scholarly journals A Life Cycle Assessment of Guar Agriculture

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
VeeAnder S. Mealing ◽  
Amy E. Landis
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Guar Gum ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
High Water ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Us

Abstract Guar gum, the main product of the guar crop, is used widely in the US as an emulsifier in the food industry and as fracturing fluid additive in the oil and gas industry. The US is the number one global importer of guar, and interest has grown to domestically cultivate guar in the US. Guar is an annual desert legume native to India and Pakistan. The goal of this study was to evaluate the environmental sustainability of growing guar in the U.S. via a life cycle analysis (LCA). The LCA helps identify the information gap for US agriculture and guide future field studies to optimize guar cultivation in the US. This study concluded that in terms of environmental sustainability, irrigation, harvesting, and P-fertilization methods offer the most opportunity for improved guar agricultural sustainability. This is promising because one of guar’s prominent characteristics is its high water use efficiency and ability to grow in marginal soils. Lowering irrigation and water use can be implemented with simple management practice changes like optimizing irrigation. In addition, this study shows that there is an opportunity for field trials to optimize fertilizer application rates to achieve the greatest yields. This study also found a knowledge gap with respect to C soil fluxes and field emissions of N and P from guar agriculture. As the United States pursues adopting guar agriculture in the Southwest, it will be critical to evaluate irrigation to achieve maximum yields (e.g. drip, flood, sprinkler) and fill fertilizer and emissions knowledge gaps.

US experiences in water management of shale gas developments

2014 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 541
Author(s):  
Daniel Cravens
Keyword(s):  
Shale Gas ◽  
Distribution Systems ◽  
Water Distribution ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
High Water ◽  
Gas Industry ◽  
Groundwater Supply ◽  
The Us ◽  
Drilling Rigs

More than 1,700 drilling rigs are operating in the US, with more than half in Texas. The avid and dry Permian Basin in southwest Texas is one of the most prolific oil and gas basins in the US. Vertical drilling to depths of 4,000 m, with horizontal laterals 2,000 m, is common. The fraccing of a horizontal well requires large amounts of water. In areas that completely depend on groundwater for frac water, the demand for the resource is high. Water transport and treatment costs can threaten the viability of even the best of projects. The volume of water required for different horizontal frac operations, changes depending on the formation, frac solutions, and lateral frac distances. Discoveries are being made that have determined that larger diameter horizontal fracs are yielding more product, but they require even more water. The oil and gas industry is beginning to realise that groundwater drilling and resource management can make or break an oil and gas project. In these areas where water availability depends initially on groundwater supply, a complete understanding of the available groundwater resource is critical. Economically viable solutions can ultimately be a combination of new wells, treated water, moveable water distribution systems, mobile treatment plants, surface storage, and deep injection of brine fluids. In this extended abstract, the experiences gained on existing shale gas developments in the US are used to address specific challenges faced in Australia.

Shale, Quakes, and High Stakes: Regulating Fracking-Induced Seismicity in Oklahoma, USA and Lancashire, UK

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Miriam R. Aczel ◽  
Karen E. Makuch
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Shale Gas ◽  
Seismic Activity ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
High Volume ◽  
The United States ◽  
Horizontal Drilling ◽  
Induced Seismic Activity

High-volume hydraulic fracturing combined with horizontal drilling has “revolutionized” the United States’ oil and gas industry by allowing extraction of previously inaccessible oil and gas trapped in shale rock [1]. Although the United States has extracted shale gas in different states for several decades, the United Kingdom is in the early stages of developing its domestic shale gas resources, in the hopes of replicating the United States’ commercial success with the technologies [2, 3]. However, the extraction of shale gas using hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling poses potential risks to the environment and natural resources, human health, and communities and local livelihoods. Risks include contamination of water resources, air pollution, and induced seismic activity near shale gas operation sites. This paper examines the regulation of potential induced seismic activity in Oklahoma, USA, and Lancashire, UK, and concludes with recommendations for strengthening these protections.

Identifying Key Safety Culture Factors for the Offshore Industry

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ning Lou ◽  
Ezra Wari ◽  
James Curry ◽  
Kevin McSweeney ◽  
Rick Curtis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Safety Culture ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
Transportation Safety ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Gas Industry ◽  
The Us ◽  
Offshore Industry ◽  
Offshore Oil And Gas ◽  
Offshore Oil

This research identifies key factors, or safety culture categories, that can be used to help describe the safety culture for the offshore oil and gas industry and develop a comprehensive offshore safety culture assessment toolkit for use by the US Gulf of Mexico (GoM) owners and operators. Detailed questionnaires from selected safety culture frameworks of different industries were collected and analyzed to identify important safety culture factors and key questions for assessment. Safety frameworks from different associations were investigated, including the Center for Offshore Safety (COS), Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The safety culture factors of each of these frameworks were generalized and analyzed. The frequency of the safety culture factors in each framework was analyzed to explore commonality. The literature review and analysis identified a list of common factors among safety culture frameworks.

SafeOCS Industry Safety Data Program: An Industrywide Safety Data Management Framework

2020 ◽  
Vol 72 (12) ◽  
pp. 34-37
Author(s):  
Demetra V. Collia ◽  
Roland L. Moreau
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
High Reliability ◽  
Safety Data ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
Near Miss ◽  
Outer Continental Shelf ◽  
Gas Industry ◽  
The Us ◽  
Recommended Practices ◽  
Industry Associations

Introduction In the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the oil and gas industry, regulators, and other stakeholders recognized the need for increased collaboration and data sharing to augment their ability to better identify safety risks and address them before an accident occurs. The SafeOCS program is one such collaboration between industry and government. It is a voluntary confidential reporting program that collects and analyzes data to advance safety in oil and gas operations on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) established the program with input from industry and then entered into an agreement with the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) to develop, implement, and operate the program. As a principal statistical agency, BTS has considerable data-collection-and-analysis expertise with near-miss reporting systems for other industries and the statutory authority to protect the confidentiality of the reported information and the reporter’s identify. Source data submitted to BTS are not subject to subpoena, legal discovery, or Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. Solving for the Gap Across industries, companies have long realized the benefits of collecting and analyzing data around safety and environmental events to identify risks and take actions to prevent reoccurrence. These activities are aided by industry associations that collect and share event information and develop recommended practices to improve performance. In high-reliability industries such as aviation and nuclear, it is common practice to report and share events among companies and for the regulators to identify hidden trends and create or update existing recommended practices, regulations, or other controls. The challenge for the offshore oil and gas industry is that industry associations and the regulator are typically limited to collecting data on agency-reportable incidents. With this limitation, other high-learning-value events or observed conditions could go unnoticed as a trend until a major event occurs. This lack of timely data represented an opportunity for the industry and the offshore regulator (BSEE) to collaborate on a means of gathering safety-event data that would allow for analysis and identification of trends, thereby enabling appropriate interventions to prevent major incidents and foster continuous improvement. The SafeOCS Industry Safety Data (ISD) program provides an effective process for capturing these trends by looking across a wider spectrum of events, including those with no consequences.

scholarly journals A spatially detailed blue water footprint of the United States economy

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 3007-3032 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard R. Rushforth ◽  
Benjamin L. Ruddell
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
Virtual Water ◽  
The United States ◽  
Energy Information Administration ◽  
Blue Water ◽  
Consumptive Use ◽  
The Us ◽  
Per Capita

Abstract. This paper quantifies and maps a spatially detailed and economically complete blue water footprint for the United States, utilizing the National Water Economy Database version 1.1 (NWED). NWED utilizes multiple mesoscale (county-level) federal data resources from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), the US Department of Transportation (USDOT), the US Department of Energy (USDOE), and the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to quantify water use, economic trade, and commodity flows to construct this water footprint. Results corroborate previous studies in both the magnitude of the US water footprint (F) and in the observed pattern of virtual water flows. Four virtual water accounting scenarios were developed with minimum (Min), median (Med), and maximum (Max) consumptive use scenarios and a withdrawal-based scenario. The median water footprint (FCUMed) of the US is 181 966 Mm3 (FWithdrawal: 400 844 Mm3; FCUMax: 222 144 Mm3; FCUMin: 61 117 Mm3) and the median per capita water footprint (FCUMed′) of the US is 589 m3 per capita (FWithdrawal′: 1298 m3 per capita; FCUMax′: 720 m3 per capita; FCUMin′: 198 m3 per capita). The US hydroeconomic network is centered on cities. Approximately 58 % of US water consumption is for direct and indirect use by cities. Further, the water footprint of agriculture and livestock is 93 % of the total US blue water footprint, and is dominated by irrigated agriculture in the western US. The water footprint of the industrial, domestic, and power economic sectors is centered on population centers, while the water footprint of the mining sector is highly dependent on the location of mineral resources. Owing to uncertainty in consumptive use coefficients alone, the mesoscale blue water footprint uncertainty ranges from 63 to over 99 % depending on location. Harmonized region-specific, economic-sector-specific consumption coefficients are necessary to reduce water footprint uncertainties and to better understand the human economy's water use impact on the hydrosphere.

Challenges in Hydrate Plug Prevention in Pipelines Seen Over the Lifetime of a Field

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Casper Hadsbjerg ◽  
Kristian Krejbjerg
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Hydrate Formation ◽  
Extended Period ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
High Water ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Field Development ◽  
Hydrate Plug ◽  
Subsea Pipelines

When the oil and gas industry explores subsea resources in remote areas and at high water depths, it is important to have advanced simulation tools available in order to assess the risks associated with these expensive projects. A major issue is whether hydrates will form when the hydrocarbons are transported to shore in subsea pipelines, since the formation of a hydrate plug might shut down a pipeline for an extended period of time, leading to severe losses. The industry practices a conservative approach to hydrate plug prevention, which is the addition of inhibitors to ensure that hydrates cannot form under pipeline pressure and temperature conditions. The addition of inhibitors to subsea pipelines is environmentally unfriendly and also a very costly procedure. Recent efforts has therefore focused on developing models for the hydrate formation rate (hydrate kinetics models), which can help determine how fast hydrates might form a plug in a pipeline, and whether the amount of inhibitor can be reduced without increasing the risk of hydrate plug formation. The main variables determining whether hydrate plugs form in a pipeline are: 1) the ratio of hydrocarbons to water, 2) the composition of the hydrocarbons, 3) the flowrates/flow regimes in the pipeline, 4) the amount of inhibitor in the system. Over the lifetime of a field, all 4 variables will change, and so will the challenge of hydrate plug prevention. This paper will examine the prevention of hydrate plugs in a pipeline, seen from a hydrate kinetics point of view. Different scenarios that can occur over the lifetime of a field will be investigated. Exemplified through a subsea field development, a pipeline simulator that considers hydrate formation in a pipeline is used to carry out a study to shed light on the most important issues to consider as conditions change. The information gained from this study can be used to cut down on inhibitor dosage, or possibly completely remove the need for inhibitor.

scholarly journals STATUS AND EVALUATION OF DEVELOPMENT EFFECTIVENESS WORLD OIL EXPORTERS

2020 ◽  
pp. 19-24
Author(s):  
Х. Р. Асхабов ◽  
Р. И. Ахъядов ◽  
Ю. Х. Тарамов ◽  
А. А. Эльмурзаев
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Oil Industry ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
The United States ◽  
Successful Development ◽  
Gas Industry ◽  
Modern Times ◽  
Development Effectiveness ◽  
The Russian Federation ◽  
Effective Development

В современное время нефтегазовая отрасль обладает большим потенциалом для развития экономики, благодаря чему ее регулированию уделяется внимание на международном уровне. К примеру, стоит упомянуть Организацию стран - экспортеров нефти, которая была создана нефтедобывающими странами в целях контроля квот добычи на нефть. Актуальность публикации заключается в том, что на сегодняшний день нефтяная отрасль продолжает оказывать значительное влияние на экономику стран, чье устойчивое развитие определяется успешным развитием нефтяной промышленности. Рассмотреть, проанализировать и обозначить, на наш взгляд, перспективы эффективного развития отраслей нефтяной промышленности Российской Федерации, по сравнению с развитием нефтяной промышленности гигантов данной отрасли - Саудовской Аравии и Соединенных Штатов Америки, явилось целью исследования в данной статье. In modern times, the oil and gas industry has great potential for the development of the economy, due to which its regulation is paid attention at the international level. For example, it is worth mentioning the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, which was established by oil-producing countries to control oil production quotas. The relevance of the publication is that today the oil industry continues to have a significant impact on the economies of countries whose sustainable development is determined by the successful development of the oil industry. To consider, analyse and outline, in our opinion, the prospects for the effective development of the oil industries of the Russian Federation, in comparison with the development of the oil industry of the following giants of this industry of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America, was the purpose of the study in this article.

scholarly journals Application of the CL-systems technology for water injection wells at an oil and gas field

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 848-853
Author(s):  
Liliya Saychenko ◽  
Radharkrishnan Karantharath
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Water Injection ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
High Water ◽  
Injection Wells ◽  
Gas Field ◽  
Water Breakthrough ◽  
Oil And Gas Field ◽  
High Water Cut

To date, the development of the oil and gas industry can be characterized by a decline in the efficiency of the development of hydrocarbon deposits. High water cut-off is often caused by water breaking through a highly permeable reservoir interval, which often leads to the shutdown of wells due to the unprofitability of their further operation. In this paper, the application of straightening the profile log technology for injection wells of the Muravlenkovsky oil and gas field is justified. In the course of this work, the results of field studies are systematized. The reasons for water breakthrough were determined, and the main ways of filtration of the injected water were identified using tracer surveys. The use of CL-systems technology based on polyacrylamide and chromium acetate is recommended. The forecast of the estimated additional oil produced was made.

scholarly journals A STUDY OF CORROSION CONTROL IN PIPELINES

2021 ◽  
pp. 48-49
Author(s):  
Shree Meenakshi. K
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Indirect Costs ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
The United States ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Total Annual Cost ◽  
Pipe Material ◽  
Gas Industry ◽  
Copper Aluminum ◽  
Pipeline Corrosion

Pipeline corrosion is the deterioration of pipe material and the related system due to its interaction with the working environment. It affects pipeline and accessories made of both metals and non-metals. Pipeline corrosion—and the related catastrophic failures that it can cause—cost billions of dollars to the economy. The total annual cost of corrosion in 2016, including direct and indirect costs, was estimated at over USD $1.1 trillion in the United States. In other words, corrosion is a big problem. It predominantly affects pipelines made of metals such as copper, aluminum, cast iron, carbon steel, stainless steel and alloy steel pipes used for buried, underground, submerged or other pipelines. That makes designing and selecting the best available systems and materials for pipelines and their corrosion protection systems an extremely important issue for the oil and gas industry. In this research paper we will investigate and take a look at the key types of corrosion that affect pipelines, and some of the methods that are used to protect this infrastructure.

scholarly journals THE MAIN RESERVE OF ACCELERATED EFFECTIVE OPENING OF OIL AND GAS FIELDS IN UKRAINE

2019 ◽  
pp. 31-37
Author(s):  
V. T. Kryvosheyev ◽  
V. V. Makogon ◽  
Ye. Z. Ivanova
Keyword(s):  
Shale Gas ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
The United States ◽  
Resource Base ◽  
Hydrocarbon Production ◽  
Oil And Gas Fields ◽  
High Level ◽  
Gas Fields

Economic hardship in Ukraine during the years of independence led to a sharp reduction of exploration work on oil and gas, a drop in hydrocarbon production, a decrease in inventories and a sharp collapse of research work to ensure the growth of hydrocarbon reserves.The hydrocarbon potential of various sources of Ukrainian subsoil is quite powerful and can provide future energy independence of the country. Potential hydrocarbon resources in traditional traps of various types are exhausted by only 25 %. Ukraine has recently experienced so-called “shale gas boom”. The experience of extraction of shale gas in desert areas of the United States can not be repeated in densely populated Ukraine in the absence of such powerful shale strata, resource base, necessary infrastructure, own technologies and techniques and economic, environmental and social risks.Taking into account the fuel and energy problems of the state, we constantly throughout the years of independence oriented the oil and gas industry and the authorities on the active use of our own reserves and opportunities for accelerated opening of new oil and gas fields.The results of geological exploration work in the old oil and gas basins at the high level of their study indicate that deposits in non-structural traps dominate among open deposits.A complex of sequence-stratigraphical, lithology-facies and lithology-paleogeographical studies is being successfully used to forecast undeformational traps in well-studied oil and gas bearing basin of the Ukraine – the Dniprovsko-Donetsky basin. The authors predict wide development of stratigraphic, lithologic, tectonic and combined traps in terrigenous sediments of Tournaisian and Visean age, reef-carbonate massifs of the lower Tournaisian, lower and middle Visean age and others. They should become the basis for exploration of oil and gas fields for the near and medium term and open the second breath of the basin.

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