An Assessment of Benchmarking Practice Relating to Complex Engineering Assets: A Case Study from an Oil and Gas Production Company

Trans, trans-muconic acid is generally considered a useful biomarker of exposure to benzene that occurs naturally in crude oil. Objective: To estimate exposure of benzene to workers in an oil and gas production company. Materials and Methods: Firstly, it was a descriptive, cross-sectional study which consisted of benzene atmospheric quantification in a sample individual measurements of a homogeneous exposure group of workers. Secondly, urinary assays of trans, trans-muconic acid have been performed at the end of the shift in the selected workers. Results: A total of 79 (47.88%) workers agreed to participate in the study. Seventeen atmospheric samples were usable and 79 urinary assays at the end of the shift were carried out. The average benzene concentration for all sites was 10 times lower than the regulatory average exposure value (1 ppm=3.25 mg/m3):average: 0.122pp, median: 0.053ppm and range: 0.019-1.448 ppm. All 79 urinary assays of trans, trans-muconic acid were below the biological exposure index (<500 µg/g creatinine) with an average of 37.34 µg/g creatinine, a median of 30 µg/g creatinine, and an extent from 10 to 150 µg/g creatinine. Conclusion: Airborne benzene concentrations were below company limits. The same was true for the urinary assays of trans, trans-muconic acid. Overall, therefore, exposure to benzene is low in this company. However, there is a need to maintain regular medical surveillance as the risk of exposure is ongoing.

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Technology road map for the low-carbon production of hydrocarbons

The APPEA Journal ◽

10.1071/aj19129 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 60 (2) ◽

pp. 583

Author(s):

Clare Anderson

Keyword(s):

Carbon Emissions ◽

Oil And Gas ◽

Gas Production ◽

Low Carbon ◽

Intergovernmental Panel ◽

Hydrocarbon Production ◽

Oil And Gas Production ◽

Road Map ◽

Net Zero

The Paris Agreement, signed in 2016, has the objective of limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5°C to substantially reduce the effects of climate change. To achieve this objective, significant and unprecedented deep cuts in carbon emissions are required, as set out in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s special report on Global Warming of 1.5°C released in October 2018. To enable this ambitious target, global reductions in carbon emissions will need to be markedly reduced to an average of net zero by 2050 and, as such, will have profound effects on hydrocarbon (oil and gas) production in the coming decades. This paper presents a road map of opportunities for the reduction of carbon emissions from hydrocarbon production, specifically natural gas. It includes technologies for reducing carbon emissions from process streams and utility streams. A case study is used to illustrate the opportunities, along with a discussion on technology readiness for several options.

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Environmental Liability Associated with Oil and Gas Production Sites: A Case Study

AAPG Bulletin ◽

10.1306/d9cb52cd-1715-11d7-8645000102c1865d ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 77 ◽

Author(s):

BROTHERTON, WILLIAM J., BCM Enginee

Keyword(s):

Oil And Gas ◽

Gas Production ◽

Oil And Gas Production ◽

Environmental Liability

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Abandonment of an Iraqi Well, justifications and feasibility study

Journal of Petroleum Research and Studies ◽

10.52716/jprs.v10i4.369 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 85-94

Author(s):

Dr. Kareem A. Alwan ◽

Hayder A. AlAttaby

Keyword(s):

Fresh Water ◽

Water Contamination ◽

Oil And Gas ◽

Petroleum Industry ◽

Environmental Issues ◽

Gas Production ◽

Oil Well ◽

Oil And Gas Production ◽

Current Time

At the beginning of petroleum industry evolving the regulation did not focus on environmental issues, it was, mainly, looking to natural resources (oil and gas) production and protection. By the time, environmental and safety implications started to be the highest priority, as a result of undesirable impact of oil operations on plant. Huge numbers of dry wells were abandoned according to environmental regulations to prevent side effects which involved contamination of shallow water aquifers, surface seepage of hydrocarbon (whether oil or gas) or salty water, potential hazardous of explosion or soil contaminations, and water contamination at offshore unplugged wells. Based on the hazards above, the main objectives of plugging and abandonment operations is to achieve isolation and protection of all fresh and near fresh water zones, and all future commercial zones, as well as prevent leaks in perpetuity from or into the well and remove surface equipment and cut pipe to a mandated level below the surface. In this paper, an Iraqi oil well was studied as a case study of abandonment processes. The well represents a danger to people, environment and subsurface fresh water; due to unusual raised pressure in different annuluses and copious surface leak from wellhead components while production. Worthily to say that, it is seldom in Iraq to abandon the wells in current time, according to good reservoirs situation. The reasons and justifications of this well plugging, depending on economic analysis and investigation were studied, and explained, according to international practices and procedures of such treatments. The workover option is most economic option, but it was eliminated due to failure in ensuring the well safety and severe environmental impact which expected. According to investigation, pressure and laboratory tests were revealed that P&A is mandatory for this well as soon as possible.

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