Fluorescence application to hydrocarbon monitoring in North West Shelf marine waters

2015 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 345
Author(s):  
Felicity Harrison ◽  
Riley McAuliffe ◽  
Jose Romero ◽  
Keith Stubbs ◽  
Carolyn Oldham

The application of fluorometry to hydrocarbon detection in marine waters is a standard procedure in many parts of the world. This technology is advantageous because spatial and temporal variations in hydrocarbon distributions can be acquired readily and rapidly in a cost-effective manner compared to traditional sampling methods. Its application to North West Shelf marine waters has been examined through two recent research studies. In the first study, the fluorescent properties of North West Shelf hydrocarbons were compared to those from North America. In general, peak fluorescence of North West Shelf samples are lower than North American and European hydrocarbons. Hence, fluorometer specifications (e.g. excitation and emission wavelengths) need to be tailored for hydrocarbon detection within North West Shelf waters. The second study measured low background fluorescence of a representative region of the North West Shelf using the fluorometer specifications recommended in the first study. This indicates that background fluorescence is unlikely to affect hydrocarbon detection in the marine waters of the North West Shelf. These studies support the use of fluorometry as a technique to reliably detect and to monitor unplanned (e.g. spills) and planned (e.g. producted formation water) hydrocarbon discharges across the North West Shelf.

2004 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 593
Author(s):  
E.D. Graham

Since the commencement of the major developments on the North West Shelf, the offshore resource industry, during both its construction and operational phases, has faced considerable logistical impediments to cost-effective solutions for the offshore supply chain. These impediments have included distance, scant resources, lack of infrastructure both on and offshore and lack of critical mass.Throughout the world, offshore projects have greatly benefitted from the availability of integrated services to cater for the transport of equipment from the point of manufacture or distribution to the offshore location.Within the Australian context the privately controlled Esso Barry Beach and Dampier Woodside facilities are examples of integrated services, but both differ considerably from a public multi-user facility. The model used in the Timor Sea of one vessel or vessels for the use of several operators is another example.The NorthWest Shelf has now reached the critical mass and it became apparent several years ago that the area needed an integrated supply base available to multiple operators. It would need to include a heavy loadout wharf, laydown areas, slipway and engineering facilities and office space to service forthcoming projects, as well as planning and cooperation amongst all players to maximise efficiency and use of scant resources as drivers for economic benefits to offshore operators in the region.Furthermore the fallout from the events of 11 September 2001 and continuing threats of terrorism has meant the security of marine assets has become an important part of each operator’s everyday life. The introduction of new legislation relating to this security issue is planned for mid 2004.In 2000 and 2001 Mermaid Marine Australia Limited undertook a major expansion of its Dampier supply base, and established a world-class facility to meet the growing demands of the region.This complex has for the first time provided the northwest of Australia, particularly the North West Shelf, Carnarvon Basin and the onshore developments on the Burrup Peninsula, with a facility for offloading and loadout of heavy shipments and fabrication and slipway facilities, coupled with the advantages of a large supply base. This facility can also be expanded to meet growth and the emerging requirements related to security.This paper describes the drivers for change commencing with the earliest supply chains and following through to the integrated service now availabe. These drivers meet the requirements of the offshore operators in the region as well as showing the benefits anticipated from this integrated service. The paper also outlines in detail the requirements of the International Maritime Organisation for worldwide changes to port and offshore security.


1983 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 97 ◽  
Author(s):  
DR King ◽  
SH Wheeler ◽  
GL Schmidt

The population fluctuations and reproductive biology of rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus (L.), were studied in a coastal pastoral area in the north-west of Western Australia between 1974 and 1981. Numbers were highest in late 1975-early 1976 and declined during a period of below-average rainfall in 1976-79, but were still found in all landforms. The breeding season was more regular than that of rabbits in other pastoral areas, and appeared to be a response to winter rains which were relatively predictable in timing, if not amount. Successful summer breeding also followed heavy summer rain. There appears to be no opportunity for cost-effective control of rabbits in the area by techniques currently available, as even when numbers are low the rabbits are widespread.


2002 ◽  
Vol 124 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorin L. Vant-Hull

In the 1980s, the Utility Study [Hilesland, T., Jr., and Weber, E. R., 1988, “Utilities’ Study of Solar Central Receivers,” Fourth Int. Symp. on Research, Development, and Applications of Solar Thermal Technology, Santa Fe, NM] identified the external cylindrical molten-salt-in-tube receiver with a surround heliostat field as the most cost effective and practical design for commercial applications. Such designs typically require 50–1000 MW of design-point thermal power at outlet temperatures around 1050°F (565°C). Using computer codes such as RCELL [Lipps, F. W., and Vant-Hull, L. L., 1978, “A Cellwise Method for the Optimization of Large Central Receiver Systems,” Solar Energy, 20(6) pp. 505–516.] or DELSOL [Kistler, B. L., “A Users Manual for Delsol 3,” Sandia National Laboratories Livermore, SAND86-8018, 1987.] it is straightforward to design an optical system to meet these requirements, defining the smallest receiver (lower cost and thermal losses) and the most cost effective heliostat field. As the performance of heliostats in the anti-sun locations is better, such fields tend to be biased (in the northern hemisphere) to the north side of the receiver, and produce very high flux densities there; typically 2–5 MW/m2. However, the receiver is typicaly limited to a salt velocity and temperature dependent allowable flux density (AFD) of about 1 MW/m2. Design methods to reduce this peak flux to a nominally acceptable value in a cost effective manner are presented. Residual excess flux events under non-nominal conditions are handled by a real-time processor which selects specific heliostats for removal from track. This same processor is used to preheat the receiver, using a special algorithm to define the required flux density.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fakhraddin Gadirov (Kadirov) ◽  
Luciano Telesca ◽  
Gulam Babayev ◽  
Gurban Yetirmishli ◽  
Rafig Safarov

<p>Reservoir-induced seismicity has been studied worldwide due to its potential to provoke damage to buildings and constructions, and, more important, human loss. Reservoir-induced seismicity (RIS) is normally related with additional static loading (the weight of the water reservoir and its seasonal variations), tectonic faults, liquefaction and pore pressure variations.The Mingechevir reservoir is located in the north-west of Azerbaijan on the Kurriver. This water reservoir is extended from north-west towards south-east through Kur river valley by 75 km. The area of the dam is 625 km<sup>2</sup> with the average width accounting for 6-8 km. The volume of the dam is 16 km<sup>3</sup>. The dam filling started in 1953. This reservoir is the largest one in the Caucasus and carries a number of geo-hazards interrelated with geodynamics and technogenic factors. The aim of the present study in the Mingechevir reservoir is to investigate relationship between the fluctuations of the water level and the onset of seismicity in the area around the dam more in detail, by using several and independent statistical methods.The temporal variations of the instrumental seismicity (0.5≤M<sub>L</sub>≤3.5) recorded in the Mingechevir area (Azerbaijan) between January 2010 to April 2018 and its relationship with the level variation of the water reservoir was analysed in this study. Due to the relative high completeness magnitude (M<sub>C</sub> = 1.6) of the seismic catalogue of the area, only 136 events were selected over a period of more than 8 years. Thus, the monthly number of events was analysed by using the correlogram-based periodogram, the singular spectrum analysis (SSA) and the empirical mode decomposition (EMD), which are robust against the short size of the time series. Our results point out to the following findings: 1) annual periodicity was found in one SSA reconstructed component of the monthly number of events; 2)quasi-annual periodicity was found in one EMD intrinsic mode function of the monthly number of earthquakes. These obtained results could support in a rigorously statistical manner that the seismicity occurring in Minghechevir area could be triggered by the yearly cycle of the water level of the reservoir.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Keywords:</strong>water reservoir, induced seismicity, water level change, Mingechevir reservoir, Azerbaijan</p>


2009 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 568
Author(s):  
Dmitry Molohkov ◽  
Andy Pietsch ◽  
Jack Harfoushian ◽  
Shahid Azizul Haq

Since its introduction in the 1950s, the point-by-point wireline formation pressure measurement technique has been successfully used for formation evaluation and reservoir management, and has been an essential input into reservoir models. In exploration and appraisal wells, where depletion has not yet affected the reservoir, vertical pressure profiling can be used for fluid gradient determination that may be interpreted in terms of fluid densities and contacts. In a dynamic producing environment pressure measurements can help to identify vertical and horizontal boundaries and communication. Measurement of pressure distribution along the borehole was historically done with wireline instruments or, in difficult logging conditions, with wireline instruments conveyed by drill pipe. In some environments, especially in highly deviated and S-shaped wells or unconsolidated formations, drill pipe conveyance of wireline formation pressure testers introduces significant operational risk. Formation Pressure While Drilling (FPWD), introduced in 2003, offers a new cost-effective solution for gathering formation pressure data. FPWD is a new method to directly measure formation pore pressure as the well is being drilled, extending its application beyond traditional fluid typing, contacts and compartmentalisation determination to well control and drilling optimisation. The market for FPWD is developing rapidly with all major service companies providing their own implementations of the technology. The next step in the evolution of FPWD technology—sampling while drilling—is not commercially available yet, but this is just a matter of time. The case history presented in this extended abstract is an example of the application and lessons learned from the FPWD service used in one of the oil fields on the North West Shelf, Australia.


Author(s):  
J.M. Fromentin ◽  
F. Ibanez ◽  
J.C. Dauvin ◽  
J.M. Dewarumez ◽  
B. Elkaim

Changes in four macrobenthic assemblages of the muddy-fine sand Abra alba community along the north-west French coast were compared using several numerical analyses (distogram, Eigen vector filtering, clustering and multi-dimensional scaling). The faunistic composition of these four assemblages continuously changed during the 1978–1992 period. These modifications are characterized by more or less rapid and abrupt successions of distinct groups of species, but the amplitude and the frequency of these changes are different between sites. Comparison of the results provided by different analyses also reveal that these four macrobenthic assemblages did not fluctuate in parallel, and that local conditions might play a key role on their temporal variations. However, it is shown that a major mesoscale climatic event, the alternation of mild and cold periods, probably also influenced the temporal variations of these four macrobenthic assemblages. Thus it is likely that there is a combination of both local and mesoscale events influencing these communities. In certain cases, changes in local conditions were the major source of variations. Sometimes the impact of the mesoscale conditions was more apparent, especially at the northern sites where the amplitude of the variations of temperature was greater.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergey Apatenkov ◽  
Vyacheslav Pilipenko ◽  
Evgeniy Gordeev ◽  
Ari Viljanen ◽  
Liisa Juusola ◽  
...  

<p>The strongest event of geomagnetically induced currents (GIC) detected by the North-West Russian GIC network occurred during the main phase of the magnetic storm on June 28-29, 2013. Extremely high values, 120 A, were recorded in the 330 kV transformers on Kola Peninsula in the 04--07 magnetic local time (MLT) sector. The Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) spacecraft took a sequence of ultraviolet (UV) auroral images in the southern hemisphere and observed multiple omega bands. The ionospheric equivalent electric currents based on the International Monitor for Auroral Geomagnetic Effects (IMAGE) magnetometer network reveal a sequence of current vortex pairs moving eastward with the speed of 0.5-2.5 km/s, that fits to the electrodynamics scheme of omega bands. Although the temporal variations of the associated current system are slow, the omega bands can be responsible for strong magnetic variations and GIC due to fast propagations of currents in the azimuthal direction.  The first steps towards the statistica study of the highest GIC recorded at Vykhodnoy transformer show that about 50% of events have properties similar to the comprehensively studied 29 June 2013 case.</p>


1996 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 385
Author(s):  
O.A. Larsen ◽  
J. Winterhalder ◽  
J.S. Boardman ◽  
J.N.G. Smith

The development of high capacity seismic 3D vessels has been so rapid that the oil industry has yet to optimise its investment in seismic data. However, the oil companies are becoming increasingly aware of the financial benefits of multi-client surveys which maximise vessel efficiency and provide a comprehensive evaluation of large areas.Many oil companies continue to design exploration seismic programs based on 2D seismic and acquire 3D seismic surveys after drilling the exploration/discovery well and generally after at least one appraisal well. Such single client surveys are limited by expected field outlines, which results in high unit costs for the seismic and missed opportunities beyond these outlines.The immediate benefits identified from obtaining early 3D data include: a higher success rate, optimisation of well locations, more rapid and cost effective appraisal, earlier screening studies, and an advanced development program. The combination of these factors can accelerate production by up to 18 months.For the scenarios evaluated in this paper, the use of 3D seismic early in the exploration period translates into an increase in Net Present Value of A$18-33 million and Expected Monetary Value of A$50-58 million for a 50 MMBBL oil field.


Author(s):  
Lorin L. Vant-Hull

Abstract In the 1980’s, the Utility Study [Hilesland and Harder, 1988] identified the external cylindrical molten-salt-in-tube receiver with a surround heliostat field as the most cost effective and practical design for commercial applications. Such designs typically require 50–1000 MW of design-point thermal power at outlet temperatures around 1050 °F (565 °C). Using computer codes such as RCELL [Lipps and Vant-Hull, 1981] or DELSOL [Kistler, 1987] it is straightforward to design an optical system to meet these requirements, defining the smallest receiver (lower cost and thermal losses) and the most cost effective heliostat field. As the performance of heliostats in the anti-sun locations is better, such fields tend to be biased (in the northern hemisphere) to the north side of the receiver, and produce very high flux densities there; typically 2–5 MW/m2. However, the receiver is typicaly limited to a salt velocity and temperature dependent allowable flux density (AFD) of about 1 MW/m2. Design methods to reduce this peak flux to a nominally acceptable value in a cost effective manner are presented. Residual excess flux events under non-nominal conditions are handled by a real-time processor which selects specific heliostats for removal from track. This same processor is used to preheat the receiver, using a special algorithm to define the required flux density.


1982 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 61-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
F Jones

The disposal of sewage and sewage sludge to marine waters takes advantage of the natural purifying powers of the sea and has been accepted practice for many years in this country and elsewhere. Since these wastes contain large concentrations of faecal micro-organisms these activities inevitably result in bacterial contamination of the receiving waters. It is therefore surprising that only scanty information of such microbial pollution has previously been available. Recent work has been undertaken to rectify this situation and in response to national decisions. Three situations in the North West have been investigated and reported. Interpretation of the bacteriological results supports previous findings that sewage sludge dumped in Liverpool Bay has little or no effect on the bacterial quality of coastal waters, that the provision of a long sea outfall on the North Wirral peninsula has greatly reduced sewage pollution of the adjacent beach and its waters; that the quality of bathing waters along the Fylde coast are greatly influenced by the discharge of raw sewage from outfalls along its length and the turbidity of the sea during and after discharging.


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