil and natural gas; oil pollution in US and international waters; and international activities and marine minerals. A glossary is included.

Air emissions assessment from offshore oil activities in Sonda de Campeche, Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Schifter, I; González-Macías, C; Miranda, A; López-Salinas, E

2005-10-01

Air emission data from offshore oil platforms, gas and oil processing installations and contribution of marine activities at the Sonda de Campeche, located at the Gulf of Mexico, were compiled and integrated to facilitate the study of long range transport of pollutants into the region. From this important region, roughly 76% of the total Mexican oil and gas production is obtained. It was estimated that the total air emissions of all contaminants are approximately 821,000 tons per year. Hydrocarbons are the largest pollutant emissions with 277,590 tons per year, generated during flaring activities, and SOx in second place with 185,907 tons per year. Marine and aviation activities contribute with less than 2% of total emissions. Mass of pollutants emitted per barrel of petroleum produced calculated in this work, are in the range reported by similar oil companies.

Reforming Brazil's offshore oil and gas safety regulatory framework: Lessons from Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mendes, Pietro A.S.; Hall, Jeremy; Matos, Stelvia; Silvestre, Bruno

2014-01-01

We propose reforming the Brazilian regulatory safety framework (BRSF) for offshore oil and gas production and drilling operations. Brazil has emerged as a leading offshore producer with extensive proven reserves yet to be exploited. However, the BRSF has not been updated since 2007, and there are now major concerns about the industry's safety, particularly after the BP Deepwater Horizon accident, along with the technical challenges due to extreme conditions under which Brazil's resources are located. Drawing on experiences from three leading offshore oil and gas producers (Norway, the UK, and the US), we recommend the adoption of three best practices: the UK's ‘safety case’ approach (where operators are expected to provide convincing and valid arguments that a system is sufficiently safe for a given application in a specific environment), Norway's ‘barrier management’ (evidence that there are at least two tested and independent barriers to avoid accidents) and greater investment in safety research and development, as suggested by the US's National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling. We discuss implications for policy reform and how best practices can be applied within the Brazilian context. - Highlights: • Description of the Brazilian regulatory safety framework (BRSF). • Comparison between BRSF and regulatory frameworks of leading offshore oil and gas jurisdictions (Norway, UK and US). • Recommendations for BRSF to include the safety case, barrier management and increased investment in safety technology

Design features of offshore oil production platforms influence their susceptibility to biocorrosion.

Science.gov (United States)

Duncan, Kathleen E; Davidova, Irene A; Nunn, Heather S; Stamps, Blake W; Stevenson, Bradley S; Souquet, Pierre J; Suflita, Joseph M

2017-08-01

Offshore oil-producing platforms are designed for efficient and cost-effective separation of oil from water. However, design features and operating practices may create conditions that promote the proliferation and spread of biocorrosive microorganisms. The microbial communities and their potential for metal corrosion were characterized for three oil production platforms that varied in their oil-water separation processes, fluid recycling practices, and history of microbially influenced corrosion (MIC). Microbial diversity was evaluated by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and numbers of total bacteria, archaea, and sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) were estimated by qPCR. The rates of 35 S sulfate reduction assay (SRA) were measured as a proxy for metal biocorrosion potential. A variety of microorganisms common to oil production facilities were found, but distinct communities were associated with the design of the platform and varied with different locations in the processing stream. Stagnant, lower temperature (production platforms can be used to identify operational practices that inadvertently promote the proliferation, distribution, and activity of biocorrosive microorganisms.

Onshore and offshore geologic map of the Coal Oil Point area, southern California

Science.gov (United States)

Dartnell, Pete; Conrad, James E.; Stanley, Richard G.; Guy R. Cochrane, Guy R.

2011-01-01

Geologic maps that span the shoreline and include both onshore and offshore areas are potentially valuable tools that can lead to a more in depth understanding of coastal environments. Such maps can contribute to the understanding of shoreline change, geologic hazards, both offshore and along-shore sediment and pollutant transport. They are also useful in assessing geologic and biologic resources. Several intermediate-scale (1:100,000) geologic maps that include both onshore and offshore areas (herein called onshore-offshore geologic maps) have been produced of areas along the California coast (see Saucedo and others, 2003; Kennedy and others, 2007; Kennedy and Tan, 2008), but few large-scale (1:24,000) maps have been produced that can address local coastal issues. A cooperative project between Federal and State agencies and universities has produced an onshore-offshore geologic map at 1:24,000 scale of the Coal Oil Point area and part of the Santa Barbara Channel, southern California (fig. 1). As part of the project, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the California Geological Survey (CGS) hosted a workshop (May 2nd and 3rd, 2007) for producers and users of coastal map products (see list of participants) to develop a consensus on the content and format of onshore-offshore geologic maps (and accompanying GIS files) so that they have relevance for coastal-zone management. The USGS and CGS are working to develop coastal maps that combine geospatial information from offshore and onshore and serve as an important tool for addressing a broad range of coastal-zone management issues. The workshop was divided into sessions for presentations and discussion of bathymetry and topography, geology, and habitat products and needs of end users. During the workshop, participants reviewed existing maps and discussed their merits and shortcomings. This report addresses a number of items discussed in the workshop and details the onshore and offshore geologic map of the Coal Oil

Thermodynamic Performance Indicators for Offshore Oil and Gas Processing: Application to Four North Sea Facilities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Voldsund, Mari; Nguyen, Tuong-Van; Elmegaard, Brian

2014-01-01

Well-defined performance indicators can motivate optimal operation of offshore oil and gas platforms. We evaluate several thermodynamic performance indicators presented in the literature according to three criteria: Thermodynamic performance indicators should evaluate the use of technically...

A critique of the performance of EIA within the offshore oil and gas sector

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barker, Adam, E-mail: adam.barker@manchester.ac.uk; Jones, Carys, E-mail: carys.jones@manchester.ac.uk

2013-11-15

The oil and gas sector is a key driver of the offshore economy. Yet, it is also associated with a number of unwanted environmental impacts which potentially threaten the long term economic and environmental viability of marine ecosystems. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) can potentially make a significant contribution to the identification and management of adverse impacts through the promotion of evidence based decision making. However, the extent to which EIA has been embraced by key stakeholders is poorly understood. On this basis, this paper provides an initial evaluation of EIA performance within the oil and gas sector. The methodology adopted for the paper consisted of the structured review of 35 Environmental Statements (ESs) along with interviews with regulators, operators, consultants and advisory bodies. The findings reveal a mixed picture of EIA performance with a significant number of ESs falling short of satisfactory quality and a tendency for the process to be driven by compliance rather than best practice. -- Highlights: • Concerns identified relating to impacts of offshore oil and gas industry. • Research assesses performance of EIA in addressing impacts. • Findings highlight weak quality standards and procedural deficiencies. • Institutional reforms identified in order to improve practice.

Stochastic simulation of off-shore oil terminal systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frankel, E.G.; Oberle, J.

1991-01-01

To cope with the problem of uncertainty and conditionality in the planning, design, and operation of offshore oil transshipment terminal systems, a conditional stochastic simulation approach is presented. Examples are shown, using SLAM II, a computer simulation language based on GERT, a conditional stochastic network analysis methodology in which use of resources such as time and money are expressed by the moment generating function of the statistics of the resource requirements. Similarly each activity has an associated conditional probability of being performed and/or of requiring some of the resources. The terminal system is realistically represented by modelling the statistics of arrivals, loading and unloading times, uncertainties in costs and availabilities, etc

Environmental risk in the offshore industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woods, I.T.; Shirley, D.; Bottelberghs, P.H.

1991-01-01

The subject of oil pollution of the sea by the offshore industry is topical as a result of recent incidents both in the U.K. and overseas. While these incidents have primarily involved crude carriers, it has led to pressure to quantify the risk to the environment from the offshore industry in general. In this paper a method for the assessment of the frequency and size of oil spills from offshore installations is presented. It relies on previously reported spills to determine spill size/frequency information for a range of offshore activities, such as transport by pipeline, drilling and processing. Modification factors are used so local conditions, such as the number of wells drilled, throughput and well depth, can be considered in the assessment of the oil spill risk from a particular installation

Offshore oil and gas and coastal British Columbia : Aboriginal rights, title and interests

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Porter, D. [First Nations Summit, West Vancouver, BC (Canada)

2006-07-01

This presentation discussed the legal duty of offshore proponents in the oil and gas industry to consult with Aboriginal nations. The Crown court's support for Aboriginal title to ocean areas within proposed offshore regions was also discussed, and Aboriginal rights to manage ocean resources were outlined. Haida and Taku River Tlingit legal decisions have confirmed both a constitutional and fiduciary duty for the Crown to consult with Aboriginal nations who assert their rights or title to lands subject to development. Resource rights granted without meaningful consultation with Aboriginal nations can be challenged, which may result in legal and financial liability for resource companies. A consultative process that addresses ownership, capacity and benefit sharing must be developed so that Aboriginal governments can participate in the design and development of appropriate fiscal and regulatory regimes. The developed regime must consider benefit and revenue sharing, as well as the integration of traditional knowledge within western science for the lifetime of any project. All decision-making bodies must include participation from Aboriginal groups. Mechanisms must also be developed to mitigate the environmental and socio-economic consequences of resource development. Impact and benefit agreements must be negotiated with coastal nations. Dissatisfaction with the concept of consultation processes has led first nations to reconsider the role that they must play in ensuring that oil and gas developments in the coastal regions of British Columbia do not negatively impact on their communities. It was noted that Inuit land claims reserve special rights for the Inuit over 18,800 miles of tidal waters. Earlier attempts by Aboriginal societies to assert their right to control their own ocean resources free from governmental interference were also discussed. It was concluded that litigation of Aboriginal rights and title poses serious challenges to offshore oil and gas

Reserve Growth in Oil Fields of West Siberian Basin, Russia

Science.gov (United States)

Verma, Mahendra K.; Ulmishek, Gregory F.

2006-01-01

Although reserve (or field) growth has proven to be an important factor contributing to new reserves in mature petroleum basins, it is still a poorly understood phenomenon. Limited studies show that the magnitude of reserve growth is controlled by several major factors, including (1) the reserve booking and reporting requirements in each country, (2) improvements in reservoir characterization and simulation, (3) application of enhanced oil recovery techniques, and (4) the discovery of new and extensions of known pools in discovered fields. Various combinations of these factors can affect the estimates of proven reserves in particular fields and may dictate repeated estimations of reserves during a field's life. This study explores the reserve growth in the 42 largest oil fields in the West Siberian Basin, which contain about 55 percent of the basin's total oil reserves. The West Siberian Basin occupies a vast swampy plain between the Ural Mountains and the Yenisey River, and extends offshore into the Kara Sea; it is the richest petroleum province in Russia. About 600 oil and gas fields with original reserves of 144 billion barrels of oil (BBO) and more than 1,200 trillion cubic feet of gas (TCFG) have been discovered. The principal oil reserves and most of the oil fields are in the southern half of the basin, whereas the northern half contains mainly gas reserves. Sedimentary strata in the basin consist of Upper Triassic through Tertiary clastic rocks. Most oil is produced from Neocomian (Lower Cretaceous) marine to deltaic sandstone reservoirs, although substantial oil reserves are also in the marine Upper Jurassic and continental to paralic Lower to Middle Jurassic sequences. The majority of oil fields are in structural traps, which are gentle, platform-type anticlines with closures ranging from several tens of meters to as much as 150 meters (490 feet). Fields producing from stratigraphic traps are generally smaller except for the giant Talin field which

Cost/benefit of programmes offshore

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skoeld, V.

1993-01-01

The article deals with an offshore environmental research project in Norway. The three-year project study focused on the emissions to air and discharges to sea related to offshore oil and gas production on the Norwegian continental shelf, and evaluated the technology and associated costs for potential reductions. The progress being made by the petroleum industry show 75% reduction in oil discharged to sea since 1984 from 3900 to the present level of 1000 tonns, 50% improvement in average gas power generation efficiency since 1975, gas flaring maintained at constant level for the last 20 years, and CO 2 emissions from offshore field installations kept at the same level during the last three years. As part of its national commitment to reducing emissions, Norway has set the following future environmental guidelines: Stabilize CO 2 emissions at the 1989 level by the year 2000 (35m t/y), stabilize NO x emissions at the 1987 level and further reduce these by 30% from 1986 to 1998 (Sofia Convention 1989), reduce the annual VOC (Voilatile Organic Compounds) emissions south of the 62 parallel by 30% by 1999 based on the 1989 levels, and reduce the use of halon by 90% from 1986 to 1995. 3 figs

Drilling in troubled waters. For an international regulation on offshore gas and oil activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rochette, Julien

2014-01-01

Due to an increased energy demand, offshore activities are being extended to deep and ultra-deep waters: nearly one third of consumed oil and one quarter of consumed gas come from offshore drilling. This development threatens the environment and natural resources, and may have an impact on human activities which depend on the concerned ecosystems. As some accident had cross-border consequences, the relevance of the international regulatory framework is put into question again. This article first outlines the incomplete character of the legal framework for the safety of offshore activities: uncoordinated national systems, lack of an international convention, fragmented regional initiatives (some agreements exist for some specific regions: Arctic Sea, Baltic Sea, Mediterranean Sea, North-Eastern Atlantic, Persic Gulf and Oman Sea, Africa, western Indian Ocean). The author outlines that there is no international rules regarding responsibility and compensations. While highlighting the risks of a status-quo on these different issues, the author proposes and discusses a set of recommendations aimed at strengthening the regulation of offshore drilling activities

Task Force on oil spill preparedness: Offshore implementation progress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Devenis, P.K.

1992-01-01

Industry members of the Canadian Petroleum Association (CPA) and the Independent Petroleum Association of Canada (IPAC) undertook a review of oil spill preparedness and response capabilities in 1989. The resulting report summarized the current state of readiness, focusing on oil spills resulting from exploration and production activities in Canada. The report recommended expenditures in research and development, equipment acquisition, and training to prevent and control offshore and onshore oil spills more effectively. The release of an implementation plan for the Task Force on Oil Spill Preparedness (TFOSP) in 1990 provided the impetus for a 5-year plan to improve this state of preparedness. The plan outlined the mechanisms for implementing the 45 recommendations developed by TFOSP. It also recommended how to incorporate them into the daily business activities of the CPA member companies. It identified the appropriate groups within industry to carry out the implementation of each recommendation. It also indicated the government interfaces, the implementation schedule, and cost estimates for putting each recommendation into place. It also recommended a vigorous monitoring program to follow and report on the status of implementation. Based on the TFOSP implementation plan recommendations, work plans were developed, specific work projects identified, and a budget approved for 1991 programs. The first year of implementation of recommendations is now complete and work plans have been developed for continuation in 1992. 2 refs

The economic impact of proposed regulations on the discharge of drilling muds and cuttings from the offshore facilities on US undiscovered crude oil reserves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-01-01

This paper presents the results of an assessment of the potential economic impact of proposed regulations. on the discharge of drilling fluids (muds) and cuttings on US offshore undiscovered crude oil resources. These regulations include proposed Best Available Technology economically achievable (BAT) and New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) effluent limitations under the Clean Water Act governing the discharge of drilling fluids and drill cuttings from offshore oil and gas drilling operations. The impact of the proposed RAT/NSPS regulations for the drilling fluids and drill cuttings disposal on the cost of funding, developing, and producing Lower-48 offshore undiscovered crude oil resources will depend significantly on operators perceptions on the chances of failing toxicity or static sheen tests. If operators, in economically justifying their projects, assume that the fluids fail one of these tests, thereby prohibiting them from being discharged, up to 11% of the economically recoverable offshore resource would be considered uneconomic to produce. This would amount to 845 million barrels of oil at an oil price around $25 per barrel. On the other hand, if operators are willing co take their chances and see if their fluids fail one of these tests, then, based on EPA's assumptions concerning forecast fluid use and static sheen and toxicity test failure rates, up to 4% of the offshore undiscovered resource would be impacted, amounting to lost reserves of up to 270 million barrels

Energy Efficient Pump Control for an Offshore Oil Processing System

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yang, Zhenyu; Soleiman, Kian; Løhndorf, Bo

2012-01-01

The energy efficient control of a pump system for an offshore oil processing system is investigated. The seawater is lifted up by a pump system which consists of three identical centrifugal pumps in parallel, and the lifted seawater is used to cool down the crude oil flowing out of a threephase...... separator on one of the Danish north-sea platform. A hierarchical pump-speed control strategy is developed for the considered system by minimizing the pump power consumption subject to keeping a satisfactory system performance. The proposed control strategy consists of online estimation of some system...... operating parameters, optimization of pump configurations, and a real-time feedback control. Comparing with the current control strategy at the considered system, where the pump system is on/off controlled, and the seawater flows are controlled by a number of control valves, the proposed control strategy...

Sediment porewater toxicity assessment studies in the vicinity of offshore oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carr, R. S.; Chapman, D. C.; Presley, B. J.; Biedenbach, J. M.; Robertson, L.

1996-01-01

Sediment chemical analyses and porewater toxicity tests were conducted in the vicinity of five offshore oil and gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico to determine the potential long-term environmental impacts of offshore oil and gas exploration and production. Evidence of toxicity was obtained from four of the five platforms from data on sea urchin fertilization and embryonic development. The majority of toxic samples were collected within 150 m of the platform. Sediment concentrations of several metals were well in excess of sediment quality assessment guidelines at a number of stations. Porewater metal concentrations were found to be high enough to account for the observed toxicity. The general conclusion reached from these toxicity tests was that the contaminant-induced impacts from the offshore platforms were confined to a limited area in the immediate vicinity of the platform. 23 refs., 8 tabs., 2 figs

Getting the oil to the shore

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Menin, J.A.; Meuter, P.

2006-03-15

Conveying highly corrosive fluids - hot water dissolved in salt and sulfide - is just one aspect of getting oil from the field to the shore. Brazilian oil company Petrobras had a requirement for high pressure pumps that could handle high viscosity fluids at its Campos off-shore oil field and be easily maintained. Joao Alberto Menin, Paul Meuter explains how Sulzer Pumps rose to the challenge. (author)

A new submarine oil-water separation system

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Wen-Bin; Liu, Bo-Hong

2017-12-01

In order to solve the oil field losses of environmental problems and economic benefit caused by the separation of lifting production liquid to offshore platforms in the current offshore oil production, from the most basic separation principle, a new oil-water separation system has been processed of adsorption and desorption on related materials, achieving high efficiency and separation of oil and water phases. And the submarine oil-water separation device has been designed. The main structure of the device consists of gas-solid phase separation device, period separating device and adsorption device that completed high efficiency separation of oil, gas and water under the adsorption and desorption principle, and the processing capacity of the device is calculated.

Reliability-Based Planning of Inspection, Operation and Maintenance for Offshore Oil & Gas Structures and Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

2011-01-01

Reliability-based cost-optimal planning of inspection, maintenance and operation has many applications. In this paper applications for planning of inspections for oil & gas jacket structures and of operation and maintenance of offshore wind turbines are described and illustrated by examples....

Cleaning the Produced Water in Offshore Oil Production by Using Plant-wide Optimal Control Strategy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yang, Zhenyu; Pedersen, Simon; Løhndorf, Petar Durdevic

2014-01-01

To clean the produced water is always a challenging critical issue in the offshore oil & gas industry. By employing the plant-wide control technology, this paper discussed the opportunity to optimize the most popular hydrocyclone-based Produced Water Treatment (PWT) system. The optimizations of t...... of this research is to promote a technical breakthrough in the PWT control design, which can lead to the best environmental protection in the oil & gas production, without sacrificing the production capability and production costs....

Plant-Wide Anti-Slug Control for Offshore Oil and Gas Processes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Simon

In offshore Oil & Gas production processes the undesired severe slug flow regime can be present. The negative impact of severe slug is crucial to the production rate and process safety. In this work, the severe slugs which occur in the well-pipeline-riser system are experimentally and theoretically...... better than the ones developed for Pt . Furthermore, an alternative transmitter is experimentally investigated for online slug detection and monitoring. The transmitter is an Electrical Resistance Tomography (ERT) sensor measuring the electrical resistance over the cross-area section...

Personal, place, and time characteristics of offshore accidents in five oil companies operating in Indonesia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rahardjo; Sudjoko; Sebayang

1991-01-01

This study is to determine personal, place and time characteristics of offshore accidents during the year of 1987, 1988 and 1989 of five oil companies operating in Indonesia. Age, length of service, employment status, job characteristics, work cycles, work schedules, marital status, citizenship, disability, anatomy and nature of accident

Operational Performance of Offshore De-oiling Hydrocyclone Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Løhndorf, Petar Durdevic; Pedersen, Simon; Yang, Zhenyu

2017-01-01

Maturing Oil & Gas reservoirs in the North Sea result in constant increases of water-cut, which correspondingly poses an increasing strain on the current offshore Produced Water Treatment (PWT) facilities. As one of the key elements of the PWT facilities, the hydrocyclone systems, are responsible...... for removing the remaining hydrocarbon content in the produced water before the treated water can be discharged, disposed, or reused as injection water. The hydrocyclone's performance heavily correlates with a number of system's and operational parameters, as well as dedicated control strategies. However......, these correlations haven't yet been clearly explored from a control oriented point of view, due to the complex separation dynamics inside the cyclone systems. This work investigates and evaluates the hydrocyclone system's operational performance with respect to the most commonly used control paradigm, Pressure Drop...

Who greens the waves? Changing authority in the environmental governance of shipping and offshore oil and gas production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Leeuwen, J.

2010-01-01

The marine environment is under serious pressure from human activities. The transboundary and large-scale nature of these threats require cooperation between states, and between states, industries and NGOs. Marine governance therefore becomes a breeding ground for innovation: multi-level and multi-actor governance and changing spheres of authority. This book applies the concept 'spheres of authority' to investigate the nature of these innovations in governing shipping and offshore oil and gas production. In the environmental governance of shipping, authority is shifting from states that own ships to states that own ports. The environmental governance of offshore oil and gas production shows a shared authority for developing and implementing policies between state and industry, but not a diminishing authority of the state.

Oil companies make cutbacks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dupin, Ludovic

2014-01-01

As oil prices are falling, the oil sector faces company restructuring, merger projects, closure of oil fields, and so on. Restructuring is motivated by the costs of offshore exploration and oil production projects. Saudi Arabia tries to fight the emergence of shale gases by reducing oil prices, and somehow succeeds as some projects in the USA are put into question again. Experts perceive this situation as an opportunity for the sector to improve its efficiency and reduce over-staffing

Environmental implications of offshore oil and gas development in Australia. The finding of an independent scientific review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Swan, J.M.; Neff, J.M.; Young, P.C.

1994-01-01

It is widely recognised that uncontrolled discharge of petroleum products or other materials from offshore oil and gas exploration and production wells, and from associated industrial operations including treatment and service facilities that are required to be on or near the coast, can have direct and sometimes deleterious impacts on the marine environment. In mid-1992, the Australian Petroleum Exploration Association (APEA) commissioned five scientific reviews to examine the environmental implications of offshore petroleum developments in Australia. The reviews, carried out by an Independent Scientific Review Committee on behalf of the Australian Petroleum Exploration Association (APEA) and the Energy Research and Development Corporation (ERDC) deal with: (1) the preliminary geophysical exploration of the sea bed and underlying strata using seismic surveys, and especially the effects of bursts of underwater sound energy on biological communities; (2) the drilling of offshore wells, especially the disposal of drilling fluids and drill cuttings; (3) the production of oil and gas from proven wells, especially the disposal of large quantities of produced formation water (fossil water); (4) the construction and operation of coastal support facilities and associated activities which might have consequences for marine habitats; (5) oil spills associated with any of the above operations and especially the likely short- and long-term effects of an accidental oil spill on marine biota and on the aesthetic and commercial values of an impacted coastline. Comments on the findings are preceded by a brief summary of background information, relevant technologies and the main implications for the marine environment. Some suggestions are provided for possible future research, monitoring and environmental management. refs., figs., tabs

Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board : annual report 1998/1999

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-01-01

Financial information from the Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board and a review of their operations was presented. The Board manages the petroleum resources in the Newfoundland Offshore area on behalf of the Canadian Government and the Newfoundland and Labrador Government. The Board ensures that resource development is conducted in accordance with good oilfield practice to optimize recovery and avoid waste. Energy resource activities were summarized. A total of nine offshore seismic surveys were completed during the summer of 1998, the largest acquisition of seismic data in any one year. The surveys recorded 76,000 km of 2-D and 3-D seismic data. The drilling and production activities of the Hibernia field were also reviewed. 24 million bbls of oil were produced from the platform during the 1998 calendar year. The Terra Nova project continues to progress for a first oil target date of late 2000. This report presented an operations review, exploration activity, and consolidated financial statements. Revenue and expenditure statements were summarized by source. tabs., figs

The Role of Well Control Training in Developing Safe Onshore and Offshore Oil Drilling Operations

Science.gov (United States)

Abulhassn, Aber

2016-01-01

This research investigates the role of the International Well Control Forum (IWCF) Rotary Drilling Well Control Training Program in developing safe oil drilling operations from the perspective of onshore and offshore drilling crews. The research methodology is a qualitative case study. A total of 40 IWCF candidates were interviewed, with 10 from…

A new methodology for minimizing investment in the development of offshore fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia-Diaz, J.C.; Startzman, R.; Hogg, G.L.

1996-01-01

The development of an offshore field is often a long, complex, and extremely expensive undertaking. The enormous amount of capital required for making investments of this type motivates one to try to optimize the development of a field. This paper provides an efficient computational method to minimize the initial investment in the development of a field. The problem of minimizing the investment in an offshore field is defined here as the problem of locating a number of offshore facilities and wells and allocating these wells to the facilities at minimum cost. Side constraints include restrictions on the total number of facilities of every type and design and various technology constraints. This problem is modeled as a 0/1 integer program. The solution method is based on an implicit enumeration scheme using efficient mathematical tools, such as Lagrangian relaxation and heuristics, to calculate good bounds and, consequently, to reduce the computation time. The solution method was implemented and tested on some typical field-development cases. Execution times were remarkably small for the size and complexity of the examples. Computational results indicate that the new methodology outperforms existing methods both in execution time and in memory required

Advances in operations research in the oil and gas industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Breton, M.; Zaccour, G.

1991-01-01

Various theories and examples of modelling, forecasting and optimization designing in the different parts of the petroleum and gas industries are presented, stochastic programming for long term planning in the refining industry, stochastic model for gasoline blending, feedstock optimization, location and sizing for offshore platforms, hydrocarbon exploration simulation rapid method, valuation of oil field development leases, economic models for petroleum allocation, models for oil supply market, trade embargo game theory, stochastic programming of gas contract portfolio management, scheduling transportation of oil and gas, strategic planning in an oil pipeline company, simulation of offshore oil terminal systems, hierarchical selection of oil and gas distribution systems

Hydrogeochemical modelling of seawater injection into offshore oil fields; Modellierung hydrogeochemischer Prozesse bei der Injektion von Meerwasser in Offshore-Oellagerstaetten

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fu, Yunjiao; Berk, Wolfgang van [Technische Univ. Clausthal, Clausthal-Zellerfeld (Germany). Abt. Hydrogeologie; Schulz, Hans-Martin [Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam - Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum (GFZ), Potsdam (Germany). Sek. 4.3 - Organische Geochemie

2013-01-15

Sea water is injected into offshore oilfields and coastal-near onshore fields to maintain pressure for secondary recovery. Due to compositional differences of sea water and formation water, hydrogeochemical processes are initiated. Such processes develop from the injection well along the migration path through the reservoir, and reach the production well. Ultimately, the mixing ratio of the two water types controls processes such as precipitation of minerals or dissolution of minerals from the reservoir rock. Here, we are introducing mass balance models based on chemical thermodynamics as a hydrogeochemical tool to qualitatively and quantitatively retrace such processes. It is the aim to demonstrate how mixing of sea and formation water controls type and amount of scaling and mineral dissolution, exemplarily in the UK Miller oilfield (North Sea). The presented approach and the results shall highlight the applicability of hydrogeochemical mass balance models in order to predict scale-forming processes. Finally, an outlook is presented about predictive hydrogeochemical 1D- and 3D-transport models in development. (orig.)

Application of natural antimicrobial compounds for reservoir souring and MIC prevention in offshore oil and gas production systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thomsen, Mette Hedegaard; Skovhus, Torben Lund; Mashietti, Marco

Offshore oil production facilities are subjectable to internal corrosion, potentially leading to human and environmental risk and significant economic losses. Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) and reservoir souring - sulphide production by sulfate reducing microorganisms in the reservo...

Exergy destruction and losses on four North Sea offshore platforms: A comparative study of the oil and gas processing plants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Voldsund, Mari; Nguyen, Tuong-Van; Elmegaard, Brian

2014-01-01

The oil and gas processing plants of four North Sea offshore platforms are analysed and compared, based on the exergy analysis method. Sources of exergy destruction and losses are identified and the findings for the different platforms are compared. Different platforms have different working...... conditions, which implies that some platforms need less heat and power than others. Reservoir properties and composition vary over the lifetime of an oil field, and therefore maintaining a high efficiency of the processing plant is challenging. The results of the analysis show that 27%-57% of the exergy...... destruction take place in the gas treatment sections, 13%-29% take place in the gas recompression sections and 10%-24% occur in the production manifolds. The exergy losses with flared gas are significant for two of the platforms. The exact potential for energy savings and for enhancing system performances...

Labour market assessment of the offshore oil and gas industry supply and service sector in Newfoundland and Labrador

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-09-01

The Petroleum Industry Human Resource Committee (PIHRC) commissioned this study in December 2002 to develop a profile of the labour demand and supply for the upstream production phase of the offshore oil and gas industry. Interviews with representatives from more than 45 countries in the offshore oil and gas sector in Newfoundland and Labrador were conducted. In addition, the results of a mail survey forwarded to an additional 42 companies were included along with a review of secondary labour market research. More than 340 positions were identified in the production phase in the study. Of these, approximately 80 were identified as difficult to recruit for a variety of reasons including: insufficient experience in the oil industry; occupational shortages; short-term or project employment opportunities; very limited employment opportunities and limited occupational supply; lack of specific occupational training programs; and additional projects possibly leading to occupational shortages. The study provided valuable input concerning future labour market and human resource planning and career counselling on the 340 positions previously identified. 10 tabs

Labour market assessment of the offshore oil and gas industry supply and service sector in Newfoundland and Labrador

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2003-09-01

The Petroleum Industry Human Resource Committee (PIHRC) commissioned this study in December 2002 to develop a profile of the labour demand and supply for the upstream production phase of the offshore oil and gas industry. Interviews with representatives from more than 45 countries in the offshore oil and gas sector in Newfoundland and Labrador were conducted. In addition, the results of a mail survey forwarded to an additional 42 companies were included along with a review of secondary labour market research. More than 340 positions were identified in the production phase in the study. Of these, approximately 80 were identified as difficult to recruit for a variety of reasons including: insufficient experience in the oil industry; occupational shortages; short-term or project employment opportunities; very limited employment opportunities and limited occupational supply; lack of specific occupational training programs; and additional projects possibly leading to occupational shortages. The study provided valuable input concerning future labour market and human resource planning and career counselling on the 340 positions previously identified. 10 tabs.

New oil and gas discoveries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alazard-Toux, N.

2004-01-01

During the period 1999-2003, new oil and gas fields generated additional reserves of nearly 11 000 bcm of natural gas and 62 Gbbl of oil and condensates, volumes very much superior to those discovered in the five previous years. Two-thirds of these discoveries were located offshore, half in deep water. (author)

Emergency response in the Newfoundland offshore industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dempsey, J. [Cormorant Ltd., St. John' s, NL (Canada)

2006-07-01

This presentation reviewed current offshore oil activities with respect to safety issues regarding year-round marine operations in a harsh environment. Considerable logistics support is required for all offshore activities, including seismic and geotechnical surveys; exploration and production drilling; well testing; subsea construction; on-site production; and, delivery to market. Response to an offshore emergency must address the urgency of the incident along with stakeholder concerns. This presentation described the different types of emergencies and addressed issues regarding contingency planning; preventative measures; response philosophy; response scope; response at site; emergency management; communications links; and, oil spill response. The following current operations were highlighted: ExxonMobil's production drilling from the gravity-based concrete platform at Hibernia; Petro-Canada's production drilling at the Terra Nova FPSO; Husky Energy's production drilling at White Rose; and Chevron Canada's exploration drilling at the Orphan Basin. It was noted that in an emergency situation, the focus is on the welfare of offshore personnel. On an average day, the total offshore population is in the order of 1000 workers, all registered in the Personnel Logistics System which is updated with the departure of every helicopter from St. John's, Newfoundland or from the offshore platform. It is possible to prepare for foreseeable emergency incidents such as fire, explosion or gas leaks; spills to the marine environment; structural damage or collisions; persons lost at sea; helicopter or support vessel accidents; vessel sinking; sabotage; serious injuries or loss of life; severe ice events; and, loss of well control. The establishment of permanent safety zones at the Hibernia, White Rose and Terra Nova production fields are among the preventative measures, along with standby vessels that provide a rescue service for offshore installations

Emergency response in the Newfoundland offshore industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dempsey, J.

2006-01-01

This presentation reviewed current offshore oil activities with respect to safety issues regarding year-round marine operations in a harsh environment. Considerable logistics support is required for all offshore activities, including seismic and geotechnical surveys; exploration and production drilling; well testing; subsea construction; on-site production; and, delivery to market. Response to an offshore emergency must address the urgency of the incident along with stakeholder concerns. This presentation described the different types of emergencies and addressed issues regarding contingency planning; preventative measures; response philosophy; response scope; response at site; emergency management; communications links; and, oil spill response. The following current operations were highlighted: ExxonMobil's production drilling from the gravity-based concrete platform at Hibernia; Petro-Canada's production drilling at the Terra Nova FPSO; Husky Energy's production drilling at White Rose; and Chevron Canada's exploration drilling at the Orphan Basin. It was noted that in an emergency situation, the focus is on the welfare of offshore personnel. On an average day, the total offshore population is in the order of 1000 workers, all registered in the Personnel Logistics System which is updated with the departure of every helicopter from St. John's, Newfoundland or from the offshore platform. It is possible to prepare for foreseeable emergency incidents such as fire, explosion or gas leaks; spills to the marine environment; structural damage or collisions; persons lost at sea; helicopter or support vessel accidents; vessel sinking; sabotage; serious injuries or loss of life; severe ice events; and, loss of well control. The establishment of permanent safety zones at the Hibernia, White Rose and Terra Nova production fields are among the preventative measures, along with standby vessels that provide a rescue service for offshore installations. Supply vessels are also

Ecological and political issues surrounding decommissioning of offshore oil facilities in the Southern California Bight

Science.gov (United States)

Schroeder, Donna M.; Love, Milton S.

2004-01-01

To aid legislators, resource managers, and the general public, this paper summarizes and clarifies some of the issues and options that the federal government and the state of California face in decommissioning offshore oil and gas production platforms, particularly as these relate to platform ecology. Both local marine ecology and political climate play a role in decommissioning offshore oil production platforms. Compared to the relatively supportive political climate in the Gulf of Mexico for “rigs-to-reefs” programs, conflicting social values among stakeholders in Southern California increases the need for understanding ecological impacts of various decommissioning alternatives (which range from total removal to allowing some or all of platform structure to remain in the ocean). Additional scientific needs in the decommissioning process include further assessment of platform habitat quality, estimation of regional impacts of decommissioning alternatives to marine populations, and determination of biological effects of any residual contaminants. The principal management need is a ranking of environmental priorities (e.g. species-of-interest and marine habitats). Because considerable numbers of economically important species reside near oil platforms, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries should consider the consequences of decommissioning alternatives in their overall management plans. Management strategies could include designating reefed platforms as marine protected areas. The overarching conclusion from both ecological and political perspectives is that decommissioning decisions should be made on a case-by-case basis.

Offshore industry executives meet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burns, R.F.

1993-01-01

The future of the Gulf of Mexico is tied to the overall future of oil/gas on the international market as it relates to the US. Conquering this last frontier, possibly only through development of technology, was one of the themes covered in the 21st Annual Meeting of the National Ocean Industries Association held in early April, 1993 in Washington, D.C. Oil is the major source for foreign exchange but there are major uncertainties in predicting the future. The swing (imports vs. exports) is two million barrels per day. The big oil users (heavy industry) have reduced consumption. The last big uncertainty is the environmental policies of the West. Development of resources in the Gulf was the third record year in a row in 1992. The potential for hydrocarbon discoveries is significant, a substantial number of new fields have been made and significant discoveries are likely to continue. More than 100 trillion cubic feet of natural gas lies undiscovered offshore - 35% of undiscovered domestic resources. The oil potential exceeds nine billion barrels, more than any other basin except Alaska

Oil spill response in the marine environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doerffer, J.W.

1992-01-01

The rapid economic development of many countries since World War II has caused a considerable increase in marine transportation of raw materials, especially of crude oils and in offshore activities. However, a significant amount of oil comes into the sea from operational discharges of ships (ballast and bilge water) as well as from incidents such as collisions, groundings and contacts, and offshore exploration and exploitation of oil and gas. These incidents have been the pivotal points in the approach of maritime nations to the protection of the marine environment through international legislation and implementation of rigorous requirements concerning the construction and exploitation of ships and offshore platforms, limiting the possibility and extent of oil spills. A new danger for marine environments has ensued recently though the increasing maritime transport of chemicals. The aim of this book is to introduce these problems, and reflect the level and trends of development in this field. (Author)

Dynamic performance of power generation systems for off-shore oil and gas platforms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pierobon, Leonardo; Breuhaus, Peter; Haglind, Fredrik

2014-01-01

%) arises on the prediction of the rotational speed of the high pressure shaft, while the largest deviation (average relative error ~20%) occurs in the evaluation of the pressure at the outlet of the low pressure turbine. As waste heat recovery units (e.g. organic Rankine cycles) are likely...... to be implemented in future off-shore platforms, the proposed model may serve in the design phase for a preliminary assessment of the dynamic response of the power generation system and to evaluate if requirements such as minimum and maximum frequency during transient operation and the recovery time are satisfied......On off-shore oil and gas platforms two or more gas turbines typically support the electrical demand on site by operating as a stand-alone (island) power system. As reliability and availability are major concerns during operation, the dynamic performance of the power generation system becomes...

Study and application of weak gel used for an offshore oilfield

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tang, X.; Liu, Y.; Bai, B.; Liu, G.; Jiang, R. [Petro-China Research Inst. of Petroleum Exploration and Development, Beijing (China); Xiang, W. [China Offshore Oil Research Center of China National Offshore Oil Co. (China)

2005-07-01

This paper described the profile modification technique which has been used successfully in China's oil fields on land and which has become one of the key techniques to improve the development of mature fields with high heterogeneity and high water cut. One such reservoir is SZ361, an offshore oilfield characterized by thick oil layers, high permeability contrast, high oil viscosity and high water salinity. All injection wells were completed by liner gravel-packing. Water cut of some production wells is above 90 per cent. A large volume of weak gel treatment was proposed to control water conformance. A new weak gel was developed to address the specific features of offshore oil fields, such as small space of platform and high salinity of injection water. The gel properties were presented along with an evaluation of the salinity and temperature on the thermal stability of the gel. The plugging efficiency of the gel was carried out on different permeability cores. Results show that the selected polymer and cross-linkers can be well dispersed and solved within 30 minutes when mixing with sea water or produced water. The gelation time can be controlled by adjusting the gel composition. The novel gel can be applied in the reservoirs with a temperature range of 30-70 degrees C and salinity below 40,000 mg/l. The gel was tested in one injection well and proved to be economically efficient. 7 refs., 3 tabs., 8 figs.

Comments on new technical and economic data available for EPA's proposed offshore oil and gas discharge guidelines and standards

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to provide comments on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Notice in the Federal Register entitled, ''Oil and Gas Extraction Point Source Category, Offshore Subcategory; Effluent Limitations Guidelines and New Source Performance Standards; New Information and Request or Comments'' (53 FR 41356; October 21, 1988). This Notice announces the availability of new technical, economic and environmental assessment information relating to the development of Best Available Technology economically achievable (BAT and New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) regulations under the Clean Water Act governing the discharge of drilling fluids (muds) and drill cuttings from offshore oil and gas facilities. The Notice is part of a rulemaking process which formally began with the initial release of rules in August 1985 and which incorporates numerous comments and additional data received subsequent to the release of the 1985 rules. The comments in this paper will concentrate on the following five issues: Estimated project impacts are misrepresented by assuming weighted-average incremental costs of regulation. Economic impacts are inaccurate, since annual compliance costs will likely affect the number of wells drilled, by the effect of compliance costs on project economics and the reduction in industry cash flows on capital available for drilling. Initial well productivity assumptions for various scenarios do not vary with field size. The assumed lease costs, which are based on historical data, do not accurately reflect the future value of leases. The experimental decline rates assumed for the Pacific are too high

Operational management of offshore energy assets

Science.gov (United States)

Kolios, A. J.; Martinez Luengo, M.

2016-02-01

Energy assets and especially those deployed offshore are subject to a variety of harsh operational and environmental conditions which lead to deterioration of their performance and structural capacity over time. The aim of reduction of CAPEX in new installations shifts focus to operational management to monitor and assess performance of critical assets ensuring their fitness for service throughout their service life and also to provide appropriate and effective information towards requalification or other end of life scenarios, optimizing the OPEX. Over the last decades, the offshore oil & gas industry has developed and applied various approaches in operational management of assets through Structural Health and Condition Monitoring (SHM/CM) systems which can be, at a certain level, transferable to offshore renewable installations. This paper aims to highlight the key differences between offshore oil & gas and renewable energy assets from a structural integrity and reliability perspective, provide a comprehensive overview of different approaches that are available and applicable, and distinguish the benefits of such systems in the efficient operation of offshore energy assets.

Hearing protector fit testing with off-shore oil-rig inspectors in Louisiana and Texas.

Science.gov (United States)

Murphy, William J; Themann, Christa L; Murata, Taichi K

2016-11-01

This field study aimed to assess the noise reduction of hearing protection for individual workers, demonstrate the effectiveness of training on the level of protection achieved, and measure the time required to implement hearing protector fit testing in the workplace. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducted field studies in Louisiana and Texas to test the performance of HPD Well-Fit. Fit tests were performed on 126 inspectors and engineers working in the offshore oil industry. Workers were fit tested with the goal of achieving a 25-dB PAR. Less than half of the workers were achieving sufficient protection from their hearing protectors prior to NIOSH intervention and training; following re-fitting and re-training, over 85% of the workers achieved sufficient protection. Typical test times were 6-12 minutes. Fit testing of the workers' earplugs identified those workers who were and were not achieving the desired level of protection. Recommendations for other hearing protection solutions were made for workers who could not achieve the target PAR. The study demonstrates the need for individual hearing protector fit testing and addresses some of the barriers to implementation.

Dynamic Analysis of Offshore Oil Pipe Installation Using the Absolute Nodal Coordinate Formulation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Jimmy D; Madsen, Søren B; Hyldahl, Per Christian

2013-01-01

The Absolute Nodal Coordinate Formulation (ANCF) has shown promising results in dynamic analysis of structures that undergo large deformation. The method relaxes the assumption of infinitesimal rotations. Being based in a fixed inertial reference frame leads to a constant mass matrix and zero......, are included to mimic the external forces acting on the pipe during installation. The scope of this investigation is to demonstrate the ability using the ANCF to analyze the dynamic behavior of an offshore oil pipe during installation...

Offshore risk assessment

CERN Document Server

Vinnem, Jan-Erik

2014-01-01

  Offshore Risk Assessment was the first book to deal with quantified risk assessment (QRA) as applied specifically to offshore installations and operations. Risk assessment techniques have been used for more than three decades in the offshore oil and gas industry, and their use is set to expand increasingly as the industry moves into new areas and faces new challenges in older regions.   This updated and expanded third edition has been informed by a major R&D program on offshore risk assessment in Norway and summarizes research from 2006 to the present day. Rooted with a thorough discussion of risk metrics and risk analysis methodology,  subsequent chapters are devoted to analytical approaches to escalation, escape, evacuation and rescue analysis of safety and emergency systems.   Separate chapters analyze the main hazards of offshore structures: fire, explosion, collision, and falling objects as well as structural and marine hazards. Risk mitigation and control are discussed, as well as an illustrat...

Environmental Regulation of Offshore (E&P Waste Management in Nigeria: How Effective?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anwuli Irene Ofuani

2011-09-01

Full Text Available The advancement of technology has led to the rapid development of the offshore oil and gas industry and a corresponding increase in the amount of wastes generated from the industry. These wastes must be properly managed so as to curtail their potential to negatively affect human health and the environment. As a result, environmental regulation of offshore oil and gas operations is becoming more stringent worldwide. The Environmental Guidelines and Standards for the Petroleum Industry in Nigeria (EGASPIN were issued to ensure that oil and gas industry operators do not degrade the environment in the course of their operations in Nigeria. Nonetheless, more attention has been focused on the economic aspects of offshore oil and gas industry rather than environmental aspects such as waste management. This article examines the legal aspects of offshore oil and gas waste management in Nigeria. It assesses the effectiveness of the mechanisms for the management of offshore E&P wastes in Nigeria as provided under EGASPIN in relation to other jurisdictions.

Economics of petroleum exploration offshore Australia and Southeast Asia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allinson, G.; Elliston, M.

1994-01-01

The aim of this paper is to assess the economic attractiveness of exploring for crude oil offshore the North West Shelf of Australia by comparison with selected areas offshore Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines. In order to do this, the technical, quantifiable factors which affect offshore petroleum exploration acreage acquisition decisions at the country level are examined. These factors are historical prospectivity, costs of field development and fiscal regime. Other factors such as political, macro-economic and business risks are not considered. The paper concludes that there are significant differences between the countries as indicated by these measures. Past exploration in the Barrow/Dampier area of the North West Shelf of Australia has shown high levels of success by comparison with the other countries. It is estimated that this relatively high success rate coupled with comparatively low costs of field development and lenient fiscal regimes makes the economics of exploration on the North West Shelf favourable by comparison with those selected areas in the other countries considered. 5 tabs., 4 figs

Rarefaction Shock Wave Cutter for Offshore Oil-Gas Platform Removal Final Report CRADA No. TC02009.0

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Glenn, L. A. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Barker, J. [Halliburton Energy Services, Alvarado, TX (United States)

2017-09-06

This was a collaborative effort between Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC/Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) (formerly the University of California) and Jet Research Center, a wholly owned division of Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. to design and prototype an improved explosive cutter for cutting the support legs of offshore oil and gas platforms.

South America: Brazil leads the way in offshore drilling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1975-08-15

Brazil has found more than 600 million barrels of oil in the Campos basin and made other strikes to the north, offshore Sergipe, Alagoas, and Rio Grande do Norte states. Argentina's government recently gave the state oil company (YPF) permission to prospect in the Falkland Islands area about 200 miles east of Argentina's southern tip. YPF also is expected to accelerate work offshore Tierra del Fuego next year. The nationalization of petroleum in Venezuela is discussed. Drilling activity has slowed to 67 percent of the level of 1974. The goal for 1975 is about 875 million barrels. Chile has revised its oil law to permit foreign companies to explore, develop and produce the country's resources via contracts. Despite spotty successes, Peru has not given up on the northeastern jungle area, just south of Ecuador's fields. Occidental Petroleum and Petroperu have been the only companies to find commercial oil in the four-year exploration period. Their reserves are put at 464 million barrels. Eighteen foreign companies signed 14 contracts covering more than 50,000 square miles in Bolivia since the country asked for outside help in 1972. Ecuador's output reached an all-time high of 244,000 bpd and then slowed down to a 27,000 bpd dribble when the Trans-Ecuador pipeline broke. The government decreed that production from the Texaco and Gulf fields in the Oriente must rise to 210,000 bopd and that the two companies must drill their unexplored and undeveloped acreage or lose it. Ecuador cut 43 cents from the price of oil by reducing the production tax. Colombia abolished all oil concessions this year in an attempt to stem steadily slipping production. Exploration activities in Uruguay and Paraguay are discussed. (MCW)

Crude operators: the future of the oil industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rowell, Andrew.

1997-01-01

Technological advances and the maturity of existing oil fields have spurred oil companies to explore for oil and extract it from previously inaccessible or ''frontier'' areas, both offshore and onshore. In many cases, such prospecting and production will have severe environmental impacts and serious social, ethical and cultural consequences. The challenge is not just to halt such exploration and extraction, but to halt oil consumption itself. (author)

Technological change, depletion and environmental policy in the offshore oil and gas industry

Science.gov (United States)

Managi, Shunsuke

Technological change is central to maintaining standards of living in modern economies with finite resources and increasingly stringent environmental goals. Successful environmental policies can contribute to efficiency by encouraging, rather than inhibiting, technological innovation. However, little research to date has focused on the design and implementation of environmental regulations that encourage technological progress, or in insuring productivity improvements in the face of depletion of natural resources and increasing stringency of environmental regulations. This study models and measures productivity change, with an application to offshore oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico using Data Envelopment Analysis. This is an important application because energy resources are central to sustaining our economy. The net effects of technological progress and depletion on productivity of offshore oil and gas production are measured using a unique field-level set of data of production from all wells in the Gulf of Mexico over the time period from 1946--1998. Results are consistent with the hypothesis that technological progress has mitigated depletion effects over the study period, but the pattern differs from the conventional wisdom for nonrenewable resource industries. The Porter Hypothesis was recast, and revised version was tested. The Porter Hypothesis states that well designed environmental regulations can potentially contribute to productive efficiency in the long run by encouraging innovation. The Porter Hypothesis was recast to include market and nonmarket outputs. Our results support the recast version of Porter hypothesis, which examine productivity of joint production of market and environmental outputs. But we find no evidence for the standard formulation of the Porter hypothesis, that increased stringency of environmental regulation lead to increased productivity of market outputs and therefore increased industry profits. The model is used to

Risk-based Reliability Assessment of Subsea Control module for Offshore Oil and Gas production

OpenAIRE

Umofia, Anietie Nnana

2014-01-01

Offshore oil and gas exploitation is principally conducted using dry or wet tree systems, otherwise called the subsea Xmas tree system. Due to the shift to deeper waters, subsea production system (SPS) has come to be a preferred technology with attendant economic benefits. At the centre of the SPS is the subsea control module (SCM), responsible for the proper functioning and monitoring of the entire system. With increasing search for hydrocarbons in deep and ultra-deepwaters...

Evaluating stress analysis and failure criteria for offshore structures for Pechora Sea conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Nesic, S.; Donskoy, Y.; Zolotukhin, A.

2017-12-01

Development of Arctic hydrocarbon resources has faced many challenges due to sensitive environmental conditions including low temperatures, ice cover and terrestrial permafrost and extreme seasonal variation in sunlight. Russian offshore field development in Arctic region is usually associated with annual ice cover, which can cause serious damage on the offshore platforms. The Pechora Sea has claimed as one of the most perspective oil and gas region of the Russian Arctic with seven discovered oil and gas fields and several dozens of structures. Our rough assessment, based on in-place hydrocarbon volumes and recovery factor evaluation concept, indicates that Pechora Sea alone has in-place volumes amounting to ca. 20 billion barrel oil equivalent (BOE). This quantity is enough to secure produced volumes by 2040 exceeding 3 billion BOE [1] that indicates huge resource potential of the region. The environmental conditions are primarily function of water dynamics and ice cover. The sea is covered by the ice for greatest part of the year. In this article, the ice load simulations were performed using explicit dynamic analysis system in ANSYS software to determine best shape and size of an offshore platform for the Pechora Sea ice conditions. Different gravity based structures (GBS) were analyzed: artificial island, hollow cylindrical and conical concrete structures and four-leg GBS. Relationships between the stress, deformations and time were analyzed and important observations from the simulation results were a basis for selecting the most preferable structures.

Identification of microorganisms associated with corrosion of offshore oil production systems

Science.gov (United States)

Sørensen, Ketil; Grigoryan, Aleksandr; Holmkvist, Lars; Skovhus, Torben; Thomsen, Uffe; Lundgaard, Thomas

2010-05-01

Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) poses a major challenge to oil producers and distributors. The annual cost associated with MIC-related pipeline failures and general maintenance and surveillance of installations amounts to several billion dollar in the oil production sector alone. Hence, large efforts are undertaken by some producers to control and monitor microbial growth in pipelines and other installations, and extensive surveillance programs are carried out in order to detect and quantify potential MIC-promoting microorganisms. Traditionally, efforts to mitigate and survey microbial growth in oil production systems have focused on sulfate-reducing Bacteria (SRB), and microorganisms have usually been enumerated by the culture-dependent MPN (most probable number) -technique. Culture-independent molecular tools yielding much more detailed information about the microbial communities have now been implemented as a reliable tool for routine surveillance of oil production systems in the North Sea. This has resulted in new and hitherto unattainable information regarding the distribution of different microorganisms in hot reservoirs and associated oil production systems. This presentation will provide a review of recent insights regarding thermophilic microbial communities and their implication for steel corrosion in offshore oil production systems. Data collected from solids and biofilms in different corroded pipelines and tubes indicate that in addition to SRB, other groups such as methanogens and sulfate-reducing Archaea (SRA) are also involved in MIC. In the hot parts of the system where the temperature approaches 80 ⁰C, SRA closely related to Archaeoglobus fulgidus outnumber SRB by several orders of magnitude. Methanogens affiliated with the genus Methanothermococcus were shown to completely dominate the microbial community at the metal surface in a sample of highly corroded piping. Thus, the microbial communities associated with MIC appear to be more

Inadequate environmental monitoring around offshore oil and gas platforms on the Grand Bank of Eastern Canada: are risks to marine birds known?

Science.gov (United States)

Burke, C M; Montevecchi, W A; Wiese, F K

2012-08-15

Petroleum exploration and production on the Grand Bank of eastern Canada overlaps with productive marine habitat that supports over 40 million marine birds annually. Environmental assessments for oil and gas projects in the region predict insignificant adverse effects on marine birds from oil spills, incineration in platform flares and collisions. Limited baseline data on seasonal occupancies and a failure to quantify the nature and extent of marine bird attraction to platforms and related mortality undermines these assessments. We conducted 22 surveys to offshore platforms on the Grand Bank during 1999-2003 to measure avian associations with platforms and to determine the level of monitoring needed to assess the risks to marine birds. We document seasonal shifts in marine bird occurrences and higher densities of auks (fall) and shearwaters (summer) around platforms relative to surrounding areas. The limited temporal and spatial coverage of our surveys is more robust than existing industry monitoring efforts, yet it is still inadequate to quantify the scale of marine bird associations with platforms or their associated mortality risks. Systematic observations by independent biologists on vessels and platforms are needed to generate reliable assessments of risks to marine birds. Instead, the regulatory body for offshore oil and gas in eastern Canada (Canada - Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board; C-NLOPB) supports industry self-reporting as the accepted form of environmental monitoring. Conflicting responsibilities of oil and gas regulatory agencies for both energy development and environmental monitoring are major barriers to transparency, unbiased scientific inquiry and adequate environmental protection. Similar conflicts with the oil and gas regulatory body in the United States, the former Minerals and Management Service (MMS) were identified by the U.S. President as a major contributor to the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. The

The offshore trend: Structural changes in the wind power sector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Markard, Jochen; Petersen, Regula

2009-01-01

In recent years, the wind power sector has begun to move offshore, i.e. to use space and good wind speeds on the open sea for large scale electricity generation. Offshore wind power, however, is not just technologically challenging but also a capital intensive and risky business that requires particular financial and organizational resources not all potential investors might have. We therefore address the question, what impact offshore wind power may have on ownership and organizational structures in the wind power sector. We compare on- and offshore wind park ownership in Denmark, the UK and Germany. The analysis shows that offshore wind power in all three countries is dominated by large firms, many of which are from the electricity sector. In Denmark and the UK, also investors from the gas and oil industry play an important role in the offshore wind business. This development represents a major shift for countries such as Germany and Denmark, in which the wind power sector has grown and matured on the basis of investments by individuals, farmers, cooperatives and independent project developers. The structural changes by which offshore wind power is accompanied have consequences for turbine manufacturers, project developers, investors, associations and policy makers in the field.

Pig lift applications in offshore dry completion wells; Aplicacao do pig lift em pocos offshore de completacao seca

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lima, Paulo C.R.; Faria, Rogerio Costa; Almeida, Alcino Resende [PETROBRAS S.A., Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2000-07-01

Production increases of 10% to 130% have been obtained with pig lift installations on offshore oil wells in the Cacao Field, southeast Brazil. At the present time 3 wells out of 5 are being produced with pig lift. These deep, highly deviated wells with little space on the platform to the required surface equipment presented a challenge to pig lift technology. However, these difficulties were overcame and the benefits obtained helped to maintain the economical attractiveness of the platform. (author)

Mauritania and its sea: could offshore oil exploitation help better manage ecological insecurity?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Magrin, G.; Van Vliet, G.; Van Dessel, B.; Chabason, L.

2011-01-01

Over centuries Mauritania societies have turned their backs to the sea until independence and, later, drought created incentives for the State and national actors to take an interest in sea resources. Whether at sea or on the mainland the relationship to the territory's resources appeared to be entrusted to the same State who was more interested in exercising control on flows rather than in management, production or transformation. However, regarding the fisheries industry and the issue of its preservation the Mauritania state has progressively increased its intervention capacities. The extraordinary ecological and economic value of Mauritania waters - with the 'banc d'Arguin' as their most famous ecosystem - certainly played a role in this evolution. The recent exploitation of offshore oil resources has reinforced the need to increase the overall capacity to regulate all aspects of the maritime area (conservation, fisheries, transport and oil and gas). The emergence of oil and gas activities re-emphasises the difficulties faced by a dependent State when trying to appropriate and manage a territory whose resources attract the attention of powerful international shareholders. (authors)

Technology keeps ice away from offshore oil and gas installations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anon

2003-05-01

Ice management services provided to oil and natural gas operators off Canada's North Atlantic coast by Provincial Airlines is described. Provincial Airlines performs iceberg reconnaissance for both the offshore oil and natural gas operators as well as for the Canadian Ice Centre, using its specially equipped B-200 aircraft. The special equipment includes a complete electronic sensor package with 360-degree anti-submarine warfare radar, a thermal imaging system, high powered gyro-stabilized TV camera system, and a computerized data collection and management system. The Ice Data Network System (IDNS) is a fifth generation computer software package designed to monitor ice, provide drift analysis and forecast future trajectories, assess potential threats or risks associated with each piece of ice, and monitor and evaluate towing operations if required. The IDNS is backed up by a fully staffed ice operations centre from which Provincial Airline ice specialists can access satellite data and reports on ice conditions from around the world. Using a process of data fusion and careful analysis, staff of the Ice Centre can produce near-real time reports that depict ice conditions specific to individual operational requirements. Since drilling platforms cannot move, or require a great deal of time to move, to avoid any risk of an iceberg colliding with an oil platform it is important to know where exactly an iceberg is at any given time, hence the enormous importance of iceberg location information.

Development of a product screening protocol to minimize marine environmental impacts of oil production chemicals used offshore

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vik, E.A.; Berg, J.D.; Bakke, S.; Oefjord, G.D.; Reinhard, M.

1992-01-01

This paper presents the initial results of a research project initiated by Conoco Norway, Inc. (CNI) late in 1989. The objective of the project is to develop a screening protocol for determining the potential environmental impacts of five types of chemicals typically used in offshore oil and gas production operations in the North Sea. The protocol includes tests for determination of bioaccumulation potential, oil-water distribution factor, biodegradation potential, and toxicity. When fully developed, the protocol represents one possible approach to implementing the proposed PARCOM standard testing program. Only the results for the bioaccumulation potential and oil-water distribution factor are presented here. For determination of bioaccumulation potential, the High Performance Liquid Chromotography (HPLC) is recommended. The oil-water distribution factor can be determined by surrogate parameters as total organic carbon (TOC), UV-absorption or gas chromatography (GC). (Author)

Potential impacts of offshore oil spills on polar bears in the Chukchi Sea.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Ryan R; Perham, Craig; French-McCay, Deborah P; Balouskus, Richard

2018-04-01

Sea ice decline is anticipated to increase human access to the Arctic Ocean allowing for offshore oil and gas development in once inaccessible areas. Given the potential negative consequences of an oil spill on marine wildlife populations in the Arctic, it is important to understand the magnitude of impact a large spill could have on wildlife to inform response planning efforts. In this study we simulated oil spills that released 25,000 barrels of oil for 30 days in autumn originating from two sites in the Chukchi Sea (one in Russia and one in the U.S.) and tracked the distribution of oil for 76 days. We then determined the potential impact such a spill might have on polar bears (Ursus maritimus) and their habitat by overlapping spills with maps of polar bear habitat and movement trajectories. Only a small proportion (1-10%) of high-value polar bear sea ice habitat was directly affected by oil sufficient to impact bears. However, 27-38% of polar bears in the region were potentially exposed to oil. Oil consistently had the highest probability of reaching Wrangel and Herald islands, important areas of denning and summer terrestrial habitat. Oil did not reach polar bears until approximately 3 weeks after the spills. Our study found the potential for significant impacts to polar bears under a worst case discharge scenario, but suggests that there is a window of time where effective containment efforts could minimize exposure to bears. Our study provides a framework for wildlife managers and planners to assess the level of response that would be required to treat exposed wildlife and where spill response equipment might be best stationed. While the size of spill we simulated has a low probability of occurring, it provides an upper limit for planners to consider when crafting response plans. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Device for retaining oil gushing out in an uncontrolled fashion from offshore platforms. [German patent

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hambrock, H J

1978-11-23

The spread of oil which emerges on a water surface in case of a fault is to be prevented and its removal is to be made possible by a sort of floating fence. This type of oil barrier is formed by a blown up, floating hose on the water surface which may be filled with plastic foam. It surrounds the centrally placed possible place of emergence of the oil in a circle, this may be an offshore platform or a stationary tanker. The concentric position is ensured by radially tensioned ropes. The protective ring can normally be pulled in (above all during bad weather) and need only be expanded for a short time in case of a fault. In order to prevent oil collected inside the protective ring being washed under or over it by the wind or waves, a circular attachment in the form of a collar can be blown up in the upward direction, and a similar apron hanging downwards loaded with weights may be provided.

Tidal influence on offshore wind fields and resource predictions[Efficient Development of Offshore Windfarms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khan, D. [Entec UK Ltd., Doherty Innovation Centre, Penicuik (United Kingdom); Infield, D. [Loughborough Univ., Centre for Renewable Energy Systems Tecnology, Loughborough (United Kingdom)

2002-03-01

The rise and fall of the sea surface due to tides effectively moves an offshore wind turbine hub through the wind shear profile. This effect is quantified using measured data from 3 offshore UK sites. Statistical evidence of the influence of tide on mean wind speed and turbulence is presented. The implications of this effect for predicting offshore wind resource are outlined. (au)

Oil and gas field database

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Young In; Han, Jung Kuy [Korea Institute of Geology Mining and Materials, Taejon (Korea)

1998-12-01

As agreed by the Second Meeting of the Expert Group of Minerals and Energy Exploration and Development in Seoul, Korea, 'The Construction of Database on the Oil and Gas Fields in the APEC Region' is now under way as a GEMEED database project for 1998. This project is supported by Korean government funds and the cooperation of GEMEED colleagues and experts. During this year, we have constructed the home page menu (topics) and added the data items on the oil and gas field. These items include name of field, discovery year, depth, the number of wells, average production (b/d), cumulative production, and API gravity. The web site shows the total number of oil and gas fields in the APEC region is 47,201. The number of oil and gas fields by member economics are shown in the table. World oil and gas statistics including reserve, production consumption, and trade information were added to the database for the users convenience. (author). 13 refs., tabs., figs.

Oil and gas field database

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Young In; Han, Jung Kuy [Korea Institute of Geology Mining and Materials, Taejon (Korea)

1998-12-01

As agreed by the Second Meeting of the Expert Group of Minerals and Energy Exploration and Development in Seoul, Korea, 'The Construction of Database on the Oil and Gas Fields in the APEC Region' is now under way as a GEMEED database project for 1998. This project is supported by Korean government funds and the cooperation of GEMEED colleagues and experts. During this year, we have constructed the home page menu (topics) and added the data items on the oil and gas field. These items include name of field, discovery year, depth, the number of wells, average production (b/d), cumulative production, and API gravity. The web site shows the total number of oil and gas fields in the APEC region is 47,201. The number of oil and gas fields by member economics are shown in the table. World oil and gas statistics including reserve, production consumption, and trade information were added to the database for the users convenience. (author). 13 refs., tabs., figs.

Assessment of economic impact of offshore and coastal discharge requirements on present and future operations in the Gulf of Mexico. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lindsey, R.

1996-06-01

The high potential costs of compliance associated with new effluent guidelines for offshore and coastal oil and gas operations could significantly affect the economics of finding, developing, and producing oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico. This report characterizes the potential economic impacts of alternative treatment and discharge regulations for produced water on reserves and production in Gulf of Mexico coastal, territorial and outer continental shelf (OCS) waters, quantifying the impacts of both recent regulatory changes and possible more stringent requirements. The treatment technologies capable of meeting these requirements are characterized in terms of cost, performance, and applicability to coastal and offshore situations. As part of this analysis, an extensive database was constructed that includes oil and gas production forecasts by field, data on existing platforms, and the current treatment methods in place for produced water treatment and disposal on offshore facilities. This work provides the first comprehensive evaluation of the impacts of alternative regulatory requirements for produced water management and disposal in coastal and offshore areas of the Gulf of Mexico

Introduction of a compressed air breathing apparatus for the offshore oil and gas industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Brooks, Chris J; MacDonald, Conor V; Carroll, Joel; Gibbs, Peter N G

2010-07-01

When a helicopter ditches the majority of crew and passengers have to make an underwater escape. Some may not be able to hold their breath and will drown. For at least 15 yr, military aircrew have been trained to use a scuba system. In the offshore oil and gas industry, there has been more caution about introducing a compressed air system and a rebreather system has been introduced as an alternative. Recently, Canadian industry and authorities approved the introduction of Helicopter Underwater Emergency Breathing Apparatus (HUEBA) training using compressed air. This communication reports the training of the first 1000 personnel. Training was introduced in both Nova Scotia and Newfoundland concurrently by the same group of instructors. Trainees filled out a questionnaire concerning their perceived ratings of the ease or difficulty of classroom training and the practical use of the HUEBA. Ninety-eight percent of trainees found the classroom and in-water training to be "good/very good". Trainees found it to be "easy/very easy" to clear the HUEBA and breathe underwater in 84% and 64% of cases, respectively. Divers reported a greater ease in learning all the practical uses of the HUEBA except application of the nose clip. There were problems with the nose clip fitting incorrectly, and interference of the survival suit hood with the regulator, which subsequently have been resolved. When carefully applied, the introduction of the HUEBA into training for offshore oil and gas industry helicopter crew and passengers can be safely conducted.

Subsea prizes : companies pushing the envelope offshore

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Macedo, R.

2009-06-15

In order to make projects economic, companies are going farther offshore and deeper to find oil and gas or to use existing offshore platforms and longer horizontals. Companies such as StatoilHydro are reworking strategies on how to approach future oil finds. This article discussed examples of ultra deep and long horizontal oil finds such as Statoil's complicated but highly successful Gulltopp project. Although drilling ultra-deep wells or long horizontal wells is risky, they can also be very lucrative. The article also discussed McMoRan Exploration Company of New Orleans' high-risk deeper targets in the Gulf of Mexico and its exploration strategy. The longest well in the world, drilled by Maersk Oil Qatar AS was also described. The article noted that the Danish company reported that the entire horizontal section of the well was placed within a reservoir target which was only 20 feet thick. Schlumberger helped Maersk Oil Qatar break several records with extended reach drilling (ERD) offshore well. This well set 10 records, including the longest well ever drilled; longest along-hole departure; longest 8 and a half inch section; highest ERD ratio; highest directional drilling difficulty index; deepest directional control; deepest downlink, MWD transmission and LWD geosteering; deepest battery-less operation; longest reservoir contact; and longest open hole. Last, the article discussed an unsuccessful well drilled by Murphy Oil Corporation known as the Manhattan well. 8 figs.

Fuel flexibility in power generation onboard offshore floating units

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Keep, Jeroen van [Waertsilae Corporation, Helsinki (Finland)

2012-07-01

Power Plants for offshore oil and gas installations utilizing dual fuel (DF) reciprocating engines are by many owners seen as an interesting alternative to conventional solutions due to the apparent advantages in fuel flexibility, fuel efficiency and lower emission. The paper summarizes the dual fuel technology, typical solutions for FPSO's and operational. Items that are discussed: DF operation and how it works; fuel flexibility, including transfer between fuel modes; fuel efficiency, also in production an important cost saver; emissions of the different fuel modes; size and weights, constraints; experiences of the P-63 project. With the above it is safe to conclude that the DF-technology is mature with important benefits for the offshore production market in certain specific applications, most notably the FPSO's for fields in low gas to oil ratios, bringing important fuel cost savings and also for new-built F-LNG/FSO/FPSO's where the power plant can be accommodated below decks, freeing up valuable deck space for the process plant. (author)

Thermal performance analysis of Brayton cycle with waste heat recovery boiler for diesel engines of offshore oil production facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Xianglong; Gong, Guangcai; Wu, Yi; Li, Hangxin

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Comparison of Brayton cycle with WHRB adopted in diesel engines with and without fans by thermal performance. • Waste heat recovery technology for FPSO. • The thermoeconomic analysis for the heat recovery for FPSO. - Abstract: This paper presents the theoretical analysis and on-site testing on the thermal performance of the waste heat recovery system for offshore oil production facilities, including the components of diesel engines, thermal boilers and waste heat boilers. We use the ideal air standard Brayton cycle to analyse the thermal performance. In comparison with the traditional design, the fans at the engine outlet of the waste heat recovery boiler is removed due to the limited space of the offshore platform. The cases with fan and without fan are compared in terms of thermal dynamics performance, energy efficiency and thermo-economic index of the system. The results show that the application of the WHRB increases the energy efficiency of the whole system, but increases the flow resistance in the duct. It is proved that as the waste heat recovery boiler takes the place of the thermal boiler, the energy efficiency of whole system without fan is slightly reduced but heat recovery efficiency is improved. This research provides an important guidance to improve the waste heat recovery for offshore oil production facilities.

Modern Political and Economic Aspects of the Oil and Gas Complex in the Southeast Asia Region

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Valery I. Salygin

2014-01-01

Full Text Available AbstracUThe article reviews the problems caused by the conflict of interests between certain Southeast Asian countries and other states, China foremost, which aroused from oil and gas field development on disputable offshore sections. At the same time the positions of the region's leading transnational corporations in the field of oil and gas policy and their relationships with the countries-ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations members are outlined. Separately are represented the foreign policy stands of Indonesia, Vietnam, Brunei, Philippines and Malaysia on territorial disputes over offshore oil and gas fields. These processes are pushing both European and American business to abandon the conventional schemes and accept the new conditions of their activity in Southeast Asia.

CO_2-mitigation options for the offshore oil and gas sector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen, Tuong-Van; Tock, Laurence; Breuhaus, Peter; Maréchal, François; Elmegaard, Brian

2016-01-01

Highlights: • The possibilities for reducing offshore CO_2-emissions, by CO_2-capture, waste heat recovery and electrification are assessed. • Multi-objective optimisation, process modelling, economic and environmental analyses are used for evaluating system designs. • A reduction of more than 15% of the total CO_2-emissions can be achieved for the present case study. • High sensitivity of the avoidance costs to the natural gas price and CO_2-tax. - Abstract: The offshore extraction of oil and gas is an energy-intensive process leading to the production of CO_2 and methane, discharged into the atmosphere, and of chemicals, rejected into the sea. The taxation of these emissions, in Norway, has encouraged the development of more energy-efficient and environmental-friendly solutions, of which three are assessed in this paper: (i) the implementation of waste heat recovery, (ii) the installation of a CO_2-capture unit and (iii) the platform electrification. A North Sea platform is taken as case study, and these three options are modelled, analysed and compared, using thermodynamic, economic and environmental indicators. The results indicate the benefits of all these options, as the total CO_2-emissions can be reduced by more than 15% in all cases, while the avoidance costs vary widely and are highly sensitive to the natural gas price and CO_2-tax.

Reserve growth of the world's giant oil fields

Science.gov (United States)

Klett, T.R.; Schmoker, J.W.

2005-01-01

Analysis of estimated total recoverable oil volume (field size) of 186 well-known giant oil fields of the world (>0.5 billion bbl of oil, discovered prior to 1981), exclusive of the United States and Canada, demonstrates general increases in field sizes through time. Field sizes were analyzed as a group and within subgroups of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-OPEC countries. From 1981 through 1996, the estimated volume of oil in the 186 fields for which adequate data were available increased from 617 billion to 777 billion bbl of oil (26%). Processes other than new field discoveries added an estimated 160 billion bbl of oil to known reserves in this subset of the world's oil fields. Although methods for estimating field sizes vary among countries, estimated sizes of the giant oil fields of the world increased, probably for many of the same reasons that estimated sizes of oil fields in the United States increased over the same time period. Estimated volumes in OPEC fields increased from a total of 550 billion to 668 billion bbl of oil and volumes in non-OPEC fields increased from 67 billion to 109 billion bbl of oil. In terms of percent change, non-OPEC field sizes increased more than OPEC field sizes (63% versus 22%). The changes in estimated total recoverable oil volumes that occurred within three 5-year increments between 1981 and 1996 were all positive. Between 1981 and 1986, the increase in estimated total recoverable oil volume within the 186 giant oil fields was 11 billion bbl of oil; between 1986 and 1991, the increase was 120 billion bbl of oil; and between 1991 and 1996, the increase was 29 billion bbl of oil. Fields in both OPEC and non-OPEC countries followed trends of substantial reserve growth.

Construction of VLCC marine oil storage cost index system

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yuan; Li, Yule; Lu, Jinshu; Wu, Wenfeng; Zhu, Faxin; Chen, Tian; Qin, Beichen

2018-04-01

VLCC as the research object, the basic knowledge of VLCC is summarized. According to the phenomenon that VLCC is applied to offshore oil storage gradually, this paper applies the theoretical analysis method to analyze the excess capacity from VLCC, the drop of oil price, the aging VLCC is more suitable for offshore storage The paper analyzes the reason of VLCC offshore oil storage from three aspects, analyzes the cost of VLCC offshore storage from the aspects of manpower cost and shipping cost, and constructs the cost index system of VLCC offshore oil storage.

Three Essays in the Public Economics of Offshore Hydrocarbon Investment and Production

Science.gov (United States)

Kearney, Owen P.

Offshore sources, in both shallow and deep waters, are increasingly important contributors to global oil and natural gas production. As both resource owner and taxing authority, national governments play an important role in the production of these offshore hydrocarbons. How the policy choices of these governments affect firm behavior, however, is not necessarily well understood. This dissertation contributes to our knowledge of how public policy influences offshore hydrocarbon investment and production. In the first essay, I estimate the investment responses of hydrocarbon producers to the suspension of the royalty, a type of production tax levied on production from federal lands. I find that the potential for a royalty payments waiver: (1) increases the probability that an individual tract is acquired by an average of 193% (a mean increase of 5.6 percentage points); (2) decreases the probability that a lease is ever drilled during its observed lease term by an average of 14.5% (a mean decrease of 1.3 percentage points); and (3) increases the expected number of explored leases by 150%. The introduction of DWRRA also increases the average winning bid per lease by 60%. These estimates quantify the magnitudes of the discouraging effects of production taxation on oil and natural gas investment. In the second essay, I quantify the implied value of information spillovers in oil and natural gas exploration using an event study design. I find that 25 trading days after a discovery, firms that own leases adjacent to the discovery lease (but not the discovery lease, itself) realize an average abnormal return translating to 315 million in market capitalization. This effect is quantitatively large compared to costs for drilling an exploratory well. In the final essay, I measure how oil price affects water injection, a method for prolonging the productive lifetime of oil fields. I find that a 1 rise in price increases the water injected into the well's reservoir by

Offshore 2010. Final report; Offshore 2010. Sluttrapport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2001-07-01

An overview of the accomplishments of the various projects that have received support from the Norwegian Research Council's program 'Offshore 2010'. The following projects are presented, some have English and some Norwegian project names: 'Critical parameters influencing inhibitor performance in multiphase flow', 'Development of the drilling optimization simulator (DDS) and a totally integrated drilling optimization system', 'Produksjonsoptimalisering og automatisk styring av broenner og roerledninger (PETRONICS)', 'Termisk isolerte undervannsroer for sikring av broenntransport over store avstander', 'Utvikling av magnetisk frekvensformer for styring av store subsea pumper paa havdyp ned mot 4000 meter', 'Flerfase stroemningsmaaler for permanent nedihulls installasjon', 'Hastighetsmaaling i flerfase stroemning ved passiv akustikk', 'Oil/water seperation offshore: optimized flow- and seperation behavior', 'Stroemningshastighet', 'A rock mechanics based reservoir simulation', 'MultiTool fase 2 - et flerbruksverktoey for nedihulls applikasjoner', 'Utvikling av undervanns olje-i-vann monitor for kontinuerlig maaling av lave oljekonsentrasjoner basert paa TR-LIFS', 'Subsea multipath ultrasonic liquid flow meter', 'Fluid characterization at elevated pressures and temperatures (Flucha II)'. The two main goals for the research program are 1. The development of new technology and competency in the field of downhole- and subsea processing and multiphase transportation, and 2. Innovation and commercialisation in small and medium sized companies (less than 100 employees). Some details on the financing and results are included (ml)

Oil and Gas Field Locations, Geographic NAD83, LDNR (2007) [oil_gas_fields_LDNR_2007

Data.gov (United States)

Louisiana Geographic Information Center — This GIS layer consists of oil and gas field approximate center point locations (approximately 1,800). Oil and gas fields not assigned a center point by the DNR...

Seabird data collected by the Grand Banks offshore hydrocarbon industry 1999-2002 : results, limitations and suggestions for improvement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baillie, S.M.; Robertson, G.J.; Wiese, F.K.

2005-01-01

Offshore oil operations attract and concentrate migratory seabirds through an artificially enhanced food supply and lights. In order to understand the vulnerability of seabirds near offshore oil facilities, the degree of association of seabirds with these sites must be determined. Offshore oil and gas exploration on Newfoundland's Grand Banks began in the early 1980s, with first oil produced in 1997 at the Hibernia fixed platform. Additional production followed in 2002 from the Terra Nova Floating Production Storage and Offloading Vessel. As the Grand Banks oil industry grows, seismic surveys continue to be conducted and an estimated 30,000 litres of crude oil and synthetic based drilling fluids have been spilled from exploration drilling, development drilling and production oil operations between 1997 and 2002. Most of the spills occurred in winter when the number of seabirds on the Grand Banks are highest and most vulnerable to oil pollution. This report presents an evaluation of the current Grand Banks offshore oil and gas development seabird monitoring programs. It focuses mostly on seabird monitoring on fixed platforms. The objective was to assess the scientific quality of seabird-related industry programs by compiling and summarizing all available spatial and temporal seabird abundance data and deck stranded birds associated with Grand Banks offshore oil platforms from 1997 to 2002. Data on seabird distributions at sea and stranded bird encounters was collected from 8 offshore hydrocarbon sites on the northeastern Grand Banks. It was recommended that a standardized seabird monitoring and observer training program for the offshore operations in the Grand Banks region be implemented. 43 refs., 5 tabs., 16 figs., 3 appendices

Troll and Heidrun: A day of superlatives. The latest word in platform technology for Norway`s offshore industry; Troll und Heidrun: Tag der Superlative. Modernste Plattformtechnologie fuer Norwegens Offshore-Industrie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kumpch, J U

1995-09-01

May 10, 1995, was a milestone in the history of the European power industry. This was the day when the construction of `Troll A` platform was finished in Vatsfjord, north of Stavanger, and the five-day haul to the world`s biggest gas reserves was started. At the same time, energy politicians from all over the world took part in the christening of `Heidrun` platform, in Gandsfjord south of Stavanger. From August onwards, this platform will extract oil from the Haltenbank, the world`s northernmost offshore field. `Troll` and `Heidrun` are the latest word in platform technology and, at the same time, also indicate a turning point in the Norwegian offshore industry. Experts and politicians agree that `Troll A` is the `last of the dinosaurs`, and there will be no platforms bigger than `Heidrun`. Oil fields are getting smaller, and the advancements in production technology permit smaller and less complex installations. (orig.) [Deutsch] Der 10. Mai 1995 ist ein Meilenstein in der Geschichte der europaeischen Energiewirtschaft. An diesem Tag wurde im Vatsfjord noerdlich von Stavanger der Bau der Plattform Troll A abgeschlossen und mit dem fuenftaegigen Schlepp zu den weltgroessten Gasvorkommen begonnen. Im Gandsfjord etwas suedlich der norwegischen Oelhauptstadt waren Energiepolitiker aus aller Welt zu Gast, als zu gleicher Zeit die Heidrun-Plattform getauft wurde. Diese Anlage wird ab August das Oel von der Haltenbank, dem noerdlichsten Offshore-Feld ueberhaupt, foerdern. Troll und Heidrun sind modernste Plattformtechnologie und gleichzeitige Wendepunkt in der norwegischen Offshore-Industrie. Experten und Politiker sind sich einig: Die Troll A-Plattform ist `der letzte Dinosaurier`, die Groesse von Heidrun wird nicht mehr uebertroffen. Die Felder werden kleiner, und die Foerdertechnologie erlaubt bescheidenere Installationen. (orig.)

Radiation dose and risk to recreational fishermen from ingestion of fish caught near eight oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meinhold, A.F.; Holtzman, S.

1998-01-01

Offshore production of oil and gas is accompanied by a saline wastewater, called produced water. Produced water discharges to the Gulf of Mexico often contain elevated concentrations of radionuclides that occur naturally in the geologic reservoir along with the oil and gas. These radionuclides may accumulate in organisms that live near offshore oil and gas structures. Because recreational fishing in the Gulf of Mexico is concentrated near oil and gas platforms, there is the potential for increased risks to recreational fishermen from the ingestion of radionuclides in fish caught near produced water discharges. This analysis investigated the potential risk to recreational fishermen from radium and lead-210 in offshore produced water discharges to the Gulf of Mexico. The assessment used data collected at eight discharging offshore platforms and two reference locations. These data were collected in a USDOE funded project titled ''Environmental and Economic Assessment of Discharges from Gulf of Mexico Region Oil and Gas Operations'', here called the USDOE Field Study. The risk assessments were done to support risk managers in developing regulations and permits for offshore discharges of produced water

Electrical Power Supply to Offshore Oil Installations by High Voltage Direct Current Transmission

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Myhre, Joergen Chr.

2001-07-01

This study was initiated to investigate if it could be feasible to supply offshore oil installations in the North Sea with electrical power from land. A prestudy of alternative converter topologies indicated that the most promising solution would be to investigate a conventional system with reduced synchronous compensator rating. The study starts with a summary of the state of power supply to offshore installations today, and a short review of classical HVDC transmission. It goes on to analyse how a passive network without sources influences the inverter. The transmission, with its current controlled rectifier and large inductance, is simulated as a current source. Under these circumstances the analysis shows that the network frequency has to adapt in order to keep the active and reactive power balance until the controllers are able to react. The concept of firing angle for a thyristor is limited in a system with variable frequency, the actual control parameter is the firing delay time. Sensitivity analysis showed some astonishing consequences. The frequency rises both by an increase in the active and in the reactive load. The voltage falls by an increase in the active load, but rises by an increase in the inductive load. Two different control principles for the system of inverter, synchronous compensator and load are defined. The first takes the reference for the firing delay time from the fundamental voltage at the point of common coupling. The second takes the reference for the firing delay time from the simulated EMF of the synchronous compensator. Of these, the second is the more stable and should be chosen as the basis for a possible control system. Two simulation tools are applied. The first is a quasi-phasor model running on Matlab with Simulink. The other is a time domain model in KREAN. The time domain model is primarily used for the verification of the quasi-phasor model, and shows that quasi-phasors is still a valuable tool for making a quick analysis

Oil seepage detection technique as a tool to hydrocarbon prospecting in offshore Campos Basin-Brazil; Deteccao de exsudacoes de oleo como uma ferramenta de prospeccao de hidrocarbonetos na regiao maritima da Bacia de Campos - Brasil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Castilho, Jose G.; Brito, Ademilson F. [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), RJ (Brazil). Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-graduacao de Engenharia (COPPE). Lab. de Modelagem de Bacias (LAB2M); Landau, Luiz [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), RJ (Brazil). Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-graduacao de Engenharia (COPPE). Lab. de Metodos Computacionais em Engenharia (LAMCE)

2004-07-01

With a proven capacity to identify oil slicks in offshore regions, RADARSAT-1 imagery can be useful for oil exploration purposes. The paper discusses the seepage detection method at Campos Basin, offshore Rio de Janeiro State, which is responsible for 80% of the Brazilian production of oil and gas. It is known that the horizontal migration of petroleum can occurs over tens or even hundreds of kilometers, where the source rock placed in more deep locations can be linked with shallow reservoirs or traps and even reach the ocean. It means that seepage can provide information for risking petroleum charge at basin scales, and cannot have a direct relation with the geographical position of the interpreted seeps and possible filled prospects. A good understanding of the geology, and hence the petroleum systems of a basin is the key to use seepage in exploration. The work is divided into three main steps. First step were select oil seepages interpreted at Campos Basin where is found several giant petroleum fields. Second, the geology of the study area and its structural and stratigraphic features were analyzed, in order to identify possible migration pathways related to faults generated by halokinesis. Another important aspect is the presence of 'windows' or ducts in the evaporates beds allowing the contact between the section that contains source rocks and the turbidities reservoirs, that contain the majority of the oil discovers. All these features were interpreted based on a regional dip seismic line (203 - 76), and a geologic cross section with E-W orientation, showing the structure of the Marlim Field. Finally, all the information was integrated in a Geographical Information System (GIS), and then analyzed in an interdisciplinary environment, with the intention to link possible routes of oil migration to post-evaporites reservoirs or to interpreted seeps. (author)

Succession in the petroleum reservoir microbiome through an oil field production lifecycle.

Science.gov (United States)

Vigneron, Adrien; Alsop, Eric B; Lomans, Bartholomeus P; Kyrpides, Nikos C; Head, Ian M; Tsesmetzis, Nicolas

2017-09-01

Subsurface petroleum reservoirs are an important component of the deep biosphere where indigenous microorganisms live under extreme conditions and in isolation from the Earth's surface for millions of years. However, unlike the bulk of the deep biosphere, the petroleum reservoir deep biosphere is subject to extreme anthropogenic perturbation, with the introduction of new electron acceptors, donors and exogenous microbes during oil exploration and production. Despite the fundamental and practical significance of this perturbation, there has never been a systematic evaluation of the ecological changes that occur over the production lifetime of an active offshore petroleum production system. Analysis of the entire Halfdan oil field in the North Sea (32 producing wells in production for 1-15 years) using quantitative PCR, multigenic sequencing, comparative metagenomic and genomic bins reconstruction revealed systematic shifts in microbial community composition and metabolic potential, as well as changing ecological strategies in response to anthropogenic perturbation of the oil field ecosystem, related to length of time in production. The microbial communities were initially dominated by slow growing anaerobes such as members of the Thermotogales and Clostridiales adapted to living on hydrocarbons and complex refractory organic matter. However, as seawater and nitrate injection (used for secondary oil production) delivered oxidants, the microbial community composition progressively changed to fast growing opportunists such as members of the Deferribacteres, Delta-, Epsilon- and Gammaproteobacteria, with energetically more favorable metabolism (for example, nitrate reduction, H 2 S, sulfide and sulfur oxidation). This perturbation has profound consequences for understanding the microbial ecology of the system and is of considerable practical importance as it promotes detrimental processes such as reservoir souring and metal corrosion. These findings provide a new

Reverse logistics applied to offshore exploration drilling; A logistica reversa aplicada as operacoes de perfuracao exploratoria 'offshore'

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carvalho, Paulo Roberto dos Santos; Silva, Douglas Resende Teixeira da [Repsol YPF Brasil S.A. - Unidade de Negocios. Exploracao e Producao(Brazil); Moyano, Ignacio Sanchez [Universidad Politecnica de Madrid (Spain); Ferreira Filho, Virgilio Jose Martins; Valle, Rogerio [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), RJ (Brazil). Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-Graduacao de Engenharia (COPPE)

2008-07-01

Reverse Logistic manages the return of resources and related information to production unities, after their use. Nowadays, it includes a special focus on environmental implications of used products, such as waste recycling or disposal. This paper considers the feasibility of reverse logistics for offshore exploration drilling activities, involving environmental aspects such as recycling, reuse of products after utilization and reduction of raw materials requirements. Although in Brazil the environmental licensing demands oil companies to have an organized management of their waste (requiring a total control over the final destination of the waste), costs and possible returns for waste management are considered negligible, in face of high oil prices and limited availability of offshore drilling rigs. Consequently, any potential benefit from its efficient management, or even reuse or trade, is not taken into account during the operation planning stage. The paper proposes Life Cycle Management as a continuous improvement management system aimed to minimize the environmental and socio-economic burdens associated with oil offshore production throughout its entire life cycle and value chain, that could provide cost-cuts such as a reduction in raw materials needs through reuse of waste, or even as a real income if selling the waste and/or recycled materials. (author)

AFSC/NMML/CCEP: Characterizing and quantifying California sea lion and Pacific harbor seal use of offshore oil and gas platforms in California, 2013-2015

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) and Pacific harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) use offshore oil and gas platforms as resting and foraging areas. Both...

Indian offshore wind energy policy - lessons from Europe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mani, S.; Dhingra, T. [Univ. of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), Dehradun (India)

2012-07-01

Indian Economy is growing at 8% for the past few years and is expected to continue this momentum into the foreseeable future. To sustain this growth, power sector needs to build additional generation capacity at an unprecedented pace. However, continued dependence on fossil fuels (especially Coal and Oil) to power the growth of electricity generation capacity, is hardly sustainable in the long run. The reasons are well known - Environmental concerns, depleting fossil fuel resources, excessive dependency on Oil imports - that it hardly merits repetition. Renewable Energy source forms a miniscule portion (25 GW, {approx} 12%) of India's overall Energy consumption today (202 GW). The share of wind energy (17 GW) is 67% of the total renewable energy basket. But the contribution from offshore wind farms is non-existent, as all the wind energy generated in India is only through onshore Wind farms. India needs a policy framework to encourage the development of offshore wind farms. Several European countries, most notably the UK, Germany and Denmark, have effective offshore wind energy policies that have helped them to accelerate the growth of their offshore wind energy sector. This paper does an exhaustive study to identify the building blocks of a successful offshore wind energy policy initiative adopted by selected European countries, which can be leveraged by India to articulate its own offshore wind energy policy. This paper also suggests a model to predict the log-odds of growth of offshore wind energy sector in India. (Author)

Bacterial diversity in water injection systems of Brazilian offshore oil platforms.

Science.gov (United States)

Korenblum, Elisa; Valoni, Erika; Penna, Mônica; Seldin, Lucy

2010-01-01

Biogenic souring and microbial-influenced corrosion is a common scenario in water-flooded petroleum reservoirs. Water injection systems are continuously treated to control bacterial contamination, but some bacteria that cause souring and corrosion can persist even after different treatments have been applied. Our aim was to increase our knowledge of the bacterial communities that persist in the water injection systems of three offshore oil platforms in Brazil. To achieve this goal, we used a culture-independent molecular approach (16S ribosomal RNA gene clone libraries) to analyze seawater samples that had been subjected to different treatments. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that the bacterial communities from the different platforms were taxonomically different. A predominance of bacterial clones affiliated with Gammaproteobacteria, mostly belonging to the genus Marinobacter (60.7%), were observed in the platform A samples. Clones from platform B were mainly related to the genera Colwellia (37.9%) and Achromobacter (24.6%), whereas clones obtained from platform C were all related to unclassified bacteria. Canonical correspondence analyses showed that different treatments such as chlorination, deoxygenation, and biocide addition did not significantly influence the bacterial diversity in the platforms studied. Our results demonstrated that the injection water used in secondary oil recovery procedures contained potentially hazardous bacteria, which may ultimately cause souring and corrosion.

AN ADVANCED FRACTURE CHARACTERIZATION AND WELL PATH NAVIGATION SYSTEM FOR EFFECTIVE RE-DEVELOPMENT AND ENHANCEMENT OF ULTIMATE RECOVERY FROM THE COMPLEX MONTEREY RESERVOIR OF SOUTH ELLWOOD FIELD, OFFSHORE CALIFORNIA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Steve Horner

2004-04-29

Venoco Inc, intends to re-develop the Monterey Formation, a Class III basin reservoir, at South Ellwood Field, Offshore Santa Barbara, California. Well productivity in this field varies significantly. Cumulative Monterey production for individual wells has ranged from 260 STB to 8,700,000 STB. Productivity is primarily affected by how well the well path connects with the local fracture system and the degree of aquifer support. Cumulative oil recovery to date is a small percentage of the original oil in place. To embark upon successful re-development and to optimize reservoir management, Venoco intends to investigate, map and characterize field fracture patterns and the reservoir conduit system. State of the art borehole imaging technologies including FMI, dipole sonic and cross-well seismic, interference tests and production logs will be employed to characterize fractures and micro faults. These data along with the existing database will be used for construction of a novel geologic model of the fracture network. Development of an innovative fracture network reservoir simulator is proposed to monitor and manage the aquifer's role in pressure maintenance and water production. The new fracture simulation model will be used for both planning optimal paths for new wells and improving ultimate recovery. In the second phase of this project, the model will be used for the design of a pilot program for downhole water re-injection into the aquifer simultaneously with oil production. Downhole water separation units attached to electric submersible pumps will be used to minimize surface fluid handling thereby improving recoveries per well and field economics while maintaining aquifer support. In cooperation with the DOE, results of the field studies as well as the new models developed and the fracture database will be shared with other operators. Numerous fields producing from the Monterey and analogous fractured reservoirs both onshore and offshore will benefit from the

The changing Arctic and its effects on the development of Norway and Russia's offshore oil-spill prevention policies

Science.gov (United States)

Bouffard, T. J.

2015-12-01

Two very different nations are joined with a northern border and have worked together for decades to manage shared Arctic affairs, yet have very disparate approaches to policy development. Increased access to the Arctic and the push to develop its resources has also created a requirement for developing national policies to address the possibilities of oil spill response and remediation. Norway and Russia are the significant regional powers, with a shared arctic boundary, yet substantially differing approaches to policy development and implementation. We are exploring the variations in their approaches to Arctic offshore oil-spill policy development, in the context of policy informed by economic, social, and physical sciences.

Investigating oiled birds from oil field waste pits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gregory, D.G.; Edwards, W.C.

1991-01-01

Procedures and results of investigations concerning the oiling of inland raptors, migratory water-fowl and other birds are presented. Freon washings from the oiled birds and oil from the pits were analyzed by gas chromatography. In most instances the source of the oil could be established by chromatographic procedures. The numbers of birds involved (including many on the endangered species list) suggested the need for netting or closing oil field waste pits and mud disposal pits. Maintaining a proper chain of custody was important

The features of oil & gas complex's strategic management and hydrocarbon products transportation at developing marine oil & gas fields in Arctic

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fadeev А. М.

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The paper considers some theoretical and practical issues of strategic management of oil and gas complex at the development of hydrocarbon resources in the Arctic offshore. The analysis of existing approaches in process and project management of oil and gas complex has been carried out taking into account characteristics of offshore projects in the Arctic zone. Considerable attention has been paid to the history and evolution of strategic management as an economic category, functional areas of strategic management at different levels of management have been proposed. The analysis of existing scientific works dedicated to the projects on the Arctic shelf, has shown insufficient development of the strategic management's theory and practice. In particular, the biggest part of the scientific studies is focused on studying issues of the management at the corporate level, at the same time questions at the level of the oil and gas complex are not considered. In existing studies, the project and process approaches to management are often opposed to each other, and according to the authors it is incorrect in relation to the management of the oil and gas complex on the Arctic shelf. The oil and gas complex is a complex and multilevel system that implements unprecedentedly difficult projects in terms of technology. The beginning of hydrocarbon production on the Arctic shelf is inextricably linked with the transportation of extracted raw materials to the processing and marketing sites; it complements the strategic management of the oil and gas complex by the features of organizing efficient transport and logistics solutions.

Offshore Gas in East Mediterranean: From Myth to Reality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boncourt, Maite de

2013-01-01

The wave of deep offshore and unconventional gas and oil exploration projects, rendered economically feasible by relatively high prices and new technologies, has reached the shores of the Mediterranean. Levantine countries, including Cyprus, Israel, Palestinian Territories, Lebanon, Syria, have new offshore gas potentials. A few years ago, the East Mediterranean energy situation looked gloomy. East Mediterranean countries, struggling to feed their growing domestic energy consumption, were forced to depend on neighbours like Egypt whose export gas pipeline kept on blowing or Syria which was unable to fulfil the export contracts it signed and they meanwhile had to buy LNG at world markets high spot prices or fuel their power stations with highly priced fuel oil or diesel. Long term prospects did not look good either as the ability of Egypt -the main regional supplier- to maintain gas export's volumes is being challenged by rising domestic demand. Israel in particular, given its tense relations with energy rich Arab countries was finding itself in a difficult situation to secure its supplies. The discoveries of giant gas fields offshore Israel, now followed by its neighbours who all started to explore their offshore, has changed the picture. Gas fields have provided these countries a great feeling of blessing as expected economic benefits will be massive and energy security improved - a major concern after Arab Revolutions have shaken established energy routes. The road leading to a change of energy paradigm in the East Mediterranean is however long and bumpy. Before these countries will be able to tap benefits from these deep water gas (and oil) resources, these countries will actually have to overcome significant geopolitical, regulatory and commercial hurdles. Energy laws and clear and attractive legal frameworks for exploration and production activities, will need to be set up, and sometimes from scratch. Infrastructures -so far almost inexistent- will have to be

Offshore Supply Industry Dynamics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Roslyng Olesen, Thomas

The value chains for offshore oil and gas and offshore wind are both basically driven by the demand for energy. This is heavily dependent on a number of factors including the price of various energy sources and the policy making of the states which influence legislation, indirect subsidies...... of services including includes legal advice, financing, insurance etc. The two value chains have a number of activities in common. Both include (1) a tender and concession phase where the energy company obtains the right to explore and produce energy from the authorities. (2) An exploration phase where...

Synthesis copolymer use to reduce pour point temperature of diamond crude oil

Science.gov (United States)

Than, Dao Viet; Chuong, Thai Hong; Tuy, Dao Quoc

2017-09-01

Diamond oil field is located in Block 01&02 Offshore Vietnam. Crude oil from Diamond Well Head Platform (WHP) is evacuated to FPSO via 20km 10" subsea flexible pipeline. The lowest seabed temperature in the field is 22°C, while the pour point temperature (PPT) of Diamond crude oil is very high (36°C) due to high paraffin content (25%). So studying to research a suitable Pour Point Depressant (PPD) for the crude oil is very important. The PPD must have ability to reduce pour point temperature of crude oil from 36°C to 21°C.

Component for articulated offshore loading towers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Backhaus, H.

1980-09-01

The construction of offshore natural gas liquefaction plants must be regarded as technically feasible and the marketing prospects for LNG - a source of clean burning energy - appear excellent. Nevertheless, the optimum loading procedure for LNG tankers in the - sometimes adverse - offshore environment is still a matter under discussion by the experts - with a tendency to adopt and adapt well-proven components from the offshore crude oil sector. Here, articulated towers are in use for tankerloading and the crude oil is pumped at ambient temperature through the cardan joint of the tower itself. In the case of the cryogenic liquid LNG, this method would entail intolerable risks. Leaks and subsequent LNG spills within the tower joint will cause low temperature-embrittlement and most likely damage the cardan connection at the tower's base plate on the sea bed. The described submarine joint for ultra-cold liquids, which has the same cardanic properties as the cardan joint of the tower is completely separated from the latter. Thus a cryogenic leakage in this submarine joint will under no circumstance reach and affect the tower cardan.

Program and abstracts of the offshore oil and gas environmental effects monitoring workshop : approaches and technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-01-01

The offshore petroleum industry in eastern Canada has expanded rapidly, with exploration and production activities taking place over a wide range of oceanographic conditions. This workshop, hosted by Canada's largest marine research institute, was held to advance the understanding of environmental impacts from offshore oil and gas activity. In particular, it examined how information derived from environmental effects monitoring (EEM) programs contribute to improved drilling and production operations, mitigation measures, and the revision of regulations for waste treatment. The workshop examined if EEM programs are providing valuable information, and how they can be improved. The themes of the 3 sessions which focused on ways to carry out EEM were: (1) EEM and environmental management, (2) EEM methodologies and lessons learned, and (3) EEM methodologies and technologies. Participants form around the world identified priority research needs and coordinated collaborative research efforts. Approximately 70 papers and posters were presented at the workshop, of which 19 have been indexed separately for inclusion in this database (Author)

General document environmental impact report (m.e.r.) oil and gas exploitation industry. Update and supplement of the general document; Generiek document m.e.r. offshore olie- en gaswinningsindustrie. Update en aanvulling van het generiek document environmental impact report (m.e.r.) offshore, 1999

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2008-04-15

The generic environmental impact assessment (EIA or MER in Dutch) in 1999 is intended to serve as a template for specific environmental impact assessments for oil and gas exploitation projects at sea. Since 1999, a number of innovations and changes were implemented. Particularly in offshore technologies and regulations new insights and ideas came up in recent years. Therefore the existing generic document has to be updated with new information, relevant in the preparation of specific environmental impact assessments in the offshore oil and gas exploitation industry in the Dutch part of the Continental Shelf [Dutch] De generieke milieu effect rapportage (MER) uit 1999 is bedoeld om te dienen als een sjabloon voor specifieke Milieueffectrapportages bij olie- en gaswinningprojecten op zee. Sinds 1999 is een aantal vernieuwingen en veranderingen doorgevoerd. Met name in offshore technologieen en wet- en regelgeving zijn de afgelopen jaren nieuwe inzichten en ideeen ontstaan. Hierdoor is de wens ontstaan om het bestaande generieke document aan te vullen met nieuwe informatie die relevant is voor het opstellen van specifieke Milieueffectrapportages in de offshore olie- en gaswinningsindustrie op het Nederlands deel van het Continentaal Plat.

Optimal Risk-Based Inspection Planning for Offshore Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rangel-Ramirez, Jose G.; Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

2008-01-01

, inspection and maintenance activities are developed. This paper considers aspects of inspection and maintenance planning of fatigue prone details in jacket and tripod types of wind turbine support structures. Based oil risk-based inspection planning methods used for oil & gas installations, a framework......Wind turbines for electricity production have increased significantly the last years both in production capability and size. This development is expected to continue also in the coining years. The Support structure for offshore wind turbines is typically a steel structure consisting of a tower...... for optimal inspection and maintenance planning of offshore wind turbines is presented. Special aspects for offshore wind turbines are considered: usually the wind loading are dominating the wave loading, wake effects in wind farms are important and the reliability level is typically significantly lower than...

RADIATION DOSE AND RISK TO RECREATIONAL FISHERMEN FROM INGESTION OF FISH CAUGHT NEAR EIGHT OIL PLATFORMS IN THE GULF OF MEXICO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

MEINHOLD,A.F.; HOLTZMAN,S.

1998-06-01

Offshore production of oil and gas is accompanied by a saline wastewater, called produced water. Produced water discharges to the Gulf of Mexico often contain elevated concentrations of radionuclides that occur naturally in the geologic reservoir along with the oil and gas. These radionuclides may accumulate in organisms that live near offshore oil and gas structures. Because recreational fishing in the Gulf of Mexico is concentrated near oil and gas platforms, there is the potential for increased risks to recreational fishermen from the ingestion of radionuclides in fish caught near produced water discharges. This analysis investigated the potential risk to recreational fishermen from radium and lead-210 in offshore produced water discharges to the Gulf of Mexico. The assessment used data collected at eight discharging offshore platforms and two reference locations. These data were collected in a USDOE funded project titled ``Environmental and Economic Assessment of Discharges from Gulf of Mexico Region Oil and Gas Operations'', here called the USDOE Field Study. The risk assessments were done to support risk managers in developing regulations and permits for offshore discharges of produced water.

Applications of Seasat to the offshore oil, gas and mining industries

Science.gov (United States)

Mourad, A. G.; Robinson, A. C.

1977-01-01

The NASA satellite Seasat-A (to be launched in 1978) has applications to the offshore oil, gas, and mining industries including: (1) improvements in weather and wave forecasting, (2) studies of past wind and wave statistics for planning design requirements, and (3) monitoring ice formation, breakup, and movement in arctic regions. The primary geographic areas which will be monitored by Seasat-A include: the Beaufort Sea, the Labrador Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. east coast, West Africa, Equatorial East Pacific, the Gulf of Alaska, and the North Sea. Seasat-A instrumentation used in ocean monitoring consists of a radar altimeter, a radar scatterometer, a synthetic aperture radar, a microwave radiometer, and a visible and infrared radiometer. The future outlook of the Seasat program is planned in three phases: measurement feasibility demonstration (1978-1980), data accessibility/utility demonstration (1980-1983), and operational system demonstration (1983-1985).

Integrated field modelling[Oil and gas fields

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nazarian, Bamshad

2002-07-01

This research project studies the feasibility of developing and applying an integrated field simulator to simulate the production performance of an entire oil or gas field. It integrates the performance of the reservoir, the wells, the chokes, the gathering system, the surface processing facilities and whenever applicable, gas and water injection systems. The approach adopted for developing the integrated simulator is to couple existing commercial reservoir and process simulators using available linking technologies. The simulators are dynamically linked and customised into a single hybrid application that benefits from the concept of open software architecture. The integrated field simulator is linked to an optimisation routine developed based on the genetic algorithm search strategies. This enables optimisation of the system at field level, from the reservoir to the process. Modelling the wells and the gathering network is achieved by customising the process simulator. This study demonstrated that the integrated simulation improves current capabilities to simulate the performance of the entire field and optimise its design. This is achieved by evaluating design options including spread and layout of the wells and gathering system, processing alternatives, reservoir development schemes and production strategies. Effectiveness of the integrated simulator is demonstrated and tested through several field-level case studies that discuss and investigate technical problems relevant to offshore field development. The case studies cover topics such as process optimisation, optimum tie-in of satellite wells into existing process facilities, optimal well location and field layout assessment of a high pressure high temperature deepwater oil field. Case study results confirm the viability of the total field simulator by demonstrating that the field performance simulation and optimal design were obtained in an automated process with treasonable computation time. No significant

Reverse logistics applied to offshore exploration drilling; A logistica reversa aplicada as operacoes de perfuracao exploratoria 'offshore'

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carvalho, Paulo Roberto dos Santos; Silva, Douglas Resende Teixeira da [Repsol YPF Brasil S.A. - Unidade de Negocios. Exploracao e Producao(Brazil); Moyano, Ignacio Sanchez [Universidad Politecnica de Madrid (Spain); Ferreira Filho, Virgilio Jose Martins; Valle, Rogerio [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), RJ (Brazil). Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-Graduacao de Engenharia (COPPE)

2008-07-01

Reverse Logistic manages the return of resources and related information to production unities, after their use. Nowadays, it includes a special focus on environmental implications of used products, such as waste recycling or disposal. This paper considers the feasibility of reverse logistics for offshore exploration drilling activities, involving environmental aspects such as recycling, reuse of products after utilization and reduction of raw materials requirements. Although in Brazil the environmental licensing demands oil companies to have an organized management of their waste (requiring a total control over the final destination of the waste), costs and possible returns for waste management are considered negligible, in face of high oil prices and limited availability of offshore drilling rigs. Consequently, any potential benefit from its efficient management, or even reuse or trade, is not taken into account during the operation planning stage. The paper proposes Life Cycle Management as a continuous improvement management system aimed to minimize the environmental and socio-economic burdens associated with oil offshore production throughout its entire life cycle and value chain, that could provide cost-cuts such as a reduction in raw materials needs through reuse of waste, or even as a real income if selling the waste and/or recycled materials. (author)

Development of Offshore Wind Recommended Practice for U.S. Waters: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Musial, W. D.; Sheppard, R. E.; Dolan, D.; Naughton, B.

2013-04-01

This paper discusses how the American Petroleum Institute oil and gas standards were interfaced with International Electrotechnical Commission and other wind turbine and offshore industry standards to provide guidance for reliable engineering design practices for offshore wind energy systems.

Economic impacts of oil spills: Spill unit costs for tankers, pipelines, refineries, and offshore facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

The impacts of oil spills -- ranging from the large, widely publicized Exxon Valdez tanker incident to smaller pipeline and refinery spills -- have been costly to both the oil industry and the public. For example, the estimated costs to Exxon of the Valdez tanker spill are on the order of $4 billion, including $2.8 billion (in 1993 dollars) for direct cleanup costs and $1.125 billion (in 1992 dollars) for settlement of damages claims caused by the spill. Application of contingent valuation costs and civil lawsuits pending in the State of Alaska could raise these costs appreciably. Even the costs of the much smaller 1991 oil spill at Texaco's refinery near Anacortes, Washington led to costs of $8 to 9 million. As a result, inexpensive waming, response and remediation technologies could lower oil spin costs, helping both the oil industry, the associated marine industries, and the environment. One means for reducing the impact and costs of oil spills is to undertake research and development on key aspects of the oil spill prevention, warming, and response and remediation systems. To target these funds to their best use, it is important to have sound data on the nature and size of spills, their likely occurrence and their unit costs. This information could then allow scarce R ampersand D dollars to be spent on areas and activities having the largest impact. This report is intended to provide the ''unit cost'' portion of this crucial information. The report examines the three key components of the US oil supply system, namely, tankers and barges; pipelines and refineries; and offshore production facilities. The specific purpose of the study was to establish the unit costs of oil spills. By manipulating this key information into a larger matrix that includes the size and frequency of occurrence of oil spills, it will be possible' to estimate the likely future impacts, costs, and sources of oil spills

Issues in offshore platform research - Part 1: Semi-submersibles

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, R.; Kim, Tae-Wan; Sha, O. P.; Misra, S. C.

2010-09-01

Availability of economic and efficient energy resources is crucial to a nation's development. Because of their low cost and advancement in drilling and exploration technologies, oil and gas based energy systems are the most widely used energy source throughout the world. The inexpensive oil and gas based energy systems are used for everything, i.e., from transportation of goods and people to the harvesting of crops for food. As the energy demand continues to rise, there is strong need for inexpensive energy solutions. An offshore platform is a large structure that is used to house workers and machinery needed to drill wells in the ocean bed, extract oil and/or natural gas, process the produced fluids, and ship or pipe them to shore. Depending on the circumstances, the offshore platform can be fixed (to the ocean floor) or can consist of an artificial island or can float. Semi-submersibles are used for various purposes in offshore and marine engineering, e.g. crane vessels, drilling vessels, tourist vessels, production platforms and accommodation facilities, etc. The challenges of deepwater drilling have further motivated the researchers to design optimum choices for semi-submersibles for a chosen operating depth. In our series of eight papers, we discuss the design and production aspects of all the types of offshore platforms. In the present part I, we present an introduction and critical analysis of semi-submersibles.

The Netherlands: development of oil and gas reserves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

Oil was first discovered in The Netherlands in the late 1930s near The Hague. Later the larger onshore field at Schoonebeek was found. In the 1960s significant resources of oil were discovered in the Dutch sector of the North Sea. However onshore oil still provides about 20% of the nation's requirements. In the 1960s the vast size of the onshore Groningen gas field became apparent and its subsequent development has provided the Dutch with a huge source of wealth. In recent years the Dutch Continental Shelf has also yielded substantial reserves of gas, although these are not yet as important as the onshore gas reserves. Dutch Government policy is designed to encourage the development of smaller offshore gas fields thereby conserving the Gronigen field. Dutch oil and gas production, licensing and drilling activities are discussed, and the prospects for British suppliers is considered. (author)

The use of environmental assessments in the Brae field development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grogan, W.C.

1991-01-01

This paper reviews the principle environmental aspects associated with North Sea offshore oil and gas development and through the case history of Marathon Oil UK's Brae Field Development illustrates the scope and function of environmental assessments as applied to offshore developments. Details of the approach taken are described including the chronological evolution of the scope and aims of individual assessments. Examples of discharge inventory preparation, effluent and receiving environment monitoring programs, audits and inspections and procedures are described. The role of these components in the development of environmental management systems is discussed

Observation of high-resolution wind fields and offshore wind turbine wakes using TerraSAR-X imagery

Science.gov (United States)

Gies, Tobias; Jacobsen, Sven; Lehner, Susanne; Pleskachevsky, Andrey

2014-05-01

1. Introduction Numerous large-scale offshore wind farms have been built in European waters and play an important role in providing renewable energy. Therefore, knowledge of behavior of wakes, induced by large wind turbines and their impact on wind power output is important. The spatial variation of offshore wind turbine wake is very complex, depending on wind speed, wind direction, ambient atmospheric turbulence and atmospheric stability. In this study we demonstrate the application of X-band TerraSAR-X (TS-X) data with high spatial resolution for studies on wind turbine wakes in the near and far field of the offshore wind farm Alpha Ventus, located in the North Sea. Two cases which different weather conditions and different wake pattern as observed in the TS-X image are presented. 2. Methods The space-borne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is a unique sensor that provides two-dimensional information on the ocean surface. Due to their high resolution, daylight and weather independency and global coverage, SARs are particularly suitable for many ocean and coastal applications. SAR images reveal wind variations on small scales and thus represent a valuable means in detailed wind-field analysis. The general principle of imaging turbine wakes is that the reduced wind speed downstream of offshore wind farms modulates the sea surface roughness, which in turn changes the Normalized Radar Cross Section (NRCS, denoted by σ0) in the SAR image and makes the wake visible. In this study we present two cases at the offshore wind farm Alpha Ventus to investigate turbine-induced wakes and the retrieved sea surface wind field. Using the wind streaks, visible in the TS-X image and the shadow behind the offshore wind farm, induced by turbine wake, the sea surface wind direction is derived and subsequently the sea surface wind speed is calculated using the latest generation of wind field algorithm XMOD2. 3. Case study alpha ventus Alpha Ventus is located approximately 45 km from the

Oil spill modeling input to the offshore environmental cost model (OECM) for US-BOEMRE's spill risk and costs evaluations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

French McCay, Deborah; Reich, Danielle; Rowe, Jill; Schroeder, Melanie; Graham, Eileen

2011-01-01

This paper simulates the consequences of oil spills using a planning model known as the Offshore Environmental Cost Model (OECM). This study aims at creating various predictive models for possible oil spill scenarios in marine waters. A crucial part of this investigation was the SIMAP model. It analyzes the distance and the direction covered by the spill under certain test conditions, generating a regression equation that simulates the impact of the spill. Tests were run in two different regions; the Mid-Atlantic region and the Chukchi Sea. Results showed that the higher wind speeds and higher water temperature of the Mid-Atlantic region had greater impact on wildlife and the water column respectively. However, short-line impact was higher in the Chukchi area due to the multi-directional wind. It was also shown that, because of their higher diffusivity in water, lighter crude oils had more impact than heavier oils. It was suggested that this model could ultimately be applied to other oil spill scenarios happening under similar conditions.

Impact of oil on the marine environment: policy of the Paris Commission on operational discharges from the offshore industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nihoul, C.; Ducrotoy, J.-P.

1994-01-01

The input of oil to the North Sea due to the offshore industry has been estimated at 29% of the total input of oil. The operational discharges consist of production water and drilling cuttings. An overview of statistics collected over the last 10 years shows that although the amount of oil discharged via production water is increasing as platforms are getting older, cuttings still account for 75% of the oil entering the sea as a result of normal operations. Spills represent a relatively small source of oil. The effects on the marine environment of discharges of production water and of discarded oily cuttings have been extensively studied, by national authorities as well as by the industry. Although it has not always been possible to reach consensus about the significance of the observed effects, a number of 'agreed facts' have led to the establishment of regulations in the framework of the Paris Commission. The 'decisions' and 'recommendations' adopted by the Commission are regularly reviewed in the light of new developments. (author)

Screening of Geomechanical Risks for Malaysian Development Field

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Syed Najmuddin Syed Muhammad Syafiq

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Deeper drilling and exploitation of difficult reservoir is the new trend in oil and gas industry. Geomechanics study has, therefore, become a new requirement particularly for oil and gas field development. However, a complete geomechanics study is limited with the number of experts, time consuming and not a straightforward task. Therefore, there is an urgent need of a quick geomechanics screening criterion to be used as a standard guideline to evaluate the high level geomechanical risks and suitable analysis can be recommended for the identified development fields. The aim of this paper is to propose a screening criterion for geomechanical risks study based on four key parameters, drilling, depletion, injection and storage and sand production. The screening approach is designed based on Risk Assessment Matrix (RAM risk screening where the likelihood is based on a set of scores developed to specific questions. The consequence for each failure scenarios is assessed based on educated estimation of the impact towards people, asset, environment and reputation. Recommendations for geomechanical study are made based on the severity of each failure category on the RAM risk matrix. Fourteen development fields in offshore Peninsular Malaysia, offshore Sarawak and offshore Sabah are selected for the assessment. Based on results, fields in offshore Sarawak and Sabah have higher potential for geomechacnical issues mainly because of their geological settings and formation characteristics. A set of geomechanical study is proposed for each individual field for prudent management of potential geomechanics risk associated with the depletion and EOR injection scheme planned for the fields.

Methodologies, solutions, and lessons learned from heavy oil well testing with an ESP, offshore UK in the Bentley field, block 9/3b

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brennan, Barny; Lucas-Clements, Charles; Kew, Steve [Xcite Energy Resources (United Kingdom); Shumakov, Yakov; Camilleri, Lawrence; Akuanyionwu, Obinna; Tonoglu, Ahmet [Schlumberger (United Kingdom)

2011-07-01

Over the past decade, there has been an increase in hydrocarbon demand that led to the production of heavy oil fields in the United Kingdom continental shelf (UKCS). Most of the activity has been confined to exploration and appraisal drilling, the reason being the high uncertainty of the reservoir and fluid properties. Due to the operational complexity inherent to heavy oil, the use of conventional appraisal-well testing technology is limited. A novel technique developed to determine the most appropriate technology for testing wells with heavy oil using an electrical submersible pump (ESP) is presented in this paper. This technique was applied in the Bentley field. Some of the technical challenges include, maintaining fluid mobility using a surface-testing equipment, obtaining accurate flow measurements, a short weather window, and oil and gas separation for metering. Combining technologies such as dual-energy gamma ray venturi multiphase flowmeter, realtime monitoring, and ESP completion made it possible to execute the well test.

Natural Offshore Oil Seepage and Related Tarball Accumulation on the California Coastline - Santa Barbara Channel and the Southern Santa Maria Basin: Source Identification and Inventory

Science.gov (United States)

Lorenson, T.D.; Hostettler, Frances D.; Rosenbauer, Robert J.; Peters, Kenneth E.; Dougherty, Jennifer A.; Kvenvolden, Keith A.; Gutmacher, Christina E.; Wong, Florence L.; Normark, William R.

2009-01-01

Oil spillage from natural sources is very common in the waters of southern California. Active oil extraction and shipping is occurring concurrently within the region and it is of great interest to resource managers to be able to distinguish between natural seepage and anthropogenic oil spillage. The major goal of this study was to establish the geologic setting, sources, and ultimate dispersal of natural oil seeps in the offshore southern Santa Maria Basin and Santa Barbara Basins. Our surveys focused on likely areas of hydrocarbon seepage that are known to occur between Point Arguello and Ventura, California. Our approach was to 1) document the locations and geochemically fingerprint natural seep oils or tar; 2) geochemically fingerprint coastal tar residues and potential tar sources in this region, both onshore and offshore; 3) establish chemical correlations between offshore active seeps and coastal residues thus linking seep sources to oil residues; 4) measure the rate of natural seepage of individual seeps and attempt to assess regional natural oil and gas seepage rates; and 5) interpret the petroleum system history for the natural seeps. To document the location of sub-sea oil seeps, we first looked into previous studies within and near our survey area. We measured the concentration of methane gas in the water column in areas of reported seepage and found numerous gas plumes and measured high concentrations of methane in the water column. The result of this work showed that the seeps were widely distributed between Point Conception east to the vicinity of Coal Oil Point, and that they by in large occur within the 3-mile limit of California State waters. Subsequent cruises used sidescan and high resolution seismic to map the seafloor, from just south of Point Arguello, east to near Gaviota, California. The results of the methane survey guided the exploration of the area west of Point Conception east to Gaviota using a combination of seismic instruments. The

Comparative study of the sources of exergy destruction on four North Sea oil and gas platforms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Voldsund, Mari; Nguyen, Tuong-Van; Elmegaard, Brian

2013-01-01

temperatures and pressures, gas- and water-to-oil ratios in the feed, crude oil properties, product specifications and recovery strategies. These differences imply that some platforms naturally need less power for oil and gas processing than others. Reservoir properties and composition also vary over......In this paper, the oil and gas processing systems on four North Sea offshore platforms are reported and discussed. Sources of exergy destruction are identified and the findings for the different platforms are compared. Different platforms have different working conditions, such as reservoir...... the lifetime of an oil field, and to maintain the efficiency of an offshore platform is therefore challenging. In practice, variations in the process feed result in the use of control strategies such as anti-surge recycling, which cause additional power consumption and exergy destruction. For all four...

On the use of risk acceptance criteria in the offshore oil and gas industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aven, Terje; Vinnem, Jan Erik

2005-01-01

Risk acceptance criteria, as upper limits of acceptable risks, have been used for offshore activities on the Norwegian Continental Shelf for more than 20 years. The common thinking has been that risk analyses and assessments cannot be conducted in a meaningful way without the use of such criteria. The ALARP principle also applies, but the risk acceptance criteria have played a more active role in the assessment processes than seen for example in the UK. Recently there has, however, been a discussion about the suitability of risk acceptance criteria to assess and control risks. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to this discussion by presenting and discussing a risk analysis regime that is not based on the use of risk acceptance criteria at all. We believe that we can do better if cost-effectiveness (in a wide sense) is the ruling thinking rather than adoption of pre-defined risk acceptance limits. This means a closer resemblance with the ALARP principle as adopted in the UK and other countries, but is not a direct application of this practice. Also the building blocks of the common way of applying the ALARP principle are reviewed. The Norwegian offshore oil and gas industry is the starting point, but the discussion is to large extent general

On the definition of exergy efficiencies for petroleum systems: Application to offshore oil and gas processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen, Tuong-Van; Voldsund, Mari; Elmegaard, Brian; Ertesvåg, Ivar Ståle; Kjelstrup, Signe

2014-01-01

Exergy-based efficiencies are measures of the thermodynamic perfection of systems and processes. A meaningful formulation of these performance criteria for petroleum systems is difficult because of (i) the high chemical exergy of hydrocarbons, (ii) the large variety of chemical components, and (iii) the differences in operating conditions between facilities. This work focuses on offshore processing plants, considering four oil platforms that differ by their working conditions and designs. Several approaches from the scientific literature for similar processes are presented and applied to the four cases. They showed a low sensitivity to performance improvements, gave inconsistent results, or favoured facilities operating under certain conditions. We suggest an alternative formulation, called the component-by-component exergy efficiency, which builds on the decomposition of the exergy flows at the level of the chemical compounds. It allows therefore for sound comparisons of separation systems, while it successfully evaluates their theoretical improvement potentials. The platform displaying the lowest efficiency (1.7%) is characterised by little pumping and compression works, at the opposite of the one displaying the highest performance (29.6%). A more realistic measure of the technical potential for improving these systems can be carried out by splitting further the exergy destruction into its avoidable and unavoidable parts. - Highlights: • Different exergy efficiency definitions for petroleum systems are reviewed. • These definitions are applied to four oil and gas platforms and are revealed to be inapplicable. • A new formulation, namely the component-by-component efficiency, is proposed. • The performance of the offshore platforms under study varies between 1.7% and 29.6%

Offshore Outlook: the European Side Perspectives offshore : le point de vue européen

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Delacour J.

2006-11-01

Full Text Available The offshore hydrocarbon potential of Europe was fully revealed during the 1970s by various major discoveries which, after the first oil shock in 1973 and in the light of the high energy consumption in this zone, were a major asset in the new equilibria that would be found between producing and consuming countries. The offshore potential of Europe is concentrated in two zones: the North Sea and the Mediterranean. The North Sea, with the particularly harsh operating conditions, has quickly given rise to what can today be qualified as a new engineering state-of-the-art. At the same time, developments in the Mediterranean have brought a demonstration of entirely original and profitable petroleum achievements. For the future and despite current economic uncertainties, the outlook for European offshore development remain particularly attractive, obviously with regard to oil, but also, and more and more so, from the standpoint of natural gas. Le potentiel offshore en hydrocarbures de l'Europe a été pleinement mis en évidence au cours des années 70 par un certain nombre de grandes découvertes qui constituaient, après le premier choc pétrolier de 1973, compte tenu des fortes consommations d'énergie dans cette zone, un atout majeur dans les nouveaux équilibres qui s'instauraient entre pays producteurs et pays consommateurs. Le potentiel offshore de l'Europe se concentre sur deux zones : la mer du Nord et la Méditerranée. La mer du Nord, avec des conditions d'exploitation particulièrement sévères, a donné rapidement naissance à ce que l'on peut, aujourd'hui, qualifier de nouvel art de l'ingénieur, tandis que les développements en Méditerranée apportaient la démonstration de réalisations pétrolières tout à fait originales et profitables. Pour le futur, et malgré les incertitudes économiques actuelles, les perspectives de développement de l'offshore européen restent particulièrement attractives, au niveau du pétrole �

The EU Offshore Safety Directive and its potential effects. Opportunity or handicap?; Die EU Offshore Safety Directive und ihre moeglichen Auswirkungen. Chance oder Handicap?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schwiederowski, Claudia [RWE Dea AG, Hamburg (Germany)

2014-07-01

The purpose of the EU Offshore Safety Directive, which took effect on 18 July 2013, is to define minimum requirements for the prevention of severe accidents in connection with offshore crude oil or natural gas activities of any kind and the containment of the follow-on effects of such accidents. This is without question a logical consequence of the offshore incidents seen around the globe over the past decades. An interesting question in this context is for whom the EU Offshore Safety Directive has become an opportunity and for whom a handicap. [German] Ziel der am 18. Juli 2013 in Kraft getretenen EU Offshore Safety Direktive ist die Festlegung von Mindestanforderungen fuer die Verhinderung schwerer Unfaelle bei Offshore-Erdoel- bzw. - Erdgasaktivitaeten und die Begrenzung etwaiger Unfallfolgen. Nach den weltweiten Offshore- Ereignissen der vergangenen Jahrzehnte ist dies ohne Zweifel eine logische Entwicklung. Nun stellt sich die Frage: Fuer wen entwickelt sich die EU Offshore Safety Directive zur Chance, fuer wen zum Handicap?.

Satellite data lift the veil on offshore platforms in the South China Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yongxue; Sun, Chao; Sun, Jiaqi; Li, Hongyi; Zhan, Wenfeng; Yang, Yuhao; Zhang, Siyu

2016-01-01

Oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea (SCS) has garnered global attention recently; however, uncertainty regarding the accurate number of offshore platforms in the SCS, let alone their detailed spatial distribution and dynamic change, may lead to significant misjudgment of the true status of offshore hydrocarbon production in the region. Using both fresh and archived space-borne images with multiple resolutions, we enumerated the number, distribution, and annual rate of increase of offshore platforms across the SCS. Our results show that: (1) a total of 1082 platforms are present in the SCS, mainly located in shallow-water; and (2) offshore oil/gas exploitation in the SCS is increasing in intensity and advancing from shallow to deep water, and even to ultra-deep-water. Nevertheless, our findings suggest that oil and gas exploration in the SCS may have been over-estimated by one-third in previous reports. However, this overestimation does not imply any amelioration of the potential for future maritime disputes, since the rate of increase of platforms in disputed waters is twice that in undisputed waters. PMID:27641542

Satellite data lift the veil on offshore platforms in the South China Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yongxue; Sun, Chao; Sun, Jiaqi; Li, Hongyi; Zhan, Wenfeng; Yang, Yuhao; Zhang, Siyu

2016-09-01

Oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea (SCS) has garnered global attention recently; however, uncertainty regarding the accurate number of offshore platforms in the SCS, let alone their detailed spatial distribution and dynamic change, may lead to significant misjudgment of the true status of offshore hydrocarbon production in the region. Using both fresh and archived space-borne images with multiple resolutions, we enumerated the number, distribution, and annual rate of increase of offshore platforms across the SCS. Our results show that: (1) a total of 1082 platforms are present in the SCS, mainly located in shallow-water; and (2) offshore oil/gas exploitation in the SCS is increasing in intensity and advancing from shallow to deep water, and even to ultra-deep-water. Nevertheless, our findings suggest that oil and gas exploration in the SCS may have been over-estimated by one-third in previous reports. However, this overestimation does not imply any amelioration of the potential for future maritime disputes, since the rate of increase of platforms in disputed waters is twice that in undisputed waters.

Oil and gas leasing/production program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heimberger, M.L.

1992-01-01

As the Congress declared in the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act the natural gas and oil production from the Outer Continental Shelf constitutes an important part of the Nation's domestic energy supply. Federal offshore minerals are administered within the Department of the Interior by the Minerals Management Service (MMS), which provides access to potential new sources of natural gas and oil offshore by conducting lease sales. Each year, on or before March 31, the MMS presents to Congress a fiscal year annual report on the Federal offshore natural gas and oil leasing and production program. In FY 1991, this program was the third largest producer of non-tax revenue for the US Treasury, contributing more than $3 billion. This report presents Federal offshore leasing, sales, production, and exploration activities, and environmental monitoring activities

Analysis of Wave Fields induced by Offshore Pile Driving

Science.gov (United States)

Ruhnau, M.; Heitmann, K.; Lippert, T.; Lippert, S.; von Estorff, O.

2015-12-01

Impact pile driving is the common technique to install foundations for offshore wind turbines. With each hammer strike the steel pile - often exceeding 6 m in diameter and 80 m in length - radiates energy into the surrounding water and soil, until reaching its targeted penetration depth. Several European authorities introduced limitations regarding hydroacoustic emissions during the construction process to protect marine wildlife. Satisfying these regulations made the development and application of sound mitigation systems (e.g. bubble curtains or insulation screens) inevitable, which are commonly installed within the water column surrounding the pile or even the complete construction site. Last years' advances have led to a point, where the seismic energy tunneling the sound mitigation systems through the soil and radiating back towards the water column gains importance, as it confines the maximum achievable sound mitigation. From an engineering point of view, the challenge of deciding on an effective noise mitigation layout arises, which especially requires a good understanding of the soil-dependent wave field. From a geophysical point of view, the pile acts like a very unique line source, generating a characteristic wave field dominated by inclined wave fronts, diving as well as head waves. Monitoring the seismic arrivals while the pile penetration steadily increases enables to perform quasi-vertical seismic profiling. This work is based on datasets that have been collected within the frame of three comprehensive offshore measurement campaigns during pile driving and demonstrates the potential of seismic arrivals induced by pile driving for further soil characterization.

English-Chinese oil field dictionary. [English-Chinese

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gow, S [comp.

1979-01-01

In this edition the original English-Chinese Oil Field Dictionary was modified line by line and major additions and deletions were made. A total of 37,000 terms and phrases were collected. The following disciplines were included: petroleum geology, earth physics and detection, well prospecting and measuring, development of oil fields, oil recovery, oil storage and transport, etc. In addition, a limited number of common scientific terms, phrases and terminologies were also included.

Hydrocarbons and trace metals in mussels in the Macaé coast: Preliminary assessment for a coastal zone under influence of offshore oil field exploration in southeastern Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Santiago, Igor U; Molisani, Mauricio M; Nudi, Adriana H; Scofield, Artur L; Wagener, Angela de L R; Limaverde Filho, Aricelso M

2016-02-15

Concentrations of PAHs and metals were obtained from mussels collected in beaches, coastal island and estuary of the Macaé coast, the main operational basin for offshore oil exploration in Brazil. This survey provides reference levels for scenarios of increasing exploration, as well as for other areas of the coast undergoing urbanization to support exploration. As expected, urban areas such as the Macaé river estuary presented high concentrations of PAHs, although unsuspected sites such the island also presented signs of contamination. PAH in mussels originated from pyrolytic and petrogenic sources. Metals were typical of non-contaminated coastal environments, although Cr concentrations were above Brazilian Reference Levels. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Oil and gas field development: an NOC perspective

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kronman, George [Halliburton Energy Services (United States). Landmark Division

2004-07-01

Every day, oil companies around the world face real-life field development and management problems like the ones described above. Making timely and well-informed field development decisions are among the most important decisions the management of any oil company can make. The field development phase of the oil and gas life cycle extends from the discovery of a hydrocarbon deposit through initial production. It also includes revitalization of mature and marginal fields. Field development projects require the greatest level of cross-disciplinary integration and the largest investment decisions in the entire oil field life cycle. The ultimate economic success or failure of most fields is set by the quality of decisions made during field development. Oil companies take many different approaches to field development based on unique business drivers, their asset portfolio mix and risk tolerance, access to data and experienced manpower, adoption of technology, availability of capital, ownership, management style and so on. This paper focuses on understanding and addressing the particular field development challenges facing NOCs today. (author)

Investigation of Amourphous Deposits and Potential Corrosion Mechanisms in Offshore Water Injection Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eroini, Violette; Oehler, Mike Christian; Graver, Britt Kathrine

2017-01-01

Increasing incidence of amorphous deposits in both production and water injection systems has caused considerable problems for offshore oil fields. Amorphous deposits, which are a widely recognized, but often poorly explained phenomenon, are typically comprised of both organic (biological...... or hydrocarbons) and inorganic material, but with compositions that vary considerably. One recurrent form of deposits, found in offshore water injection flowlines and wells, consisting mainly of magnetite as the corrosion product, was further investigated with the objectives of explaining its formation......, composed of both organic and inorganic compounds, has caused concerns within operating assets due to the detrimental effect on production and injection, in addition to challenges with intervention and integrity. The variety of deposits and poor understanding of their nature has led to confusion...

Design of Offshore Wind Turbine Support Structures: Selected topics in the field of geotechnical engineering

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bakmar, Christian LeBlanc

.D. thesis was to enable low-cost and low-risk support structures to be designed in order to improve the economic feasibility of future offshore wind farms. The research work was divided in the following four selected research topics in the field of geotechnical engineering, relating to the monopile......Breaking the dependence on fossil fuels offers many opportunities for strengthened competitiveness, technological development and progress. Offshore wind power is a domestic, sustainable and largely untapped energy resource that provides an alternative to fossil fuels, reduces carbon emissions......, and decreases the economic and supply risks associated with reliance on imported fuels. Today, the modern offshore wind turbine offers competitive production prices for renewable energy and is therefore a key technology in achieving the energy and climate goals of the future. The overall aim of this Ph...

Issues in offshore platform research - Part 1: Semi-submersibles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Sharma

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Availability of economic and efficient energy resources is crucial to a nation's development. Because of their low cost and advancement in drilling and exploration technologies, oil and gas based energy systems are the most widely used energy source throughout the world. The inexpensive oil and gas based energy systems are used for everything, i.e., from transportation of goods and people to the harvesting of crops for food. As the energy demand continues to rise, there is strong need for inexpensive energy solutions. An offshore platform is a large structure that is used to house workers and machinery needed to drill wells in the ocean bed, extract oil and/or natural gas, process the produced fluids, and ship or pipe them to shore. Depending on the circumstances, the offshore platform can be fixed (to the ocean floor or can consist of an artificial island or can float. Semi-submersibles are used for various purposes in offshore and marine engineering, e.g. crane vessels, drilling vessels, tourist vessels, production platforms and accommodation facilities, etc. The challenges of deepwater drilling have further motivated the researchers to design optimum choices for semi-submersibles for a chosen operating depth. In our series of eight papers, we discuss the design and production aspects of all the types of offshore platforms. In the present part I, we present an introduction and critical analysis of semi-submersibles.

Oil and gas field code master list, 1993

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1993-12-16

This document contains data collected through October 1993 and provides standardized field name spellings and codes for all identified oil and/or gas fields in the United States. Other Federal and State government agencies, as well as industry, use the EIA Oil and Gas Field Code Master List as the standard for field identification. A machine-readable version of the Oil and Gas Field Code Master List is available from the National Technical Information Service.

Kashagan oil field development. Kazakhstan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Urbaniak, D.; Gerebizza, E.; Wasse, G.; Kochladze, M.

2007-12-01

Based on our research and field investigations of the Kashagan oil field development and relevant infrastructure in the Atyrau and Mangistau regions of Kazakhstan (cities and vicinities of Aktau, Atash, Atyrau, Bautino, Bolashak, Karabatan and Koshanai) evidence has been collected that raises serious concerns about environmental, social and health effects of this oil field development - such as sulphur emissions and storage which may pose serious threats for the communities close to the Kashagan oil facilities and for the Caspian Sea environment. Furthermore, since becoming the single Operator of the North Caspian Sea Production Sharing Agreement (PSA), the Agip Kazakhstan North Caspian Operating Company N.V. (Agip KCO) has failed to release all information available on the environmental, health and social impacts of its operations in the Kashagan oil field. As requested by the local communities and required by Constitution of Kazakhstan Republic and Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters ratified by Kazakhstan in 2001, such information must be made available. There is also a growing concern among the civil society that the European Commission through its officials is publicly expressing support to European oil companies' members of the Agip KCO despite their failure to fulfil basic environmental regulations. This continued support contradicts the European Union's fundamental values and frequent statements related to Human Rights and Sustainable Development. Thousands of people have already been relocated in the region because of sulphur emissions and other highly poisonous chemicals such as mercaptans, which are present at very high levels in Northern Caspian oil. Unprotected storage of large quantities of sulphur is also recognised as a major cause of acid rain on a global level. This Report implores Agip KCO to release all available and required information on the

Chronology and backtracking of oil slick trajectory to source in offshore environments using ultraspectral to multispectral remotely sensed data

Science.gov (United States)

Lammoglia, Talita; Souza Filho, Carlos Roberto de

2015-07-01

Offshore natural seepage confirms the occurrence of an active petroleum system with thermal maturation and migration, regardless its economic viability for petroleum production. Ocean dynamics, however, impose a challenge for correlation between oil seeps detected on the water surface and its source at the ocean floor. This hinders the potential use of seeps in petroleum exploration. The present study aims to estimate oil exposure time on the water surface via remote sensing in order to help locating ocean floor seepage sources. Spectral reflectance properties of a variety of fresh crude oils, oil films on water and oil-water emulsions were determined. Their spectral identity was used to estimate the duration of exposure of oil-water emulsions based on their temporal spectral responses. Laboratory models efficiently predicted oil status using ultraspectral (>2000 bands), hyperspectral (>300 bands), and multispectral (oil seepage recorded by the ASTER sensor on the Brazilian coast was used to test the designed predictive model. Results indicate that the model can successfully forecast the timeframe of crude oil exposure in the ocean (i.e., the relative "age" of the seepage). The limited spectral resolution of the ASTER sensor, though, implies less accurate estimates compared to higher resolution sensors. The spectral libraries and the method proposed here can be reproduced for other oceanic areas in order to approximate the duration of exposure of noticeable natural oil seepages. This type of information is optimal for seepage tracing and, therefore, for oceanic petroleum exploration and environmental monitoring.

Deepwater offshore windfarm. Design fabrication and installation study. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2004-07-01

This report discusses the plans and benefits of using the Beatrice oil field installation for the development of the offshore Beatrice windfarm in the Moray Firth. The development of an economic support structure for wind turbine generators to allow development of deepwater wind farms was investigated, and the screening of structural designs, and the analysis of fatigue, fabrication and installation considerations is described. Details are given of the recommendation for a further examination of two structural designs as options for the Beatrice windfarm development, the estimated costs, and the results of an environmental review.

Viet Nam steps up offshore E and D push

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

This paper reports on Viet Nam's offshore exploration and development. Hanoi tentatively awarded three of five remaining blocks of prime offshore South China Sea acreage to companies from Europe and the Far East, with a fourth such award reported imminent. And state owned Petrovietnam signed a production sharing contract (PSC) covering acreage in the same area to a combine of British Petroleum Co. plc and Norway's Den norske stats oljeselskap AS. Retention of one block in the area covered by Viet Nam's second bidding round fueled speculation Hanoi is holding it in reserve for U.S. companies to enter bidding, pending easing of U.S. trade sanctions against Viet Nam, Agence France France (AFP) reported. Second round blocks have been carved from a concession held by Vietsovpetro, a joint venture of Petrovietnam and the former Soviet Union. All are in the southern Con Sun basin of the South China Sea off the port of Vung Tao and on trend with Viet Nam's only producing oil fields

Neutron scattering studies of crude oil viscosity reduction with electric field

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Enpeng

data that contains information on the properties of a sample. We can analyze the data acquisition from the detectors and get the information on size, shape, etc. This is why we choose SANS as our research tool. The world's top energy problems are security concerns, climate concerns and environmental concerns. So far, oil (37%) is still the No.1 fuel in world energy consumption (Oil 37%, Coal 25%, Bio-fuels 0.2%, Gas 23%, Nuclear 6%, Biomass 4%, Hydro 3%, Solar heat 0.5%, Wind 0.3%, Geothermal 0.2% and Solar photovoltaic 0.04%). Even more and more alternative energy: bio-fuels, nuclear and solar energy will be used in the future, but nuclear energy has a major safety issue after the Japanese Fukushima I nuclear accidents, and other energies contribute only a small percent. Thus, it is very important to improve the efficiency and reduce the population of petroleum products. There is probably one thing that we can all agree on: the world's energy reserves are not unlimited. Even though it is limited, only 30% of the oil reserves is conventional oil, so in order to produce, transport, and refine of heavy crude oil without wasting huge amounts of energy, we need to reduce the viscosity without using high temperature stream heating or diluent; As more and more off-shore oil is exploited at that we need reduce the viscosity without increasing temperature. The whole petroleum consumed in U.S. in 2009 was 18.7 million barrels per day and 35% of all the energy we consumed. Diesel is one of the very important fossil fuel which is about 20% of petroleum consumed. Most of the world's oils are non-conventional, 15 % of heavy oil, 25 % of extra heavy oil, 30 % of the oil sands and bitumen, and the conventional oil reserves is only 30%. The oil sand is closely related to the heavy crude oil, the main difference being that oil sands generally do not flow at all. For efficient energy production and conservation, how to lower the liquated fuel and crude oil viscosity is a very important

Oil spills

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Katsouros, M.H.

1992-01-01

The world annually transports 1.7 billion tons of oil by sea, and oil spills, often highly concentrated discharges, are increasing from a variety of sources. The author discusses sources of oils spills: natural; marine transportation; offshore oil production; atmospheric sources; municipal industrial wastes and runoff. Other topics include: the fate of the spilled oil; the effects of the oil; the response to oil spills; and prevention of oil spills. 30 refs., 1 fig., 4 tabs

RBI Optimization of Offshore Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ramírez, José G. Rangel; Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

2009-01-01

methods for oil & gas installations, a framework for optimal inspection and maintenance planning of offshore wind turbines is presented. Special aspects for offshore wind turbines considered are the fatigue loading characteristics where usually the wind loading are dominating the wave loading, wake......Wind turbines for electricity production have increased significantly the last years both in production capability and size. This development is expected to continue also in the coming years. Offshore wind turbines with an electricity production of 5-10 MW are planned. Typically, the wind turbine...... support structure is a steel structure consisting of a tower and a monopile, tripod or jacket type foundation. This paper considers aspects of inspection and maintenance planning of fatigue prone details in jacket and tripod type of wind turbine support structures. Based on risk-based inspection planning...

Project alliancing in the offshore industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Halman, J.I.M.; Braks, B.F.M.

1999-01-01

In this paper the shift towards new types of project organisation within the offshore industry is explained and discussed. Special focus is given to the organisational concept of project alliancing. The principles, structure and culture of a project alliance as applied within the offshore industry are described. In the paper the organisational concept of project alliancing is discussed on its potential to reduce project costs and enhance profits, both for the operator (oil and gas company) as well as for participating contractors. A risk and reward mechanism developed to share project risks and rewards between allied parties is explained for an alliance case. Based upon an in-depth study carried out within a contractor company in the offshore industry the organisational and financial implications of project alliancing are presented. (author)

Efficiency Assessment of Economic International Cooperation in Development of Arctic Offshore Oil and Gas Resources

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Polina V. Beresneva

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The research is focused on efficiency assessment of economic cooperation in development of Arctic offshore oil and gas resources. The author developed an economic model based on cost-benefit analysis (CBA. CBA is used in some countries (EU, USA, Australia as an analytic tool to make public policy decisions. CBA is based on the method of discounting cash flows associated with costs and benefits of public policy. It is assumed that all public goals are equally important inter alia, hence public bodies should opt for those initiatives that maximize public benefits for every dollar spent from the state budget. There are five stages of economic modeling: 1 the definition of public benefits and costs associated with the public initiative; 2 monetary valuation of costs and benefits; 3 the definition of discounting period and discounting rate; 4 the calculation of net present value of cash flows; 5 the comparison of initiatives' net present values. The model is built with a number of hypotheses assumed. It allows making evaluation of investments into the technology to decrease the cost of Arctic offshore oil and gas development. Moreover, the model has two scenarios describing a public policy to support technology development with international economic cooperation and without it. Under given hypotheses both scenarios return positive net present value of policies which proves that governmental initiative to support Arctic technology development is economically justified. Also the model sows that the scenario with international cooperation is more efficient from economic point of view. It is explained by two factors: the higher speed of technology transfer (due W international cooperation and the opportunity to use financial leverage (attracting the funds from foreign partners. The model allows closing the existing scientific gap between the theory of CBA method and its practical use in public decision making.

Coastal effects of offshore energy systems. An assessment of oil and gas systems, deepwater ports, and nuclear power plants off the coast of New Jersey and Delaware. Volume II. Parts 1 and 2. Working papers 4 thru 10

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1976-11-01

This report consists of ten working papers prepared as background material for the assessment of the effects of three proposed offshore energy systems on the coastal areas of New Jersey and Delaware. The three proposed offshore energy systems are: exploration for and development of offshore oil and gas, deepwater ports for supertankers, and floating nuclear powerplants. The 10 working papers cover: federal and state regulation of the three systems, the biological impacts, the risk of oil spills in developing oil and gas resources and operating deepwater ports, the air and water quality impacts, regional energy supply and demand considerations, the fiscal effects of developing the three systems, environmental studies, a safety analysis of floating nuclear powerplants, an analysis of fuel and waste handling of floating nuclear powerplants, and an analysis of the economic considerations of floating nuclear powerplants

Strategic Biodiversity Risk Assessment (SBRA) of the offshore oil and gas exploration and production (E and P) plans and programs in Brazil; Avaliacao estrategica do risco a biodiversidade (AERB) nos planos e programas de E e P offshore de petroleo e gas natural no Brasil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Garcia, Katia Cristina

2007-07-15

This thesis proposes a methodological framework, called Strategic Biodiversity Risk Assessment (SBRA), within Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), as a way to efficiently incorporate the risks to biodiversity caused by accidental spills into the strategic levels of offshore oil and gas E and P decision-making process. Moreover, this approach can also indicate the exclusion (or postponement) of bidding areas with extreme environmental sensitivity, as well as the choices for environmental-friendly E and P technologies. In order to exemplify this methodological framework application, two case studies are presented, one of the offshore O and G development program in southern Bahia state, Northeast of Brazil, and other of the offshore development plan in Abrolhos region, Brazil. (author)

Specific radiological monitoring experiences and the challenges at offshore

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mod Omar Hassan

2005-01-01

Lately, EASELAB / PROJEK KHAS has performed Specific Radiological Monitoring job at offshore rigs off Terengganu for Syarikat Petronas Carigali [M] Sdn Bhd. In order to perform the job, every worker must attend a Basic Offshore Safety and Emergency Training Course and pass the theory and practical test. Before a license or safety passport is issued, the worker must undergo Medical Checkup and certified physically and mentally fit. The passport is recognized by most of international oil companies. During performing the jobs, MINT staff has faced some difficulties such as weather conditions, to suit with the working environment and life at the oil platform. There were a few staff has withdrew (resigned) from performing the jobs. (Author)

Fatigue Reliability and Calibration of Fatigue Design Factors for Offshore Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dominguez, Sergio Marquez; Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

2012-01-01

Consequences of failure of offshore wind turbines (OWTs) are in general lower than consequences of failure of, e.g., oil & gas platforms. It is reasonable that lower fatigue design factors can be applied for fatigue design of OWTs when compared to other fixed offshore structures. Calibration...

West African Oil: Will It Make a Difference?

Science.gov (United States)

1982-12-01

a group led by Esso Cote d’Ivorie and Esso AG discovered the Grand Belier field in the country’s central offshore area. In 1978, Esso decided to put...negotiated and controlled separately through a series of production-sharing contracts. When the contract for the Grand Belier field was negotiated...trickle of oil into a torrent, development is underway at a furious pace in the Ivory Coast. With nine wells producing, Esso’s Grand Belier field

Job retention in the British offshore sector through greening of the North Sea energy industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Esteban, Miguel; Leary, David; Zhang, Qi; Utama, Agya; Tezuka, Tetsuo; Ishihara, Keiichi N.

2011-01-01

For the case of the UK there are currently three ways of obtaining energy from sea areas, namely from wind, tides and waves. A methodology was developed to determine the future size of the offshore renewable industry based on the concept of employment factor, or the number of people required to maintain each unit of electricity production. An assessment was made of the decline in the number of people employed in oil related jobs in the North Sea and the gap that this could create in the UK's economy unless this pool of offshore expertise could find an alternative employment in the renewable sector. The paper will also investigate the effect of gradually transforming the UK's oil and gas sector into offshore renewables. If this was to happen by 2050 the UK offshore renewable industry could produce between 127 and 146 TWh of electricity, equivalent to around 57-66% of the current energy consumption in the country. - Research highlights: → There are three possible sources of energy from sea areas in the UK: wind, tide and waves. → As the number of jobs in the offshore oil industry reduces they should be compensated with jobs in the renewable offshore sector. → By 2050 the UK offshore renewable industry could produce between 127 and 146TWh of electricity. → This would represent around 57-66% of the current energy consumption in the UK.

Fishing activity near offshore pipelines, 2017

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Machiels, Marcel

2018-01-01

On the North Sea bottom lie numerous pipelines to link oil- or gas offshore drilling units, - platforms and processing stations on land. Although pipeline tubes are coated and covered with protective layers, the pipelines risk being damaged through man-made hazards like anchor dropping and fishing

Sediment porewater toxicity assessment studies in the vicinity of offshore oil and gas production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Carr, R.S.; Chapman, D.C.; Presley, B.J.; Biedenbach, J.M.; Robertson, L.; Boothe, P.; Kilada, R.; Wade, T.; Montagna, P.

1996-01-01

As part of a multidisciplinary program to assess the potential long-term impacts of offshore oil and gas exploration and production activities in the Gulf of Mexico, sediment chemical analyses and porewater toxicity tests were conducted in the vicinity of five offshore platforms. Based on data from sea urchin fertilization and embryological development assays, toxicity was observed near four of the five platforms sampled; the majority of the toxic samples were collected within 150 m of a platform. There was excellent agreement among the results of porewater tests with three different species (sea urchin embryological development, polychaete reproduction, and copepod nauplii survival). The sediment concentrations of several metals were well in excess of sediment quality assessment guidelines at a number of stations, and good agreement was observed between predicted and observed toxicity. Porewater metal concentrations compared with EC50, LOEC, and NOEC values generated for water-only exposures indicated that the porewater concentrations for several metals were high enough to account for the observed toxicity. Results of these studies utilizing highly sensitive toxicity tests suggest that the contaminant-induced impacts from offshore platforms are limited to a localized area in the immediate vicinity of the platforms. 

Probabilistic Calibration of Fatigue Design Factors for Offshore Wind Turbine Support Structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ramirez, José Rangel; Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

2010-01-01

for the considered offshore wind turbines in such a way that the specific uncertainties for the fatigue life are accounted in a rational manner. Similar approaches have been used for offshore oil & gas sub-structures, but the required reliability level for offshore wind turbines is generally lower and the fatigue......This paper describes a reliability-based approach to determine fatigue design factors (FDF) for offshore wind turbine support structures made of steel. The FDF values are calibrated to a specific reliability level and linked to a specific inspection and maintenance (I&M) strategy used...

Regional resource depletion and industry activity: The case of oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Attanasi, E.D.

1986-01-01

Stable and declining oil and gas prices have changed the industry's price expectations and, along with depletion of promising exploration prospects, has resulted in reduced exploration. Even with intensive additional exploration, production in most U.S. areas is expected to decline. What does this imply for the drilling and petroleum industry suppliers in particular regions? How should planners in government and the private sector project and incorporate the consequences of these changes in their strategies? This paper answers these questions for the industry operating in the offshore Gulf of Mexico. Future oil and gas production, as well as demand for offshore drilling and production facilities, are shown to depend on the size distribution of undiscovered fields, their associated production costs, and oil and gas prices. Declining well productivity is a consequence of development of progressively smaller fields so that long-run drilling demand should not decline in proportion to the expected production decline. Calculations show a substantial payoff to the drilling industry, in terms of potential demand increases, if it can develop and implement cost reducing technologies. Implications of these results for other offshore producing areas such as the North Sea are also discussed. ?? 1986.

Positive organizational behavior and safety in the offshore oil industry: Exploring the determinants of positive safety climate.

Science.gov (United States)

Hystad, Sigurd W; Bartone, Paul T; Eid, Jarle

2014-01-01

Much research has now documented the substantial influence of safety climate on a range of important outcomes in safety critical organizations, but there has been scant attention to the question of what factors might be responsible for positive or negative safety climate. The present paper draws from positive organizational behavior theory to test workplace and individual factors that may affect safety climate. Specifically, we explore the potential influence of authentic leadership style and psychological capital on safety climate and risk outcomes. Across two samples of offshore oil-workers and seafarers working on oil platform supply ships, structural equation modeling yielded results that support a model in which authentic leadership exerts a direct effect on safety climate, as well as an indirect effect via psychological capital. This study shows the importance of leadership qualities as well as psychological factors in shaping a positive work safety climate and lowering the risk of accidents.

Wind energy in offshore grids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schröder, Sascha Thorsten

special characteristics of offshore grids. With an operational real options approach, it is furthermore illustrated how different support schemes and connections to additional countries affect the investment case of an offshore wind farm and the income of the transmission system operator. The investment...... and investment implications under different regulatory frameworks are a hitherto underrepresented research field. They are addressed by this thesis. Offshore grids between several countries combine the absorption of wind energy with international power trading. However, the inclusion into an offshore grid......This cumulative PhD thesis deals with wind integration in offshore grids from an economic point of view. It is composed of a generic part and eight papers. As the topic has mostly been analysed with a focus on topology and technical issues until now, market-operational questions in offshore grids...

Study of waste generation in the drilling and cementing operations during construction of offshore oil and gas wells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Letícia Ferraço de Campos

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This literature review aims to present drilling and cementing activities which take place during the construction of offshore oil and gas wells, listing the waste generated in each step. IBAMA, the environmental agency that regulates the activity, allows two disposal options for these wastes: disposal in open sea or treatment followed by disposal on shore. The documentary research applied in this article details the destination options showing that the monitoring required by the environmental agency is a way to track the actual results of the activities described.

Making offshore industries greener: negotiating environmental policy in the Dutch oil and gas sector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hinssen, J.

1994-01-01

In this paper the negotiations between the Dutch Government and the oil and gas sector regarding environmental measures for the offshore industry are analysed. Dutch environmental policy is presently being developed via 'Target Group Management'. The instrument used in this approach is policy negotiations, resulting in covenants. By signing a covenant, both government and industry take responsibility for the development and implementation of a realistic environmental policy. Negotiating environmental policies, however, can be problematic. This relates to the delay in obtaining an integrated approach to environmental problems. It is not unlikely that, in the four years required for the negotiation process, a legally binding environmental law might also have been developed. It is concluded that the value of the covenant mainly depends on the goodwill of the parties involved. (Author)

Enabling technology: an overview of offshore innovations in the oil industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Amado, Luiz C.N. [Shell International Exploration and Production (E and P) Inc., Houston, TX (Brazil)

2008-07-01

Big accumulations found in the past are not likely to occur again. On the contrary several small size accumulations may still be there unless a new play be discovered such as the sub salt. With global demand for oil rapidly increasing and easy oil becoming scarcer, we need to start looking at more difficult reservoirs from which to produce hydrocarbons. To boost daily global oil supplies to 100 million barrels, against current levels of some 85 million barrels, will be 'extremely difficult to reach' as we have heard in the news. It is not a question of available oil reserves, but a combination of technology, geopolitics and actual production decline in existing fields. Geopolitics and depletion rates are highly complex variables upon which we do not have full control. However Technology can still be designed fit for purposes. (author)

For the birds : suspected roastings prompt study of offshore flares

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reid, W.

1999-01-01

A recent research project has revealed that offshore flares can pose a hazard to waterfowl. Two academic environmentalists from Memorial University and the Atlantic Co-operation Wildlife Ecology Research are working with Hibernia, PanCanadian Resources, Terra Nova and the Sable gas group to study the possibility of oil platforms having killed great numbers of birds. The objective is to study the potential problem and try to quantify the number of seabirds and what the impacts might be on the birds. The work involves observing waterfowl from oil platforms and supply vessels and taking a census of various species, the number of casualties and how they die. This project did not start because of any hard facts suggesting the offshore oil industry hurts the ecology of the Grand Banks. It stems from public concerns about Terra Nova, the next big project. 1 fig

Oil and gas field code master list 1994

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1995-01-01

This is the thirteenth annual edition of the Energy Information Administration`s (EIA) Oil and Gas Field Code Master List. It reflects data collected through October 1994 and provides standardized field name spellings and codes for all identified oil and/or gas fields in the United States. The master field name spellings and codes are to be used by respondents when filing the following Department of Energy (DOE) forms: Form EIA-23, {open_quotes}Annual Survey of Domestic Oil and Gas Reserves,{close_quotes} filed by oil and gas well operators (field codes are required from larger operators only); Forms FERC 8 and EIA-191, {open_quotes}Underground Gas Storage Report,{close_quotes} filed by natural gas producers and distributors who operate underground natural gas storage facilities. Other Federal and State government agencies, as well as industry, use the EIA Oil and Gas Field Code Master List as the standard for field identification. A machine-readable version of the Oil and Gas Field Code Master List is available from the National Technical Information Service, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, Virginia 22161, (703) 487-4650. In order for the Master List to be useful, it must be accurate and remain current. To accomplish this, EIA constantly reviews and revises this list. The EIA welcomes all comments, corrections, and additions to the Master List. All such information should be given to the EIA Field Code Coordinator at (214) 953-1858. EIA gratefully acknowledges the assistance provides by numerous State organizations and trade associations in verifying the existence of fields and their official nomenclature.

Offshore wind energy. An overview on the activities in Germany; Offshore-Windenergie. Ein Ueberblick ueber die Aktivitaeten in Deutschland

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Worm, Anja [media consulta Deutschland GmbH, Berlin (Germany)

2013-02-15

The brochure under consideration provides an overview of the activities of offshore wind energy in Germany. The first offshore wind farms are built and generate more electricity than expected. The offshore wind farms serve as a field of learning for new technologies. The power of offshore wind farms opened new prospects for the economy. The northern Federal States of Germany as well as the traditional locations for mechanical engineering and steel production benefit from offshore wind energy.

Towards sustainability in offshore oil and gas operations

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, M. Ibrahim

acceptable, economically profitable and socially responsible. This dissertation discusses the framework of true 'sustainability' for practically all aspects oil and gas operations and nature-based resource operations. Sustainability of existing offshore oil and gas operations techniques are analyzed and new nature-based technologies are proposed. Also evaluated are the fate and effect, environmental impact, risk factors, and the green supply chain in the case of seismic, drilling, production and decommissioning of oil operations. It is demonstrated with detailed examples that using the new approach will be economically more beneficial than the conventional approach, even in the short-term. The dissertation also examines the present status of petroleum operations with respect to waste generation, improper resource management, and the usage of toxic compounds in the overall lifecycle. To achieve true sustainability, some innovative models and technologies are presented. They include achievement of zero emissions, zero waste of resources, zero waste in activities, zero use of toxics, and zero waste in product life-cycle. This dissertation also discusses the environmental and technological problems of the petroleum sector and provides guidelines to achieve overall sustainability in oil company activities. Finally, this dissertation shows that inherent sustainability can be achieved by the involvement of community participation. The new screening tool proposed in this dissertation provides proper guidelines to achieve true sustainability in the technology development and other resource development operations.

Waste heat recovery technologies for offshore platforms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pierobon, Leonardo; Benato, Alberto; Scolari, E.

2014-01-01

This article aims at finding the most suitable waste heat recovery technology for existing and future offshore facilities. The technologies considered in this work are the steam Rankine cycle, the air bottoming cycle and the organic Rankine cycle. A multi-objective optimization approach is employed...... to attain optimal designs for each bottoming unit by selecting specific functions tailored to the oil and gas sector, i.e. yearly CO2 emissions, weight and economic revenue. The test case is the gas turbine-based power system serving an offshore platform in the North Sea. Results indicate that the organic...... and of the primary heat exchanger, organic Rankine cycle turbogenerators appear thus to be the preferred solution to abate CO2 emissions and pollutants on oil and gas facilities. As a practical consequence, this paper provides guidelines for the design of high-efficiency, cost-competitive and low-weight power...

The International Standards Organisation offshore structures standard

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Snell, R.O.

1994-01-01

The International Standards Organisation has initiated a program to develop a suite of ISO Codes and Standards for the Oil Industry. The Offshore Structures Standard is one of seven topics being addressed. The scope of the standard will encompass fixed steel and concrete structures, floating structures, Arctic structures and the site specific assessment of mobile drilling and accommodation units. The standard will use as base documents the existing recommended practices and standards most frequently used for each type of structure, and will develop them to incorporate best published and recognized practice and knowledge where it provides a significant improvement on the base document. Work on the Code has commenced under the direction of an internationally constituted sub-committee comprising representatives from most of the countries with a substantial offshore oil and gas industry. This paper outlines the background to the code and the format, content and work program

Public Hearing or `Hearing Public'? An Evaluation of the Participation of Local Stakeholders in Environmental Impact Assessment of Ghana's Jubilee Oil Fields

Science.gov (United States)

Bawole, Justice Nyigmah

2013-08-01

This article investigates the involvement of local stakeholders in the environmental impact assessment (EIA) processes of Ghana's first off-shore oil fields (the Jubilee fields). Adopting key informants interviews and documentary reviews, the article argues that the public hearings and the other stakeholder engagement processes were cosmetic and rhetoric with the view to meeting legal requirements rather than a purposeful interest in eliciting inputs from local stakeholders. It further argues that the operators appear to lack the social legitimacy and social license that will make them acceptable in the project communities. A rigorous community engagement along with a commitment to actively involving local stakeholders in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes of the partners may enhance the image of the partners and improve their social legitimacy. Local government agencies should be capacitated to actively engage project organisers; and government must mitigate the impact of the oil projects through well-structured social support programmes.

Public hearing or 'hearing public'? an evaluation of the participation of local stakeholders in environmental impact assessment of Ghana's Jubilee oil fields.

Science.gov (United States)

Bawole, Justice Nyigmah

2013-08-01

This article investigates the involvement of local stakeholders in the environmental impact assessment (EIA) processes of Ghana's first off-shore oil fields (the Jubilee fields). Adopting key informants interviews and documentary reviews, the article argues that the public hearings and the other stakeholder engagement processes were cosmetic and rhetoric with the view to meeting legal requirements rather than a purposeful interest in eliciting inputs from local stakeholders. It further argues that the operators appear to lack the social legitimacy and social license that will make them acceptable in the project communities. A rigorous community engagement along with a commitment to actively involving local stakeholders in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes of the partners may enhance the image of the partners and improve their social legitimacy. Local government agencies should be capacitated to actively engage project organisers; and government must mitigate the impact of the oil projects through well-structured social support programmes.

Positive organizational behavior and safety in the offshore oil industry: Exploring the determinants of positive safety climate

Science.gov (United States)

Hystad, Sigurd W.; Bartone, Paul T.; Eid, Jarle

2013-01-01

Much research has now documented the substantial influence of safety climate on a range of important outcomes in safety critical organizations, but there has been scant attention to the question of what factors might be responsible for positive or negative safety climate. The present paper draws from positive organizational behavior theory to test workplace and individual factors that may affect safety climate. Specifically, we explore the potential influence of authentic leadership style and psychological capital on safety climate and risk outcomes. Across two samples of offshore oil-workers and seafarers working on oil platform supply ships, structural equation modeling yielded results that support a model in which authentic leadership exerts a direct effect on safety climate, as well as an indirect effect via psychological capital. This study shows the importance of leadership qualities as well as psychological factors in shaping a positive work safety climate and lowering the risk of accidents. PMID:24454524

Offshore newcomer : world-scale megaproject spawns international-calibre skills and facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sorensen, D.

1997-01-01

The development of Hibernia marked the beginning of Newfoundland's booming oil industry. The offshore platform located 300 km offshore in the Grand Banks of Newfoundland has an estimated 615 million barrels of recoverable reserves to be produced at a projected average rate of 135,000 barrels per day. Newfoundland personnel and facilities acquired much expertise during the building of the offshore facility and are ready to enter the world market for oil and gas services and supplies. Newfoundland's biggest operations are the fabrication yards at Bull Arm and Marystown which have the capacity for steel fabrication, concrete construction, outfitting installation, hook-up and commissioning of industrial facilities. Plans are currently underway for the Terra Nova project. Newfoundland also has a strong labor force, with international calibre skills. The capacity is here, and as confidence in that capability increases, Newfoundland firms are beginning to form partnerships with international firms. 6 figs

Combatting operational pollution from offshore petroleum activities: international legal regime

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vinogradov, S.V.; Wagner, J.P.

1997-01-01

Existing global and regional rules and regulations, and regulatory trends, aimed at curbing pollution associated with the normal operation of offshore oil and gas installations are assessed. The designation 'operational pollution' is used to cover a variety of discharges including: oil produced in water; contaminated drill cuttings and muds; sewage; garbage; deck drainage; naturally occurring materials such as radionuclides, heavy metals and aromatics; atmospheric emissions, principally CO 2 , SO x , NO x , CH 4 and volatile organic compounds. The main focus of regulatory attention at present is platform drainage, offshore processing drainage, production water discharge, and displacement discharge. The legal framework considered extends to the appropriate global and regional treaties, ''soft law'' instruments and recommendations. (UK)

Dalhart's only Permian field gets best oil well

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Land, R.

1992-01-01

This paper reports that activity is picking up in Proctor Ranch oil field in the northwestern Texas panhandle, the only Permian producing field in the lightly drilled Dalhart basin. During the last 2 1/2 months, the field has a new operator and a new producing well, the best of five drilled since discovery in 1990. Corlena Oil Co., Amarillo, acquired the field from McKinney Oil Co. in May and tested its first well in early July. The 1-64 Proctor, 18 miles west of Channing, pumped at rates as high as 178 bd of oil and 6 b/d of water from Permian Wolfcamp dolomite perforations at 4,016-29 ft. Corlena plans to drill another well south of the field soon. The lease requires that the next well be spudded by early November. The field appears to be combination structural-stratigraphic trap in which the dolomite pinches out against the Bravo Domes-Oldham nose to the west

Characterizing pinniped use of offshore oil and gas platforms as haulouts and foraging areas in waters off southern California from 2013-01-01 to 2015-01-31 (NCEI Accession 0138984)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) and Pacific harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) use offshore oil and gas platforms as resting and foraging areas. Both...

Characteristics of gas-liquid dynamics in operation of oil fields producing non-Newtonian crude oils

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mirzadzhanzade, A Kh; Khasaev, A M; Gurbanov, R S; Akhmedov, Z M

1968-08-01

Experimental studies have shown that crude oils from Azerbaidzhan, Uzbekistan, Tataria, Kazakhstan and other areas have anomalous properties under reservoir conditions. Such crude oils are non-Newtonian and (1) obey Darcys Law at low velocities; (2) obey an exponential law at higher velocities; and (3) obey a modified Darcys Law at most velocities. A discussion is given of (1) flow of non-Newtonian crude oils together with gas or water; (2) flow of non-Newtonian crude oils in well tubing; (3) behavior of wells producing non-Newtonian crude oils; and (4) pumping of non-Newtonian oils in wells. Experiments have shown that a visco-plastic liquid does not fill pump inlets completely; as the diameter of the pump inlet decreases so also does the degree of liquid filling. A statistical analysis of production data from 160 fields with Newtonian oil and 129 fields with non- Newtonian oil has shown that much higher production is obtained from fields with Newtonian crude oils.

CFD for wind and tidal offshore turbines

CERN Document Server

Montlaur, Adeline

2015-01-01

The book encompasses novel CFD techniques to compute offshore wind and tidal applications. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques are regarded as the main design tool to explore the new engineering challenges presented by offshore wind and tidal turbines for energy generation. The difficulty and costs of undertaking experimental tests in offshore environments have increased the interest in the field of CFD which is used to design appropriate turbines and blades, understand fluid flow physical phenomena associated with offshore environments, predict power production or characterise offshore environments, amongst other topics.

Problems in waterflooding fields containing paraffinic crude oils

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kovalev, A G; Lyutin, L V; Perevalov, V G

1968-11-01

When Caspian seawater is injected into the Uzen field reservoir, the temperature of the reservoir oil can be lowered 10/sup 0/ to 20/sup 0/C below initial reservoir temperature. Because Uzen crude oil is saturated with paraffin, the cold injection water can deposit paraffin in the formation and reduce oil recovery. In a related study, it was shown that the lower temperature should not adversely affect capillary and wettability behavior of the crude oil in the reservoir. Oil recovery was found to be essentially independent of water composition. However, fresh water is easier to handle in injection systems than brines. Several studies have shown that oil recovery from Uzen field should be increased by use of hot injection water. Various methods of heating the water are discussed. To reduce corrosivity and scaling of hot brine, sodium hexametaphosphate is added in concentrations of 2 to 15 mg/liter. It is concluded that it would be practical to use hot injection water in this field.

A new era for the offshore oil and gas industry on the UKCS [United Kingdom Continental Shelf

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pickering, H.

1998-01-01

This paper explores the development of the offshore oil and gas industry on the United Kingdom Continental Shelf (UKCS) and particularly the role played by science and technology in that development. An historical perspective is taken in the first instance to place recent developments in context, before exploring the role of science and technology in the 1990s. Three areas of key importance form the basis of the discussion: the maintenance of production from the traditional provinces, the development of new provinces and the mitigation of environmental impacts. The paper demonstrates the crucial role that science and technology plays in each of these areas. (author)

Operation and maintenance of offshore wind farms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Kristian R.; Madsen, Erik Skov; Bilberg, Arne

The offshore wind industry is booming and larger, more efficient wind-turbines have constantly been introduced into the market. However, research within the field of the operation and maintenance (O&M) of offshore wind farms is limited as the field is still immature. In this paper, two current ma...... maintenance models - RCM and TPM - are discussed in this context. Furthermore, through a case study, the paper looks into Modularization and SSLP, as these concepts can be utilized to optimize maintenance. This is a new approach for the offshore wind industry....

Offshore Hydrocarbons Extraction In Colombia: Legal Overview And Challenges Regarding The New Offshore Free Trade Zones

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carolina Acosta Ramos

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Offshore extraction of hydrocarbons has increasingly become important in the context of the oil business. Thus, the Republic of Colombia has wanted to encourage the development of such operations in the country, despite the fact that it does not have at present time a harmonious legal framework to regulate the activity and/or to proper coordinate the governmental agencies involved in the approval of such operations. This article presents an overview of the problems associated with offshore activities in the world and analyzes – from a critical perspective - the role of local authorities in authorizing said operations as well as the new regime of customs-free zones created in the country.

Rapid microbial respiration of oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill in offshore surface waters of the Gulf of Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Edwards, Bethanie R; Reddy, Christopher M; Carmichael, Catherine A; Longnecker, Krista; Van Mooy, Benjamin A S; Camilli, Richard

2011-01-01

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill was one of the largest oil spills in history, and the fate of this oil within the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem remains to be fully understood. The goal of this study-conducted in mid-June of 2010, approximately two months after the oil spill began-was to understand the key role that microbes would play in the degradation of the oil in the offshore oligotrophic surface waters near the Deepwater Horizon site. As the utilization of organic carbon by bacteria in the surface waters of the Gulf had been previously shown to be phosphorus limited, we hypothesized that bacteria would be unable to rapidly utilize the oil released from the Macondo well. Although phosphate was scarce throughout the sampling region and microbes exhibited enzymatic signs of phosphate stress within the oil slick, microbial respiration within the slick was enhanced by approximately a factor of five. An incubation experiment to determine hydrocarbon degradation rates confirmed that a large fraction of this enhanced respiration was supported by hydrocarbon degradation. Extrapolating our observations to the entire area of the slick suggests that microbes had the potential to degrade a large fraction of the oil as it arrived at the surface from the well. These observations decidedly refuted our hypothesis. However, a concomitant increase in microbial abundance or biomass was not observed in the slick, suggesting that microbial growth was nutrient limited; incubations amended with nutrients showed rapid increases in cell number and biomass, which supported this conclusion. Our study shows that the dynamic microbial community of the Gulf of Mexico supported remarkable rates of oil respiration, despite a dearth of dissolved nutrients.

Possibilities of Utilization the Risk – Based Techniques in the Field of Offshore Wind Power Plants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Przemysław Kacprzak

2014-09-01

Full Text Available In the article the risk-based concept that may be applicable to offshore wind power plants has been presented. The aim of the concept is to aid designers in the early design and retrofit phases of the project in case of lack or insufficient information in relevant international standards. Moreover the initial classification of components within main system parts of offshore wind power plant has been performed. Such classification is essential in order to apply risk-based concept. However further scientific researches need to be performed in that field to develop detailed concept useful for future practical applications.

Contribution of offshore petroleum deposits to marine food chain

Science.gov (United States)

Mori, S.

2009-12-01

Petroleum production out of offshore petroleum deposits often coincides with abundant fisheries in the world. Superposition of marine microorganism concentration distribution and offshore petroleum field distribution from various data in the literature provides to prove this coincidence. Sakhalin Island coastal regions, North Sea, Gulf of Mexico, etc. are chosen for the superpositions. Significant conformity is observed between the plankton concentration distribution and the offshore petroleum deposit distribution in all those regions. Also, most studies on the consequence of oil spills to marine eco-systems have focused mainly on hazardous marine pollution caused by spilled petroleum at high concentration in marine environment. However, some of those data clearly indicate stimulation of plankton population in properly low concentration levels of dissolved hydrocarbons and dissolved petroleum compositions. Further, increase of hydrocarbon concentration leads to its inhibition from its stimulation conditions upon crossing over a critical concentration level—a plankton stimulation/inhibition threshold concentration (SITC) of hydrocarbons. The SITC varies depending on hydrocarbon compounds, petroleum compositions, and microorganisms such as planktons. Further, petroleum composition diffusing through subterranean layers from petroleum deposits reacts with dissolved oxygen to be consumed at the ocean floor to precipitate the agglomerate suspension of hydrocarbons, leaving the sea water in a condition of oxygen depletion on the ocean floor. Such incidents are also briefly discussed.Plankton stimulation/inhibition threshold concentration of petroleum fractions

Dynamic characterization of oil fields, complex stratigraphically using genetic algorithms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gonzalez, Santiago; Hidrobo, Eduardo A

2004-01-01

A novel methodology is presented in this paper for the characterization of highly heterogeneous oil fields by integration of the oil fields dynamic information to the static updated model. The objective of the oil field's characterization process is to build an oil field model, as realistic as possible, through the incorporation of all the available information. The classical approach consists in producing a model based in the oil field's static information, having as the process final stage the validation model with the dynamic information available. It is important to clarify that the term validation implies a punctual process by nature, generally intended to secure the required coherence between productive zones and petrophysical properties. The objective of the proposed methodology is to enhance the prediction capacity of the oil field's model by previously integrating, parameters inherent to the oil field's fluid dynamics by a process of dynamic data inversion through an optimization procedure based on evolutionary computation. The proposed methodology relies on the construction of the oil field's high-resolution static model, escalated by means of hybrid techniques while aiming to preserve the oil field's heterogeneity. Afterwards, using an analytic simulator as reference, the scaled model is methodically modified by means of an optimization process that uses genetic algorithms and production data as conditional information. The process's final product is a model that observes the static and dynamic conditions of the oil field with the capacity to minimize the economic impact that generates production historical adjustments to the simulation tasks. This final model features some petrophysical properties (porosity, permeability and water saturation), as modified to achieve a better adjustment of the simulated production's history versus the real one history matching. Additionally, the process involves a slight modification of relative permeability, which has

Pirólise de resíduos poliméricos gerados por atividades offshore Pyrolysis of offshore solid wastes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mara L. de Oliveira

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Resíduos plásticos gerados pelas atividades offshore da indústria de exploração e produção de óleo e gás, após caracterização por ensaio de identificação das classes poliméricas e análise térmica, foram pirolisados em atmosfera inerte a 450 °C. Os óleos pirolíticos foram caracterizados por espectrofotometria de infravermelho por transformada de Fourier (FTIR e cromatografia em fase gasosa acoplada à espectrometria de massas (CG/EM, indicando a composição de parafinas, olefinas e aromáticos.Solid wastes from oil and gas offshore exploration and production activities, after characterization of polymeric classes and thermal identification analysis tests, were pyrolysed under an inert atmosphere at 450 °C. The pyrolysis oil was characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR gas chromatography mass spectrometry (CG/EM, indicating high generation of paraffin, olefines and aromatics.

Federal offshore statistics: 1995 - leasing, exploration, production, and revenue as of December 31, 1995

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gaechter, R.A.

1997-01-01

This report provides data on federal offshore operations for 1995. Information is included for leasing activities, development, petroleum and natural gas production, sales and royalties, revenue from federal offshore leasing, disbursement of federal revenues, reserves and resource estimates, and oil pollution in U.S. and international waters

Enhanced oil recovery: an update review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alvarado, V.; Manrique, E.

2010-01-01

With the decline in oil discoveries during the last decades it is believed that Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) technologies will play a key role to meet the energy demand in years to come. This paper presents a comprehensive review of EOR status and opportunities to increase final recovery factors in reservoirs ranging from extra heavy oil to gas condensate. Specifically, the paper discusses EOR status and opportunities organized by reservoir lithology (sandstone and carbonates formations and turbiditic reservoirs to a lesser extent) and offshore and onshore fields. Risk and rewards of EOR methods including growing trends in recent years such as CO 2 injection, high pressure air injection (HPAI) and chemical flooding are addressed including a brief overview of CO 2 -EOR project economics. (authors)

Centrifuge and Numerical Modeling of Monopiles for Offshore Wind Towers Installed in Clay

OpenAIRE

Murali, Madhuri; Grajales, Francisco; Beemer, Ryan D.; Biscontin, Giovanna; Aubeny, Charles

2015-01-01

This is a metadata record relating to an article that cannot be shared due to publisher copyright. Offshore wind power has gained momentum as a means to diversify the world’s energy infrastructure; however, little is still known of the global stiffness behavior of the large diameter low aspect ratio monopiles which have become the foundation of choice for offshore wind towers. Traditionally, offshore foundations have been associated with gravity structures for the oil and gas industry, whi...

Discussion of oil pollution in Argentina

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1978-06-01

Oil pollution in Argentina, at the port of Comodora Rivadavia showed signs of long-term oil pollution of a nature which would not be tolerated in relation to the exploitation of North Sea oil. The field is operated by Yacimientos Petroliferos Fiscales (Argentine), produces 70,000 bbl/day of oil from onshore and offshore wells, and has been in operation since 1907. A very marked ''tideline'' of bituminous oil residues contaminates the harbor installations and completely covers the pebbles, boulders, and rocks in the intertidal region. This material is of a considerable thickness and has completely obliterated any form of littoral marine life in these habitats. The sandy beach does not show signs of accumulative oil, and it is used as an important recreational area. Since seriously oiled seabirds can be seen, it is surprising that Patagonian crested ducks, king cormorants, and kelp gulls occur in large numbers but show little sign of oil contamination. The Magellan penguin, which is much less abundant locally, may have been much more vulnerable to the oil.

Communities and change : number 8 of a series of papers on energy and the offshore

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon

1998-01-01

The issue of how communities change when faced with the sudden influx of new industries and major capital investments are discussed, focusing on the benefits and drawbacks of Nova Scotia's offshore oil and gas developments, especially those experienced in the the five counties of southwest Nova Scotia with close connections to Georges Bank. The prospect of offshore oil and gas is clearly controversial in the area. One of the concerns is that transient construction workers will create problems for local communities. Other concerns are that the beauty of the coastline will be spoiled, the way of life changed forever, communities will be split into haves and have-nots, and fears that the petroleum industry will drive hard bargains and cheat people. On the positive side, opportunities for job creation go a long way to dampen concerns. The need to consider lessons that can be learned from other communities with offshore oil and gas experience, including the experiences of the Scottish North Sea developments, Newfoundland's Hibernia development, the Gulf Coast of the United States, and Nova Scotia's Sable Offshore Energy Project are stressed as a way to cushion the impact of disruption. 9 refs

A Multidisciplinary Approach to Decommissioning Offshore Wells Using Stakeholder Engagement, Risk Identification, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Science.gov (United States)

Battalora, L.; Prasad, M.

2017-12-01

Context/PurposeThe typical oil and gas project lifecycle includes acquisition, exploration, drilling, production, and decommissioning phases. The oil and gas industry (Industry) has become proactive in identifying and mitigating health, safety, security, environment, and social responsibility risks during these phases as well as designing for sustainable development. With many fields reaching the end stages of the lifecycle, Industry is faced with the challenge of identifying and evaluating risks in the decommissioning phase. The level of challenge is increased when planning for the decommissioning of offshore wells. This paper describes tools that can be applied in the multidisciplinary design of the decommissioning program including use of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). MethodsStakeholder engagement is key to a successful project. Typical stakeholders in an oil and gas project include the community, regulatory agencies, federal, state, and local governments, private investors, academia, and non-governmental organizations. Before engagement begins, stakeholders must be identified as well as their level of influence in the project. Relationships between stakeholders are "mapped" providing a better understanding of priorities and areas of concentration. Project risks are identified and ranked according to likelihood and impact. Mitigations are matched to risks. Sustainable development is implemented through acknowledgement of societal, economic, and environmental impacts in engineering design. InterpretationRecently, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and IPIECA, the global oil and gas industry association for environmental and social issues, partnered to develop the publication, Mapping the oil and gas industry to the Sustainable Development Goals: An Atlas. SDGs have been linked to Industry operations and can serve as a guide for the offshore decommissioning phase Conclusion

Replacement of 13 valves by using an isolation plug in the 20 inches diameter main offshore gas pipeline at Cantarell oil field, Campeche Bay, Mexico

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carvahal Reyes, Jorge Omar; Ulloa Ochoa, Carlos Manuel [PEMEX, Exploracion y Produccion, MX (Mexico)

2009-12-19

In 2002 we changed 13 valves on deck of one gas production platform called Nohoch-A-Enlace at Cantarell Offshore Oil Field. The 20'' diameter gas pipeline and 200 km of length, transport and deliver gas for others production platforms in the Gas Lift System, So 2 millions of oil barrels per day depends of the operation of this gas pipeline but there was 13 valves on pig traps to be changed after 20 years of service to high pressure (64 to 63 kg/cm{sup 2}). We could not stop the operation of this pipeline and some little gas leaks were eliminated in some parts of the valves. This pipeline has two risers so the gas can be injected by two sides of the ring of 20 Km. So we found the proper technology in order to isolate one riser nad change 8 valves and the isolate the other and change the 5, and the gas lift system never stop during the plug and maintenance operations on platform. In the first isolation plug operation this tool run 20 mts inside the riser and was actionated and resists 65 Kg/cm{sup 2} of gas pressure during 44 hours so we changed 8 valves: 2 of 20'', 2 of 10'', 3 of 4'' and 1 of 8'' diameter. In the second isolation the plug run 30 mts inside the second risers and resist 64 Kg/cm{sup 2} of gas during 46 hours and we changed 5 valves of 20'' diameter. In the paper I will describe all the details of this successful operations and procedures. Also the aspects of Health, Security and Environment that we prepared one year before this operations at platform. Pemex save almost 2.5 millions of dollars because the gas lift system never stop and all valves were changed and now we can run cleaning and inspection tools inside the full ring. We used the first isolation plug in Latin America and we want to share this experience to all the pipeline operators in the world as a good practice in pipeline maintenance using plugging technology in the main and large pipelines of high pressure. (author)

Review of offshore oil-spill prevention and remediation requirements and practices in Newfoundland and Labrador

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turner, M.; Skinner, J.; Roberts, J.; Harvey, R.; Ross, S.L

2010-12-01

The report studies aspects of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador's requirements for oil-spill prevention, response and remediation. The Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NLOPB) is responsible and accountable for the industry's meeting its commitments in terms of monitoring, auditing and management. Comparisons with requirements in different regions, such as Norway, the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States demonstrate C-NLOPB practices are sound and comprehensive and meet international standards. Even though the standard established by the Board is high, further improvement is nevertheless needed and the report makes detailed recommendations for bringing this about. The four-tiered industry response system of safe practices:, safety culture, designs, standards and training and competency assurance programs is also augmented and enhanced by the C-NLOPB approval process.

A decision framework for risk management, with application to the offshore oil and gas industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aven, T.; Vinnem, J.E.; Wiencke, H.S.

2007-01-01

In this paper we present and discuss a decision framework for risk management. The framework comprises the basic elements: problem definition (challenges, goals and alternatives), stakeholders, concerns that affect the consequence analyses and the value judgments related to these consequences and analyses (frame conditions and constraints), identification of which consequence analyses to execute and the execution of these, managerial review and judgement, and the decision. The framework has novel aspects on the way of classifying the decision situations and characterising risks. The classification is based on the two dimensions, expected consequences, and uncertainties. Our starting point is the offshore oil and gas industry, but our framework and discussion is to a large extent general and could also be applied in other areas. An example is outlined to illustrate the use of the framework

Integrating experiences from operations into engineering design: modelling knowledge transfer in the offshore oil industry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Souza da Conceição, Carolina; Broberg, Ole; Paravizo, Esdras

2017-01-01

of knowledge registered in the systems without standards to categorise and store this knowledge, to being difficult to access and retrieve the knowledge in the systems. Discussion: Transferring knowledge and experiences from users brings human factors into play and modelling the knowledge transfer process...... and workwise distance between operations and engineering design teams, integrating human factors and transferring knowledge are key aspects when designing for better performance systems. Research Objective: Based on an in-depth empirical investigation in an offshore oil company, this study aims to provide......Summative Statement: Integrating human factors and users’ experiences in design projects is a well-known challenge. This study focus on the specific challenges for transferring these experiences and how using a knowledge transfer model can help this integration on the design of high-risk productive...

Off-shore enhanced oil recovery in the north sea: matching CO_2 demand and supply given uncertain market conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Compernolle, Tine; Welkenhuysen, Kris; Huisman, Kuno; Piessens, Kris; Kort, Peter

2015-04-01

Introduction CO2 enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR) entails the injection of CO2 in mature oil fields in order to mobilize the oil. In particular, the injected CO2 reduces the oil's viscosity and acts as a propellant, resulting in an increased oil extraction rate (Leach et al., 2011). Given uncertainty in both oil price and CO2 price under the EU ETS system, aim of this study is to analyze under which economic conditions a CO2 exchange can be established between a CO2 supplier (an electricity producer for whom CO2 is a by-product) and a CO2 user (an offshore oil company that exploits oil fields in the North Sea and needs CO2 for enhanced oil recovery). Methodology A techno-economic simulation tool, PSS IV, was developed to provide investment decision support on integrated CO2-EOR projects (Welkenhuysen et al., 2014). Until now, a fixed onshore supply of CO2 was presumed. An economic optimization model is now developed for both the CO2 producer and the CO2 user. Because net present value and discounted cash flow methods are inadequate to deal with issues like uncertainty and the irreversibility of an investment decision, the real options theory is applied (Dixit and Pindyck, 1994). The way in which cooperation between the companies can take place, will be studied using game theoretical concepts (Lukas and Welling, 2014). Economic and technical data on CO2 capture are available from the PSS database (Piessens et al., 2012). Data on EOR performance, CO2 requirements and various costs are taken from literature (BERR, 2007; Klokk et al., 2010; Pershad et al., 2012). Results/Findings It will be shown what the impact of price uncertainty is on the investment decision of the electricity producer to capture and sell CO2, and on the decision of the oil producer to make the necessary investments to inject CO2 for enhanced oil recovery. Based on these results, it will be determined under which economic conditions a CO2 exchange and transport can take place. Furthermore, also the

A Bootstrap Approach to Computing Uncertainty in Inferred Oil and Gas Reserve Estimates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Attanasi, Emil D.; Coburn, Timothy C.

2004-01-01

This study develops confidence intervals for estimates of inferred oil and gas reserves based on bootstrap procedures. Inferred reserves are expected additions to proved reserves in previously discovered conventional oil and gas fields. Estimates of inferred reserves accounted for 65% of the total oil and 34% of the total gas assessed in the U.S. Geological Survey's 1995 National Assessment of oil and gas in US onshore and State offshore areas. When the same computational methods used in the 1995 Assessment are applied to more recent data, the 80-year (from 1997 through 2076) inferred reserve estimates for pre-1997 discoveries located in the lower 48 onshore and state offshore areas amounted to a total of 39.7 billion barrels of oil (BBO) and 293 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of gas. The 90% confidence interval about the oil estimate derived from the bootstrap approach is 22.4 BBO to 69.5 BBO. The comparable 90% confidence interval for the inferred gas reserve estimate is 217 TCF to 413 TCF. The 90% confidence interval describes the uncertainty that should be attached to the estimates. It also provides a basis for developing scenarios to explore the implications for energy policy analysis

Play-level distributions of estimates of recovery factors for a miscible carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery method used in oil reservoirs in the conterminous United States

Science.gov (United States)

Attanasi, E.D.; Freeman, P.A.

2016-03-02

In a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) study, recovery-factor estimates were calculated by using a publicly available reservoir simulator (CO2 Prophet) to estimate how much oil might be recovered with the application of a miscible carbon dioxide (CO2) enhanced oil recovery (EOR) method to technically screened oil reservoirs located in onshore and State offshore areas in the conterminous United States. A recovery factor represents the percentage of an oil reservoir’s original oil in place estimated to be recoverable by the application of a miscible CO2-EOR method. The USGS estimates were calculated for 2,018 clastic and 1,681 carbonate candidate reservoirs in the “Significant Oil and Gas Fields of the United States Database” prepared by Nehring Associates, Inc. (2012).

Largest US oil and gas fields, August 1993

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1993-08-06

The Largest US Oil and Gas Fields is a technical report and part of an Energy Information Administration (EIA) series presenting distributions of US crude oil and natural gas resources, developed using field-level data collected by EIA`s annual survey of oil and gas proved reserves. The series` objective is to provide useful information beyond that routinely presented in the EIA annual report on crude oil and natural gas reserves. These special reports also will provide oil and gas resource analysts with a fuller understanding of the nature of US crude oil and natural gas occurrence, both at the macro level and with respect to the specific subjects addressed. The series` approach is to integrate EIA`s crude oil and natural gas survey data with related data obtained from other authoritative sources, and then to present illustrations and analyses of interest to a broad spectrum of energy information users ranging from the general public to oil and gas industry personnel.

Largest US oil and gas fields, August 1993

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

The Largest US Oil and Gas Fields is a technical report and part of an Energy Information Administration (EIA) series presenting distributions of US crude oil and natural gas resources, developed using field-level data collected by EIA's annual survey of oil and gas proved reserves. The series' objective is to provide useful information beyond that routinely presented in the EIA annual report on crude oil and natural gas reserves. These special reports also will provide oil and gas resource analysts with a fuller understanding of the nature of US crude oil and natural gas occurrence, both at the macro level and with respect to the specific subjects addressed. The series' approach is to integrate EIA's crude oil and natural gas survey data with related data obtained from other authoritative sources, and then to present illustrations and analyses of interest to a broad spectrum of energy information users ranging from the general public to oil and gas industry personnel

Physical Modelling of Silt in Relation to Offshore Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holmsgaard, Rikke

precisely so that the competitiveness of offshore wind turbines can be improved. Carrying out in situ tests offshore is very expensive. Therefore, all experiment regarding this project is conducted onshore. A field in Dronninglund was found useful for this purpose since the subsoil at the field mainly......Offshore wind energy is a sustainable form of energy that can help reduce the emission of greenhouse gases and increase the share of renewable energy. In order to ensure that offshore wind energy can continue to be a competitive source of energy compared to other types of renewable energy...... consists of silty soil and the water table is situated just below the surface so the field is comparable to offshore conditions. In connection with the project, CPT and SCPT (Seismic Cone Penetration Test) were conducted in the field, just like large soil samples were collected with the purpose of carrying...

Effects of offshore platforms on soft-bottom macro-benthic assemblages: a case study in a Mediterranean gas field.

Science.gov (United States)

Terlizzi, Antonio; Bevilacqua, Stanislao; Scuderi, Danilo; Fiorentino, Dario; Guarnieri, Giuseppe; Giangrande, Adriana; Licciano, Margherita; Felline, Serena; Fraschetti, Simonetta

2008-07-01

The exploitation of fossil fuels in the Mediterranean Sea will likely lead to an increase in the number of offshore platforms, a recognized threat for marine biodiversity. To date, in this basin, few attempts have been made to assess the impact of offshore gas and oil platforms on the biodiversity of benthic assemblages. Here, we adopted a structured experimental design coupled with high taxonomic resolution to outline putative effects of gas platforms on soft-bottom macrofauna assemblages in the North Ionian Sea. The analysis was based on a total of 20,295 specimens of 405 taxa, almost entirely identified at species level. Multivariate and univariate analyses showed idiosyncratic patterns of assemblage change with increasing distance from the platforms. Potential reasons underlying such inconsistency are analyzed and the view that structured experimental monitoring is a crucial tool to quantify the extent and magnitude of potential threats and to provide sound baseline information on biodiversity patterns is supported.

Offshore: nations needing our help to exploit oil and gas. [British offshore supply industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Laird, R

1978-02-23

The opportunities around the world for Great Britian to sell companies its expertise on petroleum and natural gas drilling are surveyed. Hydrocarbon reserves; development plans, especially offshore drilling plans; needed equipment and technology; and investment requirements are a few of the factors discussed for Venezuela, Brazil, Mexico, India, Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore. (MCW)

The oil field chemists role during field abandonment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Read, P.A.; Alfsnes, K.

1996-12-31

During the next ten years an increasing number of redundant oil and gas production facilities are scheduled for decommissioning on the Norwegian continental shelf. The oil field chemists role in this connection is discussed. Many of the facilities are large combined drilling and production platforms, others no more than field control centres. Their construction materials and methods are very varied, ranging from steel jackets to concrete gravity structures. Many sub sea templates and flow lines will be targeted for removal. An initial review of a simple production platform has revealed the presence of almost 800 chemical substances. The environmental fate of the materials is needed for estimating the best possible environmental option for the disposal of installations and their contents

(Discussion of) oil pollution in Argentina

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1978-06-01

The port of Comodora Rivadavia shows signs of long-term oil pollution of a nature which would not be tolerated in relation to the exploitation of North Sea oil. The field is operated by Yacimientos Petroliferos Fiscales (Argentine), produces 70,000 bbl/day of oil from onshore and offshore wells, and has been in operation since 1907. A very marked tideline of bituminous oil residues contaminates the harbor installations and completely covers the pebbles, boulders, and rocks in the inertidal region. This material is of a considerable thickness and has completely obliterated any form of littoral marine life in these habitats. The sandy beach does not show signs of accumulative oil, and it is used as an important recretional area. Since seriously oiled seabirds can be seen, it is surprising that Patagonian crested ducks, king cormorants, and kelp gulls occur in large numbers but show little sign of oil contamination. The Magellan penguin, which is much less abundant locally, may have been much more vulnerable to the oil. Photographs are included.

Effect of Second-Order Hydrodynamics on a Floating Offshore Wind Turbine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roald, L.; Jonkman, J.; Robertson, A.

2014-05-01

The design of offshore floating wind turbines uses design codes that can simulate the entire coupled system behavior. At the present, most codes include only first-order hydrodynamics, which induce forces and motions varying with the same frequency as the incident waves. Effects due to second- and higher-order hydrodynamics are often ignored in the offshore industry, because the forces induced typically are smaller than the first-order forces. In this report, first- and second-order hydrodynamic analysis used in the offshore oil and gas industry is applied to two different wind turbine concepts--a spar and a tension leg platform.

Field test of wake steering at an offshore wind farm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. Fleming

2017-05-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a field test of wake-steering control is presented. The field test is the result of a collaboration between the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL and Envision Energy, a smart energy management company and turbine manufacturer. In the campaign, an array of turbines within an operating commercial offshore wind farm in China have the normal yaw controller modified to implement wake steering according to a yaw control strategy. The strategy was designed using NREL wind farm models, including a computational fluid dynamics model, Simulator fOr Wind Farm Applications (SOWFA, for understanding wake dynamics and an engineering model, FLOw Redirection and Induction in Steady State (FLORIS, for yaw control optimization. Results indicate that, within the certainty afforded by the data, the wake-steering controller was successful in increasing power capture, by amounts similar to those predicted from the models.

Environmental implications of offshore oil and gas development in Australia. Part 5; Coastal facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Black, K.P.; Brand, G.W.; Hammond, L.S.; Mourtikas, S.; Noyes-Fitzsimmons, R.L.; Smith, J.M.; Gwyther, D.; Richardson, B.J.

1994-01-01

It is emphasised that coastal facilities pertaining to petroleum exploration and production activities are of greater concern for potential deleterious environmental consequences than the offshore facilities. This is primarily because rates of dispersion and dilution of toxic wastes are generally lower in shallow coastal waters which are often subject to complex bathymetry, and more constricted water flows. The review found that the main processes (apart from oil spills) identified as having greatest potential environmental effect were: coastal discharges of produced water; sedimentation caused by dredging; spoil dumping; and pipe-laying activities. The review examines a wide range of marine environmental issues arising from the use of coastal-servicing facilities, including: practices and discharges during regular operation of coastal facilities; nature and extent of any environmental impact on the surrounding environment; and any deleterious effects stemming from these facilities. 194 refs., 13 tabs., 36 figs

Panama: World Oil Report 1991

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1991-01-01

This paper reports that Texaco signed a contract to explore 1.1 million acres in Blocks 1 and 2, on and offshore the northwestern coast. The firm has not revealed any plans beyond conducting a preliminary analysis. No drilling was reported last year. Switzerland-based Idria Oil and Gas, which drilled and abandoned three offshore wells with oil and gas shows in 1989, the it has no plans for 1991. However, the firm the it may drill three wells in 1992

Seychelles: World Oil Report 1991

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1991-01-01

This paper reports on the small island group that was host to the first Indian Ocean Regional Seminar on Petroleum Exploration in mid-December. Efforts are under way to set up a regional system for cooperation in petroleum between countries in the region that hope to become oil producers. Offshore permits are held by Enterprise Oil and recently by Texaco. Ultamar Exploration Ltd. signed an eight-year offshore exploration contract becoming only the fourth company to attempt exploration off the archipelago

RADARSAT SAR data assessment of oil lakes in the Greater Burgan Oil Field, Kuwait

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwarteng, A. Y.; Al-Ajmi, D.; Singhroy, V.; Saint-Jean, R.

1997-01-01

RADARSAT images recorded in different beam modes were processed and used to assess the oil lakes in the Burgan oil field in Kuwait created by the fire setting of oil wells by the retreating Iraqi forces in the 1990-1991 Gulf War. The images were geometrically registered to each other and used as input to a change detection program. The main interest was to map and differentiate between the oil lakes, tarmats, vegetation, buried oil lakes, and also to evaluate the usefulness of RADARSAT's beam modes in characterizing such features. Results of the RADARSAT imagery analysis were compared to similar studies using optical and SIR-C/X-SAR data. Initially, there have approximately 300 oil lakes covering an area of about 49 sq km. Twenty-one million barrels of oil were recovered and exported; about one million barrels of unrecoverable oil was left in the oil fields. Since then most of the oil has evaporated, dried up to form tarmats, or has been covered by a veneer of sand and is no longer visible on the surface

Out of sight, out of mind - societal considerations in offshore development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rothermund, H.C.

1996-01-01

This paper deals with societal considerations in connection with the UK offshore development. The offshore oil and gas industry seems remote from most people's lives, but its responsibilities has been recognised towards people and the environment. The author discusses the industry's changing response to these issues in three areas such as the creation of wealth, the health and safety of those involved in its operations, and the protection of the environment

Consortium for Offshore Aviation Research : description of current projects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1998-01-01

The five projects which are currently underway or being evaluated through the Consortium for Offshore Aviation Research (COAR) were described. The projects are: (1) the use of narrow-beam, high intensity searchlights as approach aids for helicopter landings on helidecks in low visibility conditions, (2) establishment of a precipitation and fog characterization facility forecasting, (3) use of ice-phobic materials for airframe anti-icing, (4) use of differential global positioning satellite systems for offshore operations, and (5) the development of a virtual reality head-up-display for the approach to the Hibernia helideck (or any other helideck) to facilitate low visibility landings. Seed funding for these projects has been provided by the European Space Agency. Additional support is being provided by Hibernia, Petro-Canada, Husky Oil and Chevron Oil Canada. Initiatives to increase the number of partners are underway. 1 fig

Value of information-based inspection planning for offshore structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Irman, Arifian Agusta; Thöns, Sebastian; Leira, Bernt J.

2017-01-01

with each inspection strategy. A simplified and generic risk-based inspection planning utilizing pre- posterior Bayesian decision analysis had been proposed by Faber et al. [1] and Straub [2]. This paper provides considerations on the theoretical background and a Value of Information analysis......-based inspection planning. The paper will start out with a review of the state-of-art RBI planning procedure based on Bayesian decision theory and its application in offshore structure integrity management. An example of the Value of Information approach is illustrated and it is pointed to further research......Asset integrity and management is an important part of the oil and gas industry especially for existing offshore structures. With declining oil price, the production rate is an important factor to be maintained that makes integrity of the structures one of the main concerns. Reliability based...

Cutting risk, boosting cash flow and developing marginal fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baustad, T.; Courtin, G.; Davies, T.; Kenison, R.; Turnbull, J.; Gray, B.; Jalali, Y.; Remondet, J.C.; Hjelmsmark, L.; Oldfield, T.; Romano, C.; Saier, R.; Rannestad, G.

1996-01-01

To minimize financial risk and accelerate return on investment, oil companies are using low-cost, reusable production systems. The scope of these development options is illustrated by looking at three offshore case studies that range from extended well test to marginal field development. In each case, production systems technology has been deployed to provide superior data, early oil or both, thus reducing economic uncertainty and delivering accelerated cash flow. 10 figs., 23 refs

Ice monitoring program in support of Sakhalin Energy's offshore oil production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pilkington, R. [CANATEC Associates International Ltd., Calgary, AB (Canada); Keinonen, A. [AKAC Inc., Victoria, BC (Canada); Tambovsky, V.; Ryabov, S. [Environmental Company of Sakhalin, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (Russian Federation); Pishchalnik, V. [Russian Academy of Science, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (Russian Federation)]|[Far East Geological Inst., Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (Russian Federation). Sakhalin Dept.; Sheikin, I. [Arctic and Antarctic Research Inst., St. Petersburg (Russian Federation); Brovin, A. [ABIC Service Ltd., Calgary, AB (Canada)

2006-11-15

The Sakhalin Energy Investment Company (SEIC) has been producing oil at the Molikpaq platform off the east coast of Sakhalin Island since 1999. The Molikpaq oil production occurs during the open water summer season. When ice begins to form in late November, an Ice Management Team begins to monitor conditions at the site to ensure a safe operation. This paper described the ice monitoring program designed to provide extensive ice and environmental data to support risk management and allow the planning of safe oil production operations using a Single Anchor Leg Mooring( SALM) system, Floating Storage and Offloading System (FSO), and export tankers in ice. The following 2 key aspects of the in-ice operations were covered: ice management to protect the offshore loading operation on a minute by minute basis in moving ice, and also ice forecasting, to determine when any unmanageable ice might approach the tanker loading site and cause the shut down of operations in the fall and during the startup of operations in the spring. The forecasting of ice drift, ice formation and growth in the fall and ice decay in the spring were discussed. It was noted that in the last few years, the date on which ice first appears is getting later. Operations cease for the winter before the ice is forecast to become a problem for the operations. The Ice Management Team returns to the site in May when the ice melts and and is no longer harmful to the operations. The Ice Management Team consists of 9 individuals with several years of operational ice experience. Their tasks include data collection from satellite images; helicopter ice reconnaissance; ice breaker ice maps; radar ice maps and ice drift; and, ice drift analysis using terra MODIS satellite images. A daily or twice daily weather forecast is provided by a commercial weather forecasting company. These forecasts provide the winds, gusts, cloud cover, air temperature, wind wave and swell for every 6 hours for the first 3 days, then every

Evaluation of methodology for QRA in offshore operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vinnem, Jan Erik

1998-01-01

A brief summary is presented of the development of Quantified Risk Analysis in the offshore oil and gas industry for nearly 20 years. From a modest start in Norway as a research activity, QRA has today become one of the focal points of oil and gas management in all countries around the North Sea, and also in other areas. This was mainly initiated by authority regulations and requirements, but has now for some time been driven by the industry itself, as it sees the QRA as a vehicle to gain extended flexibility with respect to optimization of offshore safety standards. This article discusses how QRAs are used, and examines in this light how methodology developments that are and should be carried out by R and D institutions and the industry. Recommendations with respect to how and where knowledge should be developed are expressed and discussed. Lastly visions for future use and developments within the QRA technology are outlined

The current and short term outlook for offshore exploration and development in the UK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Precious, R.G.

1992-01-01

The United Kingdom offshore oil and gas industry began with the first North Sea discoveries in 1965. Of the total estimated hydrocarbon resources, 34% of the 32 billion bbl of oil and gas liquids and 23% of the 124 trillion ft 3 of natural gas have already been produced, and an additional 22% and 23% respectively are currently producing or under development. Average discovery size has declined as the region matures; nevertheless drilling activity has remained high. Low oil prices, increasing operating costs, and the worldwide recession have caused many companies to cut back on capital expenditures. The outlook for North Sea exploration is for smaller, more complex prospects and in areas with greater exploration potential. The outlook for development is for smaller, often economically marginal new fields and existing fields that are increasingly expensive to operate. In new fields, costs can be reduced by simplification and standardization of facilities, using horizontal drilling, lighter modular platforms, subsea technology, and multiphase pipelines. Examples of such developments at Shell/Esso's Osprey and Gannet fields are described. In existing fields, emphasis is on upgrading of facilites for extended field life; simplification and automation of facilities is also being carried out to reduce costs. Examples are provided from Shell/Esso's Brent and Leman fields. Other factors affecting future development are outlined. Total U.K. gas demand is forecast to rise to 7-8 billion ft 3 d by the late 1990s; imports may be required to meet total U.K. demand at that time. U.K. oil and liquids production is forecast to increase to a new peak of 2.7 million bbl/d in 1995. 13 figs

Malaysia: World Oil Report 1991

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khin, J.A.

1991-01-01

This paper reports that the Malaysian government announced tax incentives for fiscal year 1991/92 by cutting export duties on crude oil to encourage companies to develop more oil fields. The export duty exemption on cost recovery oil was increased from the current 20% to 50% on April 1, 1991. Nearly 115,200 sq mi of shallow-water acreage off Malaysia has been awarded to PS contractors, leaving only about five blocks remaining. Therefore, Petronas plans to award deeper water blocks (water depths of 655 ft or more) in the second half of this year, once terms are finalized. It is understood that these areas will be offshore of Sarawak and Sabah, covering in excess of 38,000 sq mi. Petronas the that there would be some improvement in the PSC terms for the deep-water areas

Economic impacts of oil spills: Spill unit costs for tankers, pipelines, refineries, and offshore facilities. [Task 1, Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1993-10-15

The impacts of oil spills -- ranging from the large, widely publicized Exxon Valdez tanker incident to smaller pipeline and refinery spills -- have been costly to both the oil industry and the public. For example, the estimated costs to Exxon of the Valdez tanker spill are on the order of $4 billion, including $2.8 billion (in 1993 dollars) for direct cleanup costs and $1.125 billion (in 1992 dollars) for settlement of damages claims caused by the spill. Application of contingent valuation costs and civil lawsuits pending in the State of Alaska could raise these costs appreciably. Even the costs of the much smaller 1991 oil spill at Texaco`s refinery near Anacortes, Washington led to costs of $8 to 9 million. As a result, inexpensive waming, response and remediation technologies could lower oil spin costs, helping both the oil industry, the associated marine industries, and the environment. One means for reducing the impact and costs of oil spills is to undertake research and development on key aspects of the oil spill prevention, warming, and response and remediation systems. To target these funds to their best use, it is important to have sound data on the nature and size of spills, their likely occurrence and their unit costs. This information could then allow scarce R&D dollars to be spent on areas and activities having the largest impact. This report is intended to provide the ``unit cost`` portion of this crucial information. The report examines the three key components of the US oil supply system, namely, tankers and barges; pipelines and refineries; and offshore production facilities. The specific purpose of the study was to establish the unit costs of oil spills. By manipulating this key information into a larger matrix that includes the size and frequency of occurrence of oil spills, it will be possible` to estimate the likely future impacts, costs, and sources of oil spills.

Offshore support vessel developments for deep water oil and gas E and P

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dielen, Baldo A.M. [SMIT, Rotterdam (Netherlands)

2008-07-01

The worldwide trend to move towards more exposed locations and deeper waters for O and G exploration and production activities resulted in an increased need for larger and more powerful tugs and offshore support vessels. These vessels must meet higher operational requirements under higher wind and sea-state conditions. This market-driven need, together with technological developments, is leading towards a new generation of powerful and sophisticated offshore support vessels (OSV's). This paper will describe the actual and future trends in OSV design for deep water offshore use. (author)

The effects of the fiscal terms applied to offshore petroleum exploitation of new fields: a comparative study of the UK, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, Australia, China, Indonesia, Egypt, Nigeria, and United States outer continental shelf

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kemp, A.G.; Reading, D.; Macdonald, B.

1992-01-01

This paper examines the comparative impact of petroleum taxation in the UK, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, Nigeria, China, Indonesia, Egypt and U.S. Outer Continental Shelf at the field development stage. The emphasis is on the effects in offshore operating situations. The study examines the operation of the systems under (a) a range of field sizes typical for each of the regimes, (b) a variety of oil prices ($15, $18, and $23 per barrel in real terms), and (c) a wide range of field development costs. The results indicate that generally the complex fiscal instruments employed are not well-targetted on economic rents. Frequently the systems are regressive with respect to both oil price and development case changes. In the UK and Australia the schemes are related to profits in a reasonably sensitive manner and are less likely to cause disincentives to field developments than in other countries. Even where systems are ostensibly profit-related they may have effects similar to imposts based on gross revenues (such as ceilings on cost recovery). In most jurisdictions it is likely that discretionary changes will be required when the operating environment exhibits marked variations. (author)

Offshore platform sourced pollution monitoring using space-borne fully polarimetric C and X band synthetic aperture radar.

Science.gov (United States)

Singha, Suman; Ressel, Rudolf

2016-11-15

Use of polarimetric SAR data for offshore pollution monitoring is relatively new and shows great potential for operational offshore platform monitoring. This paper describes the development of an automated oil spill detection chain for operational purposes based on C-band (RADARSAT-2) and X-band (TerraSAR-X) fully polarimetric images, wherein we use polarimetric features to characterize oil spills and look-alikes. Numbers of near coincident TerraSAR-X and RADARSAT-2 images have been acquired over offshore platforms. Ten polarimetric feature parameters were extracted from different types of oil and 'look-alike' spots and divided into training and validation dataset. Extracted features were then used to develop a pixel based Artificial Neural Network classifier. Mutual information contents among extracted features were assessed and feature parameters were ranked according to their ability to discriminate between oil spill and look-alike spots. Polarimetric features such as Scattering Diversity, Surface Scattering Fraction and Span proved to be most suitable for operational services. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Flood offers new hope for marginal oil fields

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1966-03-14

The economics of producing a marginal Cardium sand oil field in west-central Alberta have been greatly improved by introduction of an inexpensive waterflood pressure maintenance and secondary recovery project. Canadian Gridoil Ltd. is now in full operation at its Willesden Green Cardium Unit No. 5. Of the 8.1 million bbl estimated original oil in place, only 9% would have been recoverable by primary depletion. The waterflood is calculated to add 13%, for ultimate recovery of 22% or 1.8 million bbl. This waterflood installation is considered a prototype of economical and profitable pressure maintenance systems which can be built to advantage in marginal oil fields in Alberta. Ultimate returns in the form of increased oil production and more than doubled oil recovery will be immensely greater than the capital investment of $195,000 in the facilities. Assuming GOR control and full well allowables, the entire capital cost should be paid out within 3 years. Life of the field is estimated at not less than 25 years.

Electrocoagulation with polarity switch for fast oil removal from oil in water emulsions.

Science.gov (United States)

Gobbi, Lorena C A; Nascimento, Izabela L; Muniz, Eduardo P; Rocha, Sandra M S; Porto, Paulo S S

2018-05-01

An electrocoagulation technique using a 3.5 L reactor, with aluminum electrodes in a monopolar arrangement with polarity switch at each 10 s was used to separate oil from synthetic oily water similar in oil concentration to produced water from offshore platforms. Up to 98% of oil removal was achieved after 20 min of processing. Processing time dependence of the oil removal and pH was measured and successfully adjusted to exponential models, indicating a pseudo first order behavior. Statistical analysis was used to prove that electrical conductivity and total solids depend significantly on the concentration of electrolyte (NaCl) in the medium. Oil removal depends mostly on the distance between the electrodes but is proportional to electrolyte concentration when initial pH is 8. Electrocoagulation with polarity switch maximizes the lifetime of the electrodes. The process reduced oil concentration to a value below that stipulated by law, proving it can be an efficient technology to minimize the offshore drilling impact in the environment. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessment of technological solutions for removal of radium discharged to sea from offshore oil and gas installations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eriksen, Dag Oeistein [Primus.inter.pares AS, Kongsberggata 20, NO-0468 Oslo (Norway); Hylland, Ketil [University of Oslo (Norway); Andersen, Knut Inge [Statoil ASA (Norway); Sidhu, Rajdeep Singh [Institute for Energy Technology - IFE (Norway)

2014-07-01

On the Norwegian sector of the North-Sea the oil- and gas-producing fields Troll B and C are the main contributors to radium discharged to the sea (190 GBq/a {sup 226}Ra and 150 GBq/a {sup 228}Ra). Thus, to observe effects caused by the emission of radioactivity and to consider remedial action one should focus on these two installations. Both installations are now operated by Statoil. In a previous comprehensive study of the speciation of discharged radium the conclusion was that it is impossible to detect any effect from radiation doses. The incremental doses due to the emissions were found to be in the nSv-range. The study covered precipitation by sulfate in the sea water, absorption on organic and inorganic materials, uptake in cod eggs and in juvenile cod, effect on sediment living organisms, background levels of pelagic fish and in sediments, and modeling of the distribution in the water column as well the distribution along the coastal stream. Despite the lack of radiation effects, an assessment of possible technological solution for removal of the radium has been undertaken. Such methods must meet the severe requirements imposed by the oil recovery process at Troll B and C: High produced water rates (>1000 m{sup 3}/h), high salinity and content of water soluble carboxylic acids originating from the crude oil, in addition to a relatively high content of barium (3 550 tonnes/a). For implementation on an offshore installation the footprint and weight of the equipment would have to be as low as possible. It is also imperative that the radiation doses to operators are as low as possible. This puts strict requirements on the shielding of the absorbents accumulating {sup 226}Ra and {sup 228}Ra. No commercially available methods were identified, but one new conceptual method based on absorption of radium on barite has been proposed. Barite is also a good shielding material. Tests performed at Institute for Energy Technology show, however, that the kinetics of the

The influence of magnetic fields on crude oils viscosity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goncalves, Jose L.; Bombard, Antonio J. F. [Universidade Federal de Itajuba (UNIFEI), Itajuba, MG (Brazil). Instituto de Ciencias Exatas. Lab. de Reologia

2009-07-01

The crystallization of paraffin causes serious problems in the process of transportation of petroleum. This phenomenon increases the crude oil viscosity and implies an organic resin accumulation on pipeline wall, resulting in a reduced flux area or totally blocked pipes. One of the most challenging tasks for pipeline maintenance is solving this problem at low cost. Therefore, a method that inhibits the crystallization of paraffin and reduces the viscosity of crude oil could have many useful applications within the petroleum industry. Recent studies showed that magnetic fields reduce the Wax Appearance Temperature (WAT) and the viscosity of paraffin-based crude oil. For better understanding of this discovery, a series of tests was performed. This paper will show the influence of a DC magnetic field on rheological proprieties of three crude oils with different paraffin concentrations: a crude oil sample with 11 % p/p of paraffin concentration (sample 1); a crude oil sample with 6 % p/p of paraffin concentration (sample 2); a mixture of paraffin plus light crude oil with a total of 11 % p/p of paraffin concentration. These samples were placed in an electromagnet that generates a magnetic field of 1.3 Tesla. The samples' temperatures were conditioned around their Wax Appearance Temperature (WAT), and they were exposed to the field. As the viscosity of crude oil is very sensitive to the changes in temperature, it was ensured that the temperature has remained constant throughout the process. The sample 1 revealed a considerable reduction of viscosity: its original viscosity was 66 cP before magnetic field exposure, after that its viscosity was reduced to 39 cP. The other samples showed the same viscosity, before and after the magnetic field exposure. Since the samples 1 and 3 have the same paraffin concentrations, the viscosity reduction is not due only to the presence of paraffin; there must be other factors responsible for the interaction of sample 1 with the

Decommissioning of offshore oil and gas facilities: a comparative assessment of different scenarios.

Science.gov (United States)

Ekins, Paul; Vanner, Robin; Firebrace, James

2006-06-01

A material and energy flow analysis, with corresponding financial flows, was carried out for different decommissioning scenarios for the different elements of an offshore oil and gas structure. A comparative assessment was made of the non-financial (especially environmental) outcomes of the different scenarios, with the reference scenario being to leave all structures in situ, while other scenarios envisaged leaving them on the seabed or removing them to shore for recycling and disposal. The costs of each scenario, when compared with the reference scenario, give an implicit valuation of the non-financial outcomes (e.g. environmental improvements), should that scenario be adopted by society. The paper concludes that it is not clear that the removal of the topsides and jackets of large steel structures to shore, as currently required by regulations, is environmentally justified; that concrete structures should certainly be left in place; and that leaving footings, cuttings and pipelines in place, with subsequent monitoring, would also be justified unless very large values were placed by society on a clear seabed and trawling access.

Social impact assessment: identification, management and follow-up of community concerns associated with construction of the Hibernia offshore platform

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Storey, K.

2003-01-01

Social impact Assessment (SIA) is the systematic analysis, in advance of the likely impacts of a proposed action, that considers 'all social and cultural consequences to human populations of any public or private actions that alter the ways in which people live, work, play, relate to one another, organize to meet their needs, and generally cope as members of society' (US Department of Commerce 1994). Through the SIA for the construction of the Hibernia offshore oil platform concern, and values of local area residents were identified and a management strategy designed to minimise social disruption associated with the project. Monitoring studies showed that the strategy was effective and that few negative social impacts occurred. The Hibernia offshore oil field, was discovered on the Grand Banks, east of the island of Newfoundland, in 1979. The distance from shore (315 km), its isolation, the periodic presence of sea ice, icebergs and fog, and frequently severe wave and wind conditions, make these waters an extremely hostile work environment. Primarily to maximize human safety, the final engineering design chosen for the project was a fixed, gravity base system (GBS). The platform functions as the main drilling and production unit, the first stage processing facility, oil storage and accommodations base for the offshore crews. The concrete base of the platform, one of the five super-modules that make up the top-sides of the platform and eight of tile smaller top-sides-mounted modules, were fabricated in Newfoundland and the entire platform assembled at Bull Arm, Trinity Bay. (author)

Offshore wind energy : balancing risk and reward

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nerland, C.

2010-01-01

Offshore wind energy developments are expected to increase as the demand for renewable energy sources grows. This poster presentation described a method of balancing risk and reward in offshore wind energy projects. The method was based on risk assessment strategies used by the oil and gas industry. The dedicated framework considered schedules; budgets; performance; and operating and maintenance costs. A value chain assessment method was used to optimize the balance between risk and reward by evaluating uncertainties and risk related to each project element and its relationship to other elements within an integrated dynamic model designed to determine the net present value of a project. The decision-making criteria included the RISKEX risk expenditure strategy designed to consider the balance between risk exposure, capital expenditures, and operational expenditures in relation to the statistical cost of unplanned repairs, and lost production capacity. A case study of a large offshore wind farm was used to demonstrate the method. tabs., figs.

Floating oil-covered debris from Deepwater Horizon: identification and application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carmichael, Catherine A; Lemkau, Karin L; Nelson, Robert K; Reddy, Christopher M; Arey, J Samuel; Graham, William M; Linn, Laura J

2012-01-01

The discovery of oiled and non-oiled honeycomb material in the Gulf of Mexico surface waters and along coastal beaches shortly after the explosion of Deepwater Horizon sparked debate about its origin and the oil covering it. We show that the unknown pieces of oiled and non-oiled honeycomb material collected in the Gulf of Mexico were pieces of the riser pipe buoyancy module of Deepwater Horizon. Biomarker ratios confirmed that the oil had originated from the Macondo oil well and had undergone significant weathering. Using the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s records of the oil spill trajectory at the sea surface, we show that the honeycomb material preceded the front edge of the uncertainty of the oil slick trajectory by several kilometers. We conclude that the observation of debris fields deriving from damaged marine materials may be incorporated into emergency response efforts and forecasting of coastal impacts during future offshore oil spills, and ground truthing predicative models. (letter)

The Offshore New European Wind Atlas

Science.gov (United States)

Karagali, I.; Hahmann, A. N.; Badger, M.; Hasager, C.; Mann, J.

2017-12-01

The New European Wind Atlas (NEWA) is a joint effort of research agencies from eight European countries, co-funded under the ERANET Plus Program. The project is structured around two areas of work: development of dynamical downscaling methodologies and measurement campaigns to validate these methodologies, leading to the creation and publication of a European wind atlas in electronic form. This atlas will contain an offshore component extending 100 km from the European coasts. To achieve this, mesoscale models along with various observational datasets are utilised. Scanning lidars located at the coastline were used to compare the coastal wind gradient reproduced by the meso-scale model. Currently, an experimental campaign is occurring in the Baltic Sea, with a lidar located in a commercial ship sailing from Germany to Lithuania, thus covering the entire span of the south Baltic basin. In addition, satellite wind retrievals from scatterometers and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) instruments were used to generate mean wind field maps and validate offshore modelled wind fields and identify the optimal model set-up parameters.The aim of this study is to compare the initial outputs from the offshore wind atlas produced by the Weather & Research Forecasting (WRF) model, still in pre-operational phase, and the METOP-A/B Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT) wind fields, reprocessed to stress equivalent winds at 10m. Different experiments were set-up to evaluate the model sensitivity for the various domains covered by the NEWA offshore atlas. ASCAT winds were utilised to assess the performance of the WRF offshore atlases. In addition, ASCAT winds were used to create an offshore atlas covering the years 2007 to 2016, capturing the signature of various spatial wind features, such as channelling and lee effects from complex coastal topographical elements.

Attitude and acceptance of offshore wind farms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ladenburg, Jacob; Möller, B.

2011-01-01

farms attributes on attitude towards offshore wind farms. The results point towards that the travel time and the attributes of the nearest offshore wind farm influence the attitude significantly. Travel time has mixed effects on the attitude, whilst offshore wind farms with many turbines generate more...... a novel contribution to this field. First of all, we give a thorough review of the studies that have analysed the relation between experience with wind turbines and attitude. In addition, we supplement the review by analysing the effect of travel distance to the nearest offshore wind farm and the wind...

Reverse logistic applied to offshore operations; A logistica reversa aplicada as operacoes offshore

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Castro Neto, Jorge Raimundo de Almeida [Universidade Salvador (UNIFACS), BA (Brazil)

2010-07-01

Mass production development has brought as consequence the necessity of more complexes distributions ways to come to multiple final consumers a big products quantity. Additionally, these same products has support necessities as well, substitution or product residue during or on the end of yours life. From the initial necessity, have the logistic concept and from the additional necessity, have the reverse logistic concept. Oil offshore operations are applying the reverse logistic concept through the residues returning by support vessels that attends Oil platforms and workers through helicopters to work turns. However, the relative cost to this residue destination is lower in comparative to the operation total costs, decreasing the interest by remanufacture and reapplication during planning stage. Adding to this reason, the fact that this kind of operation occurs during a shorts time periods. (author)

Globalization of environmental regulations for offshore E & P operations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shannon, B.E.

1995-12-31

One of the enduring legacies of the Rio Environmental Summit of 1992 (United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, UNCED) is Agenda 21 (Chapter 17 - Protection of the Oceans), which among other things called for the assessment of the need for a global authority to regulate offshore Exploration & Production (E&P) discharges, emissions and safety. Despite advice to the contrary from the International Maritime Organization (IMO), interest is building within the European community for the standardization of regulations for offshore E&P activities. Several international of regulations for offshore E&P activities. Several international frameworks or forums have been mentioned as possible candidates. These include the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, 1982 (UNCLOS); London Convention 1972 (LC 1972) and the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as modified by the Protocol of 1978 (MARPOL) 73/78. International offshore oil and gas operators operate within requirements of regional conventions under the United Nations Environmental Program`s (UNEP) - Regional Seas Program. Domestic offshore operations are undertaken under the auspices of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Minerals Management Service.

Alterations in bottom sediment physical and chemical characteristics at the Terra Nova offshore oil development over ten years of drilling on the grand banks of Newfoundland, Canada

Science.gov (United States)

DeBlois, Elisabeth M.; Paine, Michael D.; Kilgour, Bruce W.; Tracy, Ellen; Crowley, Roger D.; Williams, Urban P.; Janes, G. Gregory

2014-12-01

This paper describes sediment composition at the Terra Nova offshore oil development. The Terra Nova Field is located on the Grand Banks approximately 350 km southeast of Newfoundland, Canada, at an approximate water depth of 100 m. Surface sediment samples (upper 3 cm) were collected for chemical and particle size analyses at the site pre-development (1997) and in 2000-2002, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010. Approximately 50 stations have been sampled in each program year, with stations extending from less than 1 km to a maximum of 20 km from source (drill centres) along five gradients, extending to the southeast, southwest, northeast, northwest and east of Terra Nova. Results show that Terra Nova sediments were contaminated with >C10-C21 hydrocarbons and barium-the two main constituents of synthetic-based drilling muds used at the site. Highest levels of contamination occurred within 1 to 2 km from source, consistent with predictions from drill cuttings dispersion modelling. The strength of distance gradients for >C10-C21 hydrocarbons and barium, and overall levels, generally increased as drilling progressed but decreased from 2006 to 2010, coincident with a reduction in drilling. As seen at other offshore oil development sites, metals other than barium, sulphur and sulphide levels were elevated and sediment fines content was higher in the immediate vicinity (less than 0.5 km) of drill centres in some sampling years; but there was no strong evidence of project-related alterations of these variables. Overall, sediment contamination at Terra Nova was spatially limited and only the two major constituents of synthetic-based drilling muds used at the site, >C10-C21 hydrocarbons and barium, showed clear evidence of project-related alternations.

Terminology Guideline for Classifying Offshore Wind Energy Resources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Beiter, Philipp [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Musial, Walt [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2016-09-01

The purpose of this guideline is to establish a clear and consistent vocabulary for conveying offshore wind resource potential and to interpret this vocabulary in terms that are familiar to the oil and gas (O&G) industry. This involves clarifying and refining existing definitions of offshore wind energy resource classes. The terminology developed in this guideline represents one of several possible sets of vocabulary that may differ with respect to their purpose, data availability, and comprehensiveness. It was customized to correspond with established offshore wind practices and existing renewable energy industry terminology (e.g. DOE 2013, Brown et al. 2015) while conforming to established fossil resource classification as best as possible. The developers of the guideline recognize the fundamental differences that exist between fossil and renewable energy resources with respect to availability, accessibility, lifetime, and quality. Any quantitative comparison between fossil and renewable energy resources, including offshore wind, is therefore limited. For instance, O&G resources are finite and there may be significant uncertainty associated with the amount of the resource. In contrast, aboveground renewable resources, such as offshore wind, do not generally deplete over time but can vary significantly subhourly, daily, seasonally, and annually. The intent of this guideline is to make these differences transparent and develop an offshore wind resource classification that conforms to established fossil resource classifications where possible. This guideline also provides methods to quantitatively compare certain offshore wind energy resources to O&G resource classes for specific applications. Finally, this guideline identifies areas where analogies to established O&G terminology may be inappropriate or subject to misinterpretation.

Optimization of helicopter hub locations and fleet composition in the Brazilian pre-salt fields

OpenAIRE

Norddal, Ida Kristine

2013-01-01

When implementing oil and gas operations in the Santos Basin pre-salt fields, Brazilian energy corporation Petróleo Brasileiro S.A (Petrobras) faces some significant challenges. One of these is the large distance from shore: exceeding 300 km at the most, it is about three times the distance to oil fields explored in the past. This has great impact on the company's offshore helicopter operations. In its current form, helicopters transport employees directly between onshore airport bases and of...

Plans to revive oil fields in Venezuela on track

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

This paper reports on the three operating units of Venezuela's state owned oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA which will begin receiving bids Feb. 28 from companies interested in operating 55 inactive oil fields in nine producing areas of Venezuela. Francisco Pradas, Pdvsa executive in charge of the program, the the company expects 88 companies or combines of foreign and domestic private companies to participate in the bidding. The program, announced last year, aims to reactivate production in marginal oil fields. It will involve the first direct participation by private companies in Venezuela's oil production since nationalization in 1976

Identifying polar bear resource selection patterns to inform offshore development in a dynamic and changing Arctic

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Ryan R.; Horne, Jon S.; Rode, Karyn D.; Regehr, Eric V.; Durner, George M.

2014-01-01

Although sea ice loss is the primary threat to polar bears (Ursus maritimus), little can be done to mitigate its effects without global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Other factors, however, could exacerbate the impacts of sea ice loss on polar bears, such as exposure to increased industrial activity. The Arctic Ocean has enormous oil and gas potential, and its development is expected to increase in the coming decades. Estimates of polar bear resource selection will inform managers how bears use areas slated for oil development and to help guide conservation planning. We estimated temporally-varying resource selection patterns for non-denning adult female polar bears in the Chukchi Sea population (2008–2012) at two scales (i.e., home range and weekly steps) to identify factors predictive of polar bear use throughout the year, before any offshore development. From the best models at each scale, we estimated scale-integrated resource selection functions to predict polar bear space use across the population's range and determined when bears were most likely to use the region where offshore oil and gas development in the United States is slated to occur. Polar bears exhibited significant intra-annual variation in selection patterns at both scales but the strength and annual patterns of selection differed between scales for most variables. Bears were most likely to use the offshore oil and gas planning area during ice retreat and growth with the highest predicted use occurring in the southern portion of the planning area. The average proportion of predicted high-value habitat in the planning area was >15% of the total high-value habitat for the population during sea ice retreat and growth and reached a high of 50% during November 2010. Our results provide a baseline on which to judge future changes to non-denning adult female polar bear resource selection in the Chukchi Sea and help guide offshore development in the region. Lastly, our study provides a

Feasibility study of electromechanical cylinder drivetrain for offshore mechatronic systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hagen, D.; Pawlus, W.; Ebbesen, M. K.

2017-01-01

Currently, there is an increasing focus on the environmental impact and energy consumption of the oil and gas industry. In offshore drilling equipment, electric motors tend to replace traditionally used hydraulic motors, especially in rotational motion control applications. However, force densiti...

Formation of the oil composition of the Yu0 Bazhenov formation, Salym oil field

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E.V. Soboleva

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The Bazhenov horizon of Western Siberia has been studied in considerable detail from different perspectives and different methods, a large number of studies have been devoted to a wide range of issues related to the lithological composition of rocks, their reservoir properties, the study of organic matter, properties and composition of oil at various analytical levels, and many others. This work is devoted to restoring conditions for the formation of oil properties and composition of the Yu0 Salym oil field, based mainly on the geochemical aspects of the study of oil changes both in area and in the section within the productive layer of Salym structure, using some geological data, such as structural plan for the reflecting horizon B (the roof of the Bazhenov formation, having a complex configuration, reservoir temperatures and pressure, well flow rates, and others. There is no single reservoir at the Salym field in the Yu0 formation. For the conclusions of the geological-geochemical interpretation, a sampling of 61 samples of oil from exploration, appraisal and production wells of the initial stages of production was used, since in the future when oil is extracted, the ecology in the deposits changes, and 21 samples of oil from other fields in the West Siberian oil and gas basin. Conventionally, three types of oils are distinguished, differing in their physicochemical parameters, group hydrocarbon and molecular composition. It was suggested that in addition to the own organic matter of the Bazhenov formation, hydrocarbon fluids of the Vasyugan, Tyumen formations and possibly Paleozoic rocks were involved in the formation of the oil composition. The flow of light liquid hydrocarbons and gases occurred along the zones of faults of different genesis and duration of existence.

Oil field decision analysis based on technical-economic indicators; Analise de decisao baseada em indicadores tecnico-economicos para um campo petrolifero

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ravagnani, Ana Teresa Gaspar; Munoz Mazo, Eduin; Schiozer, Denis [Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), SP (Brazil). Dept. de Engenharia de Petroleo. Lab. de Simulacao de Fluxo em Meios Porosos (UNISIM)

2008-07-01

This work presents a case study consisting of a synthetic offshore field in deep water and 28 deg API oil representing a gas solution model with water injection without gas cap. Several alternatives of strategies are proposed, regarding different configurations and number of wells, besides different limits of injection and production rates, as well as, completion layers. The objective is to show that different strategies can be obtained according to the indicator chosen by the decision maker. Even when the Net Present Value (NPV) is a very used indicator in the investment analysis, with the utilization of other technical-economical indicators, other investment alternatives different from those proposed when just VPL is utilized, can become feasible. Additionally, other aspects are analyzed, such as the possibility of changes in the production capacity with other oil prices levels. It is also proposed the production strategy optimization in this work, changing the time of production and the injection/production rate limits. (author)

Analysis of the Nonlinear Static and Dynamic Behavior of Offshore Structures

KAUST Repository

Alfosail, Feras

2015-01-01

Understanding static and dynamic nonlinear behavior of pipes and risers is crucial for the design aspects in offshore engineering fields. In this work, we examine two nonlinear problems in offshore engineering field: vortex Induced vibration

Powering oil and gas offshore operations from mainland eletrical grid

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maeland, Asmund; Chokhawala, Rahul S.

2010-09-15

This paper describes principal power from shore (PFS) technologies available today, highlights their key attributes, and discusses cost-benefit aspects of these emerging solutions in comparison to decades of gas turbines generation offshore.

Electronic techniques for subsea oil exploration and extraction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1976-01-01

Subsea oil exploration and extraction is becoming increasingly difficult, costly, and dangerous. Electronics is contributing to make offshore work easier and safer. It is used for positioning ships or oil rigs, for remotely controlling well-heads and tool reentry operations, for pipelaying operations, and for monitoring underwater equipment. It is also tending to replace men in diving operations. The specific achievements of THOMPSON--CSF in this field are described. Fully automated operation of the winches on the ETPM 1601 barge proved successful during a recent pipelaying operation. The technique used by THOMPSON--CSF in this venture allowed a single operator to control all the maneuvers. These are briefly described. (MCW)

Brazil: good news for oil is bad news for alcohol

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knight, Patrick

1999-01-01

The impact of the doubling of oil prices and the devaluation of the Brazilian currency on the alcohol fuel programme is examined in this article, and the recent discovery by the Brazilian oil company, Petrobras, of a major new offshore oil field, the government's efforts to boost the consumption of alcohol fuel with subsidies and cheap loans, and the lower costs of running alcohol powered cars are discussed. Details of a major restructuring of the alcohol industry, the production of alcohol between 1994-1999, the boom in sugar exports, the glut of sugar cane, the falling confidence of motorists in alcohol powered cars, and the general move away from subsidies spearheaded by the World Trade Organisation are considered. (UK)

Geologic distributions of US oil and gas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-01-01

This publication presents nonproprietary field size distributions that encompass most domestic oil and gas fields at year-end 1989. These data are organized by geologic provinces as defined by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists' Committee on Statistics of Drilling (AAPG/CSD), by regional geographic aggregates of the AAPG/CSD provinces, and Nationally. The report also provides partial volumetric distributions of petroleum liquid and natural gas ultimate recoveries for three macro-geologic variables: principal lithology of the reservoir rock, principal trapping condition and geologic age of the reservoir rock, The former two variables are presented Nationally and by geographic region, in more detail than has heretofore been available. The latter variable is provided Nationally at the same level of detail previously available. Eighteen tables and 66 figures present original data on domestic oil and gas occurrence. Unfortunately, volumetric data inadequacy dictated exclusion of Appalachian region oil and gas fields from the study. All other areas of the United States known to be productive of crude oil or natural gas through year-end 1989, onshore and offshore, were included. It should be noted that none of the results and conclusions would be expected to substantively differ had data for the Appalachian region been available for inclusion in the study

Healthy offshore workforce? A qualitative study on offshore wind employees' occupational strain, health, and coping.

Science.gov (United States)

Mette, Janika; Velasco Garrido, Marcial; Harth, Volker; Preisser, Alexandra M; Mache, Stefanie

2018-01-23

Offshore work has been described as demanding and stressful. Despite this, evidence regarding the occupational strain, health, and coping behaviors of workers in the growing offshore wind industry in Germany is still limited. The purpose of our study was to explore offshore wind employees' perceptions of occupational strain and health, and to investigate their strategies for dealing with the demands of offshore work. We conducted 21 semi-structured telephone interviews with employees in the German offshore wind industry. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed in a deductive-inductive approach following Mayring's qualitative content analysis. Workers generally reported good mental and physical health. However, they also stated perceptions of stress at work, fatigue, difficulties detaching from work, and sleeping problems, all to varying extents. In addition, physical health impairment in relation to offshore work, e.g. musculoskeletal and gastrointestinal complaints, was documented. Employees described different strategies for coping with their job demands. The strategies comprised of both problem and emotion-focused approaches, and were classified as either work-related, health-related, or related to seeking social support. Our study is the first to investigate the occupational strain, health, and coping of workers in the expanding German offshore wind industry. The results offer new insights that can be utilized for future research in this field. In terms of practical implications, the findings suggest that measures should be carried out aimed at reducing occupational strain and health impairment among offshore wind workers. In addition, interventions should be initiated that foster offshore wind workers' health and empower them to further expand on effective coping strategies at their workplace.

Venezuela slates second oil field revival round

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

This paper reports that Venezuela will accept bids under a second round next year from private foreign and domestic companies for production contracts to operate marginal active as well as inactive oil fields. The first such round came earlier this year, involving about 55 other marginal, inactive fields. It resulted in two contractors signed with domestic and foreign companies. It represented the first time since nationalization of the petroleum industry in Venezuela in 1976 that private companies were allowed to produce oil in the country. A public bid tender was expected at presstime last week

A model of basement structure from magnetic anomalies of the Bombay High oil-field west of India

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Rao, D.G.

"--"~'~ - "~" FAULT u NO0 7qO0- C LOS U RE i ( After Sahay. 1978) + DRY HOLE DES AREA N kilometers ' OIL WELL • DES IA 1 •, 7~:oo'E , 71-3o' I , 9"~O'E (a) Fig.2. a. Seismic contour map of the Bombay offshore basin and the Bombay High. Contour interval 200 m...

Oil pollution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mankabady, Samir.

1994-08-01

Oil enters the marine environment when it is discharged, or has escaped, during transport, drilling, shipping, accidents, dumping and offshore operations. This book serves as a reference both on the various complex international operational and legal matters of oil pollution using examples such as the Exxon Valdez, the Braer and Lord Donaldson's report. The chapters include the development of international rules on the marine environment, the prevention of marine pollution from shipping activities, liability for oil pollution damage, the conflict of the 1990 Oil Pollution Act and the 1992 protocols and finally the cooperation and response to pollution incidents. (UK)

Western Newfoundland and Labrador offshore area strategic environmental assessment amendment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2007-11-15

The Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board issued a call for bids in May 2007 that included a piece of land in offshore western Newfoundland. This report presented an amendment to the 2005 western Newfoundland and Labrador offshore strategic environmental assessment (SEA) in order to extend the coverage of the previous piece of land and included additional lands southwest of the original SEA prepared in 2005. This report presented the objectives and purpose of the SEA amendment and the history of oil and gas activities in western Newfoundland and Labrador offshore area. It discussed the biological environment in terms of plankton; benthic invertebrates; fish and fisheries; marine-associated birds; marine mammals and sea turtles; species at risk; and potentially sensitive areas. Environmental effects of exploration and production activities were discussed in terms of sound; routine exploratory/delineation drilling and production activities; accidental events; and cumulative effects. Last, the report presented the conclusions including potential issues, data gaps, and planning considerations. It was concluded that petroleum exploration activity generally can proceed in the amendment area with the application of standard mitigation measures currently applied to offshore exploratory activities elsewhere in the Newfoundland offshore. 90 refs., 8 tabs., 18 figs., 1 appendix.

Western Newfoundland and Labrador offshore area strategic environmental assessment amendment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-11-01

The Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board issued a call for bids in May 2007 that included a piece of land in offshore western Newfoundland. This report presented an amendment to the 2005 western Newfoundland and Labrador offshore strategic environmental assessment (SEA) in order to extend the coverage of the previous piece of land and included additional lands southwest of the original SEA prepared in 2005. This report presented the objectives and purpose of the SEA amendment and the history of oil and gas activities in western Newfoundland and Labrador offshore area. It discussed the biological environment in terms of plankton; benthic invertebrates; fish and fisheries; marine-associated birds; marine mammals and sea turtles; species at risk; and potentially sensitive areas. Environmental effects of exploration and production activities were discussed in terms of sound; routine exploratory/delineation drilling and production activities; accidental events; and cumulative effects. Last, the report presented the conclusions including potential issues, data gaps, and planning considerations. It was concluded that petroleum exploration activity generally can proceed in the amendment area with the application of standard mitigation measures currently applied to offshore exploratory activities elsewhere in the Newfoundland offshore. 90 refs., 8 tabs., 18 figs., 1 appendix

Offshore oil exploration and impact assessment in Greenland

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Anne Merrild

2016-01-01

Greenland needs development. Oil and mineral extraction is pursued as a means to achieve economical growth. Fisheries, hunting and tourism are the main pillars in the Greenland economy in 2015. These businesses are however sensitive to potential negative impacts from oil and gas development. Local...... regulation system in relation to oil and gas projects to promote sustainable development. Additional Impact Benefit Agreements (IBA) have to be negotiated between the communities potentially affected, the Government and the oil companies to assure that social investments are made to secure long-term benefits...

Stable carbon isotopic composition of petroleum condensate from the nile Delta and western Sinai fields and its correlation with crude oils and natural gases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abd El Samie, S.G.

2006-01-01

Twenty six of condensate samples from three provinces; Abu Madi (onshore NE Delta), Port Fouad (offshore) in the Mediterranean sea, and Abu Rudeis areas, were analyzed and correlated to the Nile Delta, Gulf of Suez and western desert crude oils. Different isotopic results were obtained specifying each group that reflects the depositional environment, temperature gradient and maturation level of organic matter in each area. The mean isotopic results (av. σ 13 C) of Abu Madi condensate samples reached about -26.41 close to the values of the western desert total oil, indicating thermal graded fluid and depositional environment very close to the western desert in hydrocarbon type (mainly of terrestrial sources), thermal condition and long time of deposition. The offshore Port Fouad condensate samples have relatively wide range of σ 13 C between -27.24 to -24.03% representing mixing between marine and terrestrial hydrocarbons migrated from the near shore areas of the Nile Delta to the Mediterranean sea sub-basins. Abu Rudeis condensate samples have the isotopic signature of σ 13 C = -30.09 to -29.05% close to the Gulf of Suez crude oil samples which reflect the deposition under mainly marine environment of the Red Sea basins. As petroleum condensates considered as moderate compounds between oils and gases, their isotopic contents refer to the produced oil or gas from the same sample. Though condensate samples are correlated with gases produced from the Nile Delta. Based on carbon isotopic values of methane and light gas fractions, the produced gases from the Nile Delta could be generated mainly from terrestrial sources enriched in σ 13 C of C 2 +. These gases are classified according to the thermogenic origin enriched in σ 13 C C H4 in the Nile Delta onshore fields in Abu Madi formation. In shallower formations (Kafr El Sheikh formation), isotopically light gases were found in the NE direction and appeared to be of biogenic source, whereas mixed gases were found in

The Study of the Desulfurization Process of Oil and Oil Products of "Zhanazhol" Oil Field Using the Approaches of Green Chemistry

OpenAIRE

Zhaksyntay K. Kairbekov; Zhannur K. Myltykbaeva; Nazym T. Smagulova; Dariya K. Kanseitova

2015-01-01

In this paper we studied sono catalytic oxidative desulfurization of oil and diesel fraction from “Zhanazhol” oil deposits. We have established that the combined effect of the ultrasonic field and oxidant (ozone-air mixture) in the presence of the catalyst on the oil is potentially very effective method of desulfurization of oil and oil products. This method allows increasing the degree of desulfurization of oil by 62%.

Short-term outlook for Canadian crude oil to 2006 : an energy market assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-09-01

The National Energy Board monitors the supply of all energy commodities in Canada along with the demand for Canadian energy commodities in domestic and export markets. This report is intended to expand the effectiveness of the Board's monitoring activities by providing an assessment of the current state of the petroleum industry and the potential for growth. It provides an 18-month outlook on international and domestic crude oil prices; drilling and exploration activity; supply projections for Canadian crude oil and petroleum products; Canada's crude oil trade balance and markets for Canadian crude; existing export pipeline networks and project expansion plans; and, the Canadian petroleum products industry and the impact of higher prices. It also identifies the major issues and challenges associated with the development of Canada's crude oil. The 2 major oil producing areas in Canada are the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin (WCSB) including the oil sands, and offshore eastern Canada. While conventional production in the WCSB is declining, development focus has shifted to Alberta's oil sands as well as Hibernia, Terra Nova and White Rose, the 3 major oil fields offshore Newfoundland and Labrador. High energy prices have resulted in record profits for the Canadian oil and gas industry, and has stimulated billions of dollars in investment, with Alberta's oil sands being the main beneficiary. The 19 refineries in Canada have been operating at about 90 per cent capacity for the last several years due to strong demand for transportation fuels. 10 tabs., 37 figs., 2 appendices

Electric power supply in an offshore oil production platform | Ibe ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

powered UPS system with a rotary engine UPS which can provide long-term power supply back-up as well as the benefits of rotating machines. KEY WORDS: Offshore, Platform, Power Supply, Gas turbine, Rotary Diesel UPS. [Global Jnl ...

Corrosion Challenges for the Oil and Gas Industry in the State of Qatar

Science.gov (United States)

Johnsen, Roy

In Qatar oil and gas has been produced from onshore fields in more than 70 years, while the first offshore field delivered its first crude oil in 1965. Due to the atmospheric conditions in Qatar with periodically high humidity, high chloride content, dust/sand combined with the temperature variations, external corrosion is a big treat to the installations and connecting infrastructure. Internal corrosion in tubing, piping and process systems is also a challenge due to high H2S content in the hydrocarbon mixture and exposure to corrosive aquifer water. To avoid corrosion different type of mitigations like application of coating, chemical treatment and material selection are important elements. This presentation will review the experiences with corrosion challenges for oil & gas installations in Qatar including some examples of corrosion failures that have been seen.

Radiation and contamination survey of the Terengganu offshore facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amran Abd Majid; Sukiman Sarmani

1995-01-01

It is well known that low specific activity of technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials (LSA TENORM) such as U-238 and Th-232 and their daughter products have been associated with oil and gas fields. For the period of October 1988 and August 1989 UKM personels were involved in conducting the radiation and contamination survey at several offshore platforms in Terengganu. The results showed that the maximum external and internal radiation levels was 0. 45 μSv/hr whereas the maximum surface contamination level was 0. 124 Bq cm sup -2. These results indicate that the levels were below the level prescribed by the Malaysian Atomic Energy Licensing Board. However, several measures still need to be considered for the safety of the workers and will be discussed in this paper. (author)

Regulatory impact analysis of final effluent limitations guidelines and standards for the offshore oil and gas industry. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

For all major rulemaking actions, Executive Order 12291 requires a Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA), in which benefits of the regulation are compared to costs imposed by the regulation. The report presents the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA, or the Agency) RIA of the final rule on the effluent limitations guidelines for the Offshore Subcategory of the Oil and Gas Extraction Industry. The principal requirement of the Executive Order is that the Agency perform an analysis comparing the benefits of the regulation to the costs that the regulation imposes. Three types of benefits are analyzed in this RIA: quantified and monetized benefits; quantified and non-monetized benefits; and non-quantified and non-monetized benefits

Some peculiarities of basin petroleum potential, mediterranean belt, in connection with estimating oil potential of large depths, south Caspian province

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belonin, M.D.; Sobolev, V.S.

2002-01-01

Full text : Some peculiarities of occuring and forming oil pools in the richest south Caspian province are considered in connection with the problems concerning the estimation of oil potential of large depths. On the data of A.A. Ali-zade (1981, 1985) and other researchers, in the direction of regional subsidence of sedimentary beds, gas saturation of fluids increases and oil pools change progressively into gas-oil and gas-condensate ones. The continental margins of a transitional stage between the synoceanic and final phases of developing a continent-ocean system are present in the Mediterranean belt including its west component in the Mexico-Caribbean region. Some new results of a chromatographic analysis of nonfractional oils were received. The indices of individual hydrocarbon composition are indicative of the presence of wide vertical hydrocarbon migration during forming multibedded offshore hydrocarbon fields in south Caspian. In the south Caspian offshore, the composition of oils found in the range between 4-6 km is in agreement with the composition of fluids of the main zone of oil generation. It suggests the generation of liquid hydrocarbons at depths exceeding 6.5 km.

Risks to offshore installations in Europe due to natural hazards

Science.gov (United States)

Necci, Amos; Krausmann, Elisabeth

2017-04-01

Natural hazards, such as storms, earthquakes, or lightning are a major threat to industry. In particular, chemical plants, storage facilities, pipelines, and offshore oil and gas facilities are vulnerable to natural events which can cause hazardous materials releases and thereby endanger workers, the population and the environment. These technological accidents are commonly referred to as Natech accidents. Recent events have increased concerns about safety in the offshore oil and gas sector, and the need for improving knowledge on the matter has become evident. With those premises, we analyzed accidents, near misses and accident precursors at offshore facilities in Europe caused by natural events using both a statistical and a qualitative approach. For this purpose, we screened the World Offshore Accident Database (WOAD) to identify all incidents that featured natural events as causes or aggravating factors. A dataset of 1,085 global Natech events was built for the statistical analysis. Among those, a subset composed of 303 European records was selected. The results of the analysis showed that offshore Natech events in Europe are frequent; they resulted, however, in low consequences. The main threat to offshore facilities resulted from bad weather, such as strong winds and heavy seas. Storms can put intense loads on the structural parts of offshore installations, eventually exceeding design resistance specifications. Several incidents triggered by lightning strikes and earthquakes were also recorded. Substantial differences in terms of vulnerability, damage modality and consequences emerged between fixed and floating offshore structures. The main damage mode for floating structures was the failure of station keeping systems due to the rupture of mooring or anchors, mainly caused by adverse meteorological conditions. Most of the incidents at fixed offshore structures in Europe involved falling loads for both metal jacket and concrete base platforms due to storms. In

Geology and development of oil fields in Western Siberia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1980-01-01

The anthology is dedicated to the geology, geophysics, hydrodynamics, and development of oil fields in Western Siberia. The articles on geological, industrial-geophysical and theoretical mathematical studies make recommendations and suggest measures to improve procedures for calculating oil reserves, to increase development efficiency and raise oil output.

Brazil: World Oil Report 1991

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1991-01-01

This paper reports that Brazil's state oil company Petrobras has racked up a significant period of achievement over the last 12 months. Average daily oil production hit a new high. A small portion of deepwater giant Marlim field came onstream. Risk contracts ended, and the firm assumed all responsibility for exploration activity in Brazil. Furthermore, Santos basin proved to be the nation's most recent oil province after two discoveries. Last, but not least, Petrobras assumed a dominant position worldwide in development of new deepwater technology, as evidenced by papers presented at the 1991 Offshore Technology Conference. What is remarkable is that all this was achieved while the company was experiencing political turmoil. Last Oct. 19, Petrobras President Luis Octavio Motta Veiga resigned in a dispute with the Ministry of Economy (MOE) over refined product pricing levels. His replacement, interestingly enough, was the 36-year-old executive secretary of the MOE, Eduardo de Freitas Teixeira. His term at Petrobras lasted less than six months

How to increase and renew the oil and gas reserves? Technology advances and research strategy of IFP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

Technology progresses made to reach new oil and gas resources (heavy crudes, buried deposits, ultra-deep offshore), to better exploit the available reserves (increase of the recovery ratio) and to reduce the costs will allow to enhance the hydrocarbon reserves and to durably extend the limits of the world energy supply. In a context where geopolitical uncertainties, high price rates and pessimistic declarations increase once again the public fear about petroleum reserves, the French institute of petroleum (IFP) wanted to make a status about the essential role that technology can play in this challenge. This document gathers the transparencies and articles presented at this press conference: how to increase and renew oil and gas reserves, technology advances and research strategy of IFP (O. Appert, J. Lecourtier, G. Fries); how to enhance oil recovery from deposits (primary, secondary and tertiary recovery: polymers injection, CO 2 injection, steam injection, in-situ oxidation and combustion, reservoir modeling, monitoring of uncertainties); the heavy crudes (the Orenoque extra-heavy oil, the tar sands of Alberta, the heavy and extra-heavy crudes of Canada, IFP's research); ultra-deep offshore (the weight challenge: mooring lines and risers, the temperature challenge: paraffins and hydrates deposition, immersion of the treatment unit: economical profitability of satellite fields); fields buried beyond 5000 m (technological challenges: seismic surveys, drilling equipment, well logging, drilling mud; prospects of these fields); oil reserves: data that change with technique and economy (proven, probable and possible reserves, proven and declared reserves, three converging evaluations about the world proven reserves, reserves to be discovered, non-conventional petroleum resources, technical progress and oil prices, production depletion at the end of the century). (J.S.)

Free radical EPR in delineating oil bearing zones

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharma, R.K.; Kumar, V.; Das, T.K.; Gundu Rao, T.K.

1993-01-01

Presence of naturally occurring gamma ray activity has long been detected in oil/gas wells is invariably carried out for formation evaluation. Similarly, presence of free radicals in oil bearing formations has also been known for quite sometime. Present paper deals with a systematic study of detecting these free radicals in oil wells and correlations of these with x-ray and other logs for identification of hydrocarbon bearing zones. Present study attempts to establish EPR as as inexpensive and reliable tool in comparison with gamma ray and neutron density logs recorded in exploratory oil wells. EPR studies have been carried out in an exploratory well between depth intervals 1600 m-1400 m located in south of existing producing field in Bombay Offshore region. Based on these results, an EPR log has been prepared and compared with gamma ray and neutron density logs. (author). 4 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab

P-{Delta} effects on the reliability of oil offshore jacket platforms in Mexico

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

De Leon-Escobedo, D. [Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Mexico, Toluca, Estado de Mexico (Mexico)]. E-mail: daviddeleonescobedo@yahoo.com.mx; Campos, D. [Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo (Mexico)]. E-mail: dcampos@imp.mx

2012-07-15

Given the important economic consequences of an oil platform failure, all the aspects of its structural behavior and safety issues need to be carefully considered. In particular, P-{Delta} effects on the deck legs of marine offshore jacket platforms may be relevant when the deck height and the vertical load are significant. In this paper, the impact of the moment amplification, due to slenderness of the deck legs, on the platform safety is examined and appraised from the viewpoint of the structural reliability. The formulation is applied to a typical tall deck marine platform under the environmental loading at the Bay of Campeche, Mexico, and its reliability index is calculated with and without the P-{Delta} effect. The results presented herein may be used to improve the current practice in the design and assessment of offshore marine platforms in Mexico and to update the current version of the code. [Spanish] Dadas las importantes consecuencias economicas de la falla de una plataforma petrolera, todos los aspectos de su comportamiento estructural y aspectos de seguridad necesitan considerarse cuidadosamente. En particular, los efectos P-{Delta} en las piernas de la cubierta de plataformas marinas costa fuera petroleras tipo jacket pueden ser relevantes cuando la altura de la cubierta y la intensidad de cargas verticales son significativas. En este articulo se examina el impacto que sobre la seguridad de la plataforma tiene la amplificacion de momentos, debido a la esbeltez de las piernas de la cubierta, y se evalua este impacto desde el punto de vista de confiabilidad estructural. La formulacion se aplica a una plataforma marina tipica, con cubierta alta, bajo la carga ambiental de la Bahia de Campeche, Mexico y se calcula su indice de confiabilidad con y sin el efecto P-{Delta}. Los resultados presentados aqui pueden usarse para mejorar las practicas actuales de diseno y evaluacion de plataformas marinas costa fuera en Mexico y para actualizar la version actual

Study of a new hydraulic pumping unit based on the offshore platform

OpenAIRE

Yu, Yanqun; Chang, Zongyu; Qi, Yaoguang; Xue, Xin; Zhao, Jiannan

2017-01-01

This article introduces a new technology about a rod pumping in the offshore platform according to the demand of offshore heavy oil thermal recovery and the production of stripper well, analyzes the research status of hydraulic pumping unit at home and abroad, and designs a new kind of miniature hydraulic pumping unit with long-stroke, low pumping speed and compact structure to resolve the problem of space limitation. The article also describes the whole structure and the working principle of...

Radioisotope techniques for problem solving in the offshore oil and gas industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Charlton, J.S.; Hurst, J.A.

1994-01-01

Radioisotope technology has been used for almost half a century by the oil and gas industry to solve problems and to help optimize process operations. The use of radioactive isotopes to investigate the effectiveness of well stimulation procedures and to measure the sweep-out patterns of oil and gas in secondary recovery process is well known. The applications of radioisotopes to study features of plant and process operation has been less widely reported though the economic benefits deriving from such applications are very great. Nevertheless, there has been continuous development in the range of application and in the design of equipment to facilitate the use of the technology at remote environments such as an oil or gas platform. Some indication of the current usage of radioisotope techniques may be obtained from examination of Table I, which lists projects carried out in the UK's North Sea fields by ICI Tracerco, which is the world's largest radioisotope applications service group

Environmental impacts of cable connections of offshore wind power parks at the electric power network. Impacts of operational electrical and magnetic fields; Umweltauswirkungen der Kabelanbindung von Offshore-Windenergieparks an das Verbundstromnetz. Effekte betriebsbedingter elektrischer und magnetischer Felder sowie thermischer Energieeintraege in den Meeresgrund

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pophof, Blanka; Geschwentner, Dirk

2013-02-15

According to the offshore network development plan from August 2012, the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (Hamburg, Federal Republic of Germany) is responsible for a strategic environmental impact assessment of offshore wind power plants. The contribution under consideration deals exclusively with electrical and magnetic fields emitted by submarine cables in operation as well as with the possible impacts of electrical and magnetic fields on marine organisms and the general population. Some marine organisms may perceive electrical fields and orientate themselves by magnetic fields. Changes in behaviour of marine organisms are possible. Thermal impacts may result in sedimentary changes. The consequences of these changes are assessable only partly at present.

Oil/gas collector/separator for underwater oil leaks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Henning, C.D.

1992-12-31

This invention is comprised of an oil/gas collector/separator for recovery of oil leaking, for example, from an offshore or underwater oil well. The separator is floated over the point of the leak and tethered in place so as to receive oil/gas floating, or forced under pressure, toward the water surface from either a broken or leaking oil well casing, line, or sunken ship. The separator is provided with a downwardly extending skirt to contain the oil/gas which floats or is forced upward into a dome wherein the gas is separated from the oil/water, with the gas being flared (burned) at the top of the dome, and the oil is separated from water and pumped to a point of use. Since the density of oil is less than that of water it can be easily separated from any water entering the dome.

History and performance of the Steelman Oil Field, Saskatchewan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nikolaychuk, J; Francis, R E

1965-01-01

This paper summarizes the development and performance of the Steelman oil field in southeastern Saskatchewan. Steelman was the first field in southeastern Saskatchewan in which pressure maintenance by waterflooding was attempted. Production is obtained, at a depth of 4,700 ft, mainly from the dolomitized limestone Midale beds reservoir. Some production is also obtained from the underlying Frobisher beds, but the productive development of this zone is quite sporadic. The discovery of the field in 1954 was followed by the drilling of approximately 800 wells on 80-acre spacing. An early decline in reservoir pressure and increasing gas-oil ratios in this solution gas drive reservoir caused the working-interest owners to unitize most of the field and institute a program of pressure maintenance by waterflooding. The bulk of the field is unitized as 6 separate units, with pressure maintenance being conducted by three operators. To the end of 1964, the cumulative oil production from the six-unit area was approximately 77,000,000 bpd.

Decommissioning and abandonment of offshore installations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Side, J.C.

1992-01-01

To the onlooker surprising little thought was given at the project planning stage to the fate of offshore facilities once their production lifetimes had come to an end. Throughout the 1970s at least, international law required the complete removal of all structures and installations one disused or abandoned. Fishermen's organisations were led to believe that such installations would be entirely removed yet many of the designs of these show that removal was not much in the minds of the engineers or project management during the design stages. Changes in the text of the United Nations' Convention on the Law of the Sea and (by their widespread legal adoption) in customary international law may now permit partial removal of installations subject to important safeguards for navigation, the environment and other users of the sea. Of the North Sea states at least one has adopted policies that will minimise the cost associated with offshore decommissioning and abandonment and both the UK and Norway are adopting legislation which will provide for a case by case approach to the decommissioning and abandonment of offshore facilities and allow partial removal options. There has thus been a recent and significant change in approach to the abandonment of offshore oil and gas installations. This chapter reviews the development of abandonment laws and policies, outlines the available removal options, and provides a consideration of the environmental and fishery implications of these for the North Sea. (Author)

Use of remote sensing and ground control in monitoring oil fields in Alabama

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

La Moreaux, P E; Muzikar, R [ed.

1978-01-01

Present and future water pollution problems resulting from oil field operations in Alabama are analyzed. An outline of a program of data collection and interpretation necessary to determine and evaluate solutions to these problems is presented. A method of adequate monitoring of the oil and gas fields in Alabama to protect against pollution of its valuable surface and groundwater supplies is described. Samples of brine are continuously collected and analyzed from sources representing all water producing horizons in the oil fields. A network of observation wells has been established in oil fields to periodically determine changes in the chemical quality of groundwaters. Water samples from wells adjacent to all major saltwater evaporation pits have been collected and analyzed for possible changes in chemical quality. Discharge measurements are made on streams adjacent to all oil fields. Periodic aerial photographs are being made of each field. Preliminary administrative reports are regularly prepared on each problem in the oil fields and remedial or disciplinary actions are taken by the Oil and Gas Board.

Viewing engineering offshoring in a network perspective

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Zaza Nadja Lee; Zhang, Yufeng; Ahmed-Kristensen, Saeema

2013-01-01

of how to effectively manage engineering offshoring activities in a context of global engineering networks. The main research question, therefore, is: “Can offshoring of engineering tasks be explained and managed using the concept of Global Engineering Networks (GEN)?” Effective approaches to handling...... of large multinational corporations in Denmark were carried out. Data gathering was mainly documentary studies and interviews. The main data analysis approaches were coding (Strauss and Corbin) and pattern-matching (Yin). The dataset was analysed using the GEN framework suggested by Zhang et al. and Zhang...... by extending the GEN framework to address complications within engineering offshoring. This strengthens both academic fields, and will be able to help engineering managers to develop appropriate engineering network configurations for offshore engineering operations....

Oil-field equipment in Romania. Export trade information

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tinis, R.

1991-09-01

The Industry Sector Analyses (I.S.A.) for oil field equipment contains statistical and narrative information on projected market demand, end-users, receptivity of Romanian consumers to U.S. products, the competitive situation - Romanian production, total import market, U.S. market position, foreign competition, and competitive factors, and market access - Romanian tariffs, non-tariff barriers, standards, taxes and distribution channels. The I.S.A. provides the United States industry with meaningful information regarding the Romanian market for oil field equipment

North Sea oil and the environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cairns, W.J.

1992-01-01

This book, which is arranged in five sections, provides an historical record of the development of North Sea oil and gas over the past twenty years and records the lessons learnt from this experience. This first section provides an introductory framework to the three main themes, namely resources, environment and development. Section 2 is primarily concerned with the economic and social consequences of oil related development at two levels; firstly on the national economy and secondly the impact on local communities. Section 3 deals with impacts upon the physical environment and introduces the statutory land use planning system in Scotland. The Scottish approach to environmental assessment is reviewed and the need for mitigation by design explored. Section 4 examines specific field developments, and reviews the statutory controls and international initiatives regulating the extent of environmental disturbance and pollution from offshore operations. The effects of oil spillage and submarine pipelines on the environment and their impact on the fishing industry is followed by a discussion on the decommissioning and abandonment of offshore installations. Section 5 deals with the role and value of hazard and risk analysis in the siting, layout and safety zoning of onshore facilities and develops a case study on a major fractionation facility. The means of mitigating acute and chronic environmental risks are considered. A postscript provides a range of past comments and criticisms and finally draws some conclusions on the performance of environmental management and North Sea oil development. The North Sea oil and gas development experience proves that with wisdom, forethought and goodwill, industrial exploiters of natural resources can operate economically within legislative, policy, scientific, technical and design parameters without causing long-term irreversible environmental damage. (author)

Tracking an oil slick from multiple natural sources, Coal Oil Point, California

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leifer, Ira; Luyendyk, Bruce; Broderick, Kris

2006-01-01

Oil slicks on the ocean surface emitted from natural marine hydrocarbon seeps offshore from Coal Oil Point in the Santa Barbara Channel, California were tracked and sampled over a 2-h period. The objectives were to characterize the seep oil and to track its composition over time using a new sampling device, a catamaran drum sampler (CATDRUMS). The sampler was designed and developed at UCSB. Chromatograms showed that oil originating from an informally named, very active seep area, Shane Seep, primarily evolved during the first hour due to mixing with oil originating from a convergence zone slick surrounding Shane Seep. (author)

Tracking an oil slick from multiple natural sources, Coal Oil Point, California

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leifer, Ira [Marine Sciences Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 (United States); Luyendyk, Bruce [Department of Geological Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 (United States); Broderick, Kris [Exxon/Mobil Exploration Company, 13401 N. Freeway, Houston, TX 77060 (United States)

2006-06-15

Oil slicks on the ocean surface emitted from natural marine hydrocarbon seeps offshore from Coal Oil Point in the Santa Barbara Channel, California were tracked and sampled over a 2-h period. The objectives were to characterize the seep oil and to track its composition over time using a new sampling device, a catamaran drum sampler (CATDRUMS). The sampler was designed and developed at UCSB. Chromatograms showed that oil originating from an informally named, very active seep area, Shane Seep, primarily evolved during the first hour due to mixing with oil originating from a convergence zone slick surrounding Shane Seep. (author)

Anxiolytic effects of lavender oil inhalation on open-field behaviour in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Shaw, D; Annett, J M; Doherty, B; Leslie, J C

2007-09-01

To establish a valid animal model of the effects of olfactory stimuli on anxiety, a series of experiments was conducted using rats in an open-field test. Throughout, effects of lavender oil were compared with the effects of chlordiazepoxide (CDP), as a reference anxiolytic with well-known effects on open-field behaviour. Rats were exposed to lavender oil (0.1-1.0 ml) for 30 min (Experiment 1) or 1h (Experiment 2) prior to open-field test and in the open field or injected with CDP (10 mg/kg i.p.). CDP had predicted effects on behaviour, and the higher doses of lavender oil had some effects on behaviour similar to those of CDP. In Experiment 3, various combinations of pre-exposure times and amounts of lavender oil were used. With sufficient exposure time and quantity of lavender the same effects were obtained as in Experiment 2. Experiment 4 demonstrated that these behavioural effects of lavender could be obtained following pre-exposure, even if no oil was present in the open-field test. In Experiments 2-4, lavender oil increased immobility. Together, these experiments suggest that lavender oil does have anxiolytic effects in the open field, but that a sedative effect can also occur at the highest doses.

Trajetórias tecnológicas no segmento offshore: ambiente e oportunidades Technological trajectories in the offshore segment: enviroment and opportunities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Benedito Ortiz Neto

2008-08-01

Full Text Available Este artigo apresenta as diferentes trajetórias tecnológicas do segmento offshore na indústria petrolífera mundial considerando os seus principais aspectos e marcos constituintes. Mais especificamente, serão analisadas as trajetórias diferentes nas duas primeiras grandes províncias de petróleo do segmento offshore: o Golfo do México (EUA e o Mar do Norte (Europa. Junto com a Bacia de Campos (Brasil, são as mais produtivas e ricas do planeta e onde as três trajetórias tecnológicas foram desenvolvidas. Esse levantamento histórico é importante porque resgata os elementos que dão as bases do conhecimento tecnológico que permitiu à Petrobras, de forma inédita, iniciar as suas atividades offshore nas décadas de 1960-1970. Será visto aqui que a exploração offshore significou o surgimento de um novo paradigma tecnológico sustentado por três trajetórias.This article presents different technological trajectories concerning the offshore exploration segment in the world petroleum industry, considering their main aspects and components. More specifically, different trajectories will be analyzed in the first two largest crude oil territories: Gulf of Mexico (USA and Sea North (Europe. These, along with Bacia de Campos in Brazil, are the most productive and the richest regions in the planet and, therefore, where the three technological trajectories have been developed. This historic survey is important because it reveals the elements that provide the basis for technological knowledge, which allowed Petrobras to start its offshore activities in the 60s and 70s, via an original technology. The offshore exploration meant the emergence of a new technological paradigm supported by three trajectories.

Overall management of risk in oil field development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bruce, R.L.; Minty, A.M.; Gregory, C.A.J.

1996-01-01

In the last decade, and particularly since 1988, significant effort and expenditure has been applied in the offshore sector to the reduction of risk. This risk has been measured in terms of fatalities and injuries to the workforce and the effectiveness of the investment to reduce risk has been assessed on the basis of potential lives saved or fatalities averted. Regulations, notably SI2015, have demanded that risks to personnel be reduced to levels that are 'as low as is reasonably practicable' or ALARP. The regulations state that operators must demonstrate that the risks have been reduced to ALARP levels and advise that this can be done using cost-benefit analysis. ALARP levels are achieved, they state, when the cost of further risk reduction is 'grossly disproportionate' to the benefits achieved. Although the ALARP criterion has caused confusion it has provided a sound philosophical basis for changing the nature of regulations from prescriptive to goal-setting. It could be inferred from this criterion, also, that an underlying principle for regulation could be that the goals/objectives of the regulators, operators and asset owners are entirely consistent. The authors of the paper believe that this concept can be applied to the overall management of risk of an organization. Oil field development and insurance purchase strategies can be cited as examples of how the techniques can be applied. The paper will seek to show how risk, decision-making and asset management can be integrated under an 'ALARP' style concept. (author)

Placing Brazil's heavy acid oils on international markets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Szklo, Alexandre Salem; Machado, Giovani; Schaeffer, Roberto; Felipe Simoes, Andre; Barboza Mariano, Jacqueline

2006-01-01

This paper identifies the international market niches of Brazil's heavy acid oils. It analyzes the perspectives for making wider use of heavy acid oils, assessing their importance for certain oil-producing regions such as Brazil, Venezuela, West Africa, the North Sea and China. Within this context, the oil produced in the Marlim Field offshore Brazil is of specific interest, spurred by the development of its commercial brand name for placement on international markets and backed by ample production volumes. This analysis indicates keener international competition among acid oils produced in Brazil, the North Sea and the West Coast of Africa, through to 2010. However, over the long term, refinery conversion capacity is the key factor for channeling larger volumes of heavy acid oils to the international market. In this case, the future of acid oil producers will depend on investments in refineries close to oil product consumption centers. For Brazil, this means investments in modifying its refineries and setting up partnerships in the downstream segment for consumer centers absorbing all products of high added value, such as the USA and even Southeast Asia and Western Europe

EWeA Offshore 2013 - Side event: 'Offshore wind energy - Potentialities and industrial opportunities in France and in Germany. French-German cross perspectives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Genachte, Anne-Benedicte; Kavafyan, Philippe; Wagner, Andreas; Bour, Gregoire

2013-01-01

At the EWEA Offshore 2013 exhibition, the French-German office for Renewable energies (OFAEnR) organised a side-conference on Offshore wind energy and its Potentialities and industrial opportunities in France and in Germany. In the framework of this French-German exchange of experience, about 50 participants exchanged views on the conditions for the development of a durable offshore wind energy industry both in France and in Germany. This document brings together the available presentations (slides) made during this event: 1 - Supporting industrial development of offshore wind in Europe (Anne-Benedicte Genachte); 2 - Offshore wind energy: the Bremerhaven experience. An asset for the deployment of a complete industrial field in France (Philippe Kavafyan); 3 - Status, Prospects and Challenges for Offshore Wind energy in Germany - incl. Legal Framework and Presentation of cost reduction study results (Andreas Wagner); 4 - Offshore grid connection in Germany - Challenges and recommendations (Gregoire Bour)

VSAT: opening new horizons to oil and gas explorations

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Dhamen, Muhammad I.

2002-08-01

Whether exploring in the Empty Quarter, drilling offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, or monitoring gas pipelines or oil wells in the deserts, communications is a key element to the success of oil and gas operations. Secure, efficient communications is required between remote, isolated locations and head offices to report on work status, dispatch supplies and repairs, report on-site emergencies, transfer geophysical surveys and real-time drilling data. Drilling and exploration firms have traditionally used land-based terrestrial networks that rely on radio transmissions for voice and data communications to offshore platforms and remote deep desert drilling rigs. But these systems are inefficient and have proven inflexible with today's drilling and exploration communications demands, which include high-speed data access, telephone and video conferencing. In response, numerous oil and gas exploration entities working in deep waters and remote deep deserts have all tapped into what is an ideal solution for these needs: Very Small Aperture Terminal Systems (VSAT) for broadband access services. This led to the use of Satellite Communication Systems for a wide range of applications that were difficult to achieve in the past, such as real-time applications transmission of drilling data and seismic information. This paper provides a thorough analysis of opportunities for satellite technology solutions in support of oil and gas operations. Technologies, architecture, service, networking and application developments are discussed based upon real field experience. More specifically, the report addresses: VSAT Opportunities for the Oil and Gas Operations, Corporate Satellite Business Model Findings, Satellite Market Forecasts

Effect of Magnetic Field on Diesel Engine Power Fuelled with Jatropha-Diesel Oil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sukarni Sukarni

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Jatropha oil has characteristics very close to the diesel fuel, so it has good prospects as a substitute or as a mixture of diesel fuel. Previous research showed that jatropha oil usage in diesel engines caused power to decrease. It was probably owing to the higher viscosity of the Jatropha oil compared to that of diesel oil. Installing the magnetic field in the fuel line of a diesel engine fueled with jatropha-diesel oil is expected to reduce the viscosity of jatropha-diesel oil mixture, hence improve the combustion reaction process. This research aims to know the influence of the magnetic field strength in the fuel lines to the power of diesel engines fueled with a mixture of jatropha-diesel oil. The composition of Jatropha oil-diesel was 20% jatropha oil and 80% diesel oil. Magnetic field variations were 0.122, 0.245 and 0.368 Tesla. The results showed that the higher the strength of the magnetic field was, the higher the average diesel engine’s power would be.

Exergetic assessment of energy systems on North Sea oil and gas platforms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen, Tuong-Van; Pierobon, Leonardo; Elmegaard, Brian; Haglind, Fredrik; Breuhaus, Peter; Voldsund, Mari