scholarly journals Abandonment of an Iraqi Well, justifications and feasibility study

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 85-94
Author(s):  
Dr. Kareem A. Alwan ◽  
Hayder A. AlAttaby

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.

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
pp. 397-424
Author(s):  
Jesse Salah Ovadia ◽  
Jasper Abembia Ayelazuno ◽  
James Van Alstine

ABSTRACTWith much fanfare, Ghana's Jubilee Oil Field was discovered in 2007 and began producing oil in 2010. In the six coastal districts nearest the offshore fields, expectations of oil-backed development have been raised. However, there is growing concern over what locals perceive to be negative impacts of oil and gas production. Based on field research conducted in 2010 and 2015 in the same communities in each district, this paper presents a longitudinal study of the impacts (real and perceived) of oil and gas production in Ghana. With few identifiable benefits beyond corporate social responsibility projects often disconnected from local development priorities, communities are growing angrier at their loss of livelihoods, increased social ills and dispossession from land and ocean. Assuming that others must be benefiting from the petroleum resources being extracted near their communities, there is growing frustration. High expectations, real and perceived grievances, and increasing social fragmentation threaten to lead to conflict and underdevelopment.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Yadav ◽  
Sumit Kumar ◽  
P. N. Yadav

Acidization is an oil reservoir stimulation technique for increasing oil well productivity. Hydrochloric acid is used in oil and gas production to stimulate the formation. The acid treatment occurs through N80 steel tubes. The process requires a high degree of corrosion inhibition of tubing material (N80 steel). In the present investigation effect of synthesized amino acid compounds, namely, acetamidoleucine (AAL) and benzamidoleucine (BAL) as corrosion inhibitors for N80 steel in 15% HCl solution was studied by polarization, AC impedance (EIS), and weight loss measurements. It was found that both the inhibitors were effective inhibitors and their inhibition efficiency was significantly increased with increasing concentration of inhibitors. Polarization curves revealed that the studied inhibitors represent mixed type inhibitors. AC impedance studies revealed that charge transfer resistance increases and double layer capacitance decreases in presence of inhibitors. Adsorption of inhibitors at the surface of N80 steel was found to obey Langmuir isotherm.


2021 ◽  
Vol 325 ◽  
pp. 47-52
Author(s):  
Fedor L. Kapustin ◽  
N.N. Bashkatov ◽  
Rudolf Hela

When constructing deep wells for oil and gas production in difficult geological conditions, special lightweight oil-well cements are used. To reduce the density and water separation of the cement slurry as well as to increase the strength, corrosion resistance of cement stone and the quality of well cementing, opal-containing rocks, fly ash, microsphere and other lightening additives are introduced into the cement composition. The influence of sedimentary rocks, such as opoka, tripoli, and diatomite containing from 43 to 81% amorphous silica on the grindability, rheological and physical-mechanical properties of lightweight oil-well Portland cement has been studied. The twelve cement compositions with different content of additives (from 30 to 45%) that meet the requirements of the standard for density, spreadability, water separation, thickening time and flexural strength were selected. The introduction of 45% diatomite or tripoli significantly reduces the duration of cement grinding, provides the cement slurry with water-cement ratio of 0.9 with better density and flexural strength, respectively, 1480 kg/m3 and 1.1–1.5 MPa.


2004 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 809
Author(s):  
I.V. Stejskal

Australia’s offshore petroleum industry is beginning to mature and many of its offshore oil and gas production facilities are reaching the end of their operational life. These facilities consist of an array of infrastructure including wells, wellheads, platforms and monopods of various construction, pipeline and flowlines, and anchors and risers. Many of these facilities will need to be decommissioned at the end of their operational and economic life in a safe and environmentally responsible manner.The Australian government has the jurisdiction to direct a company to remove all facilities associated with offshore production projects located on Australia’s continental shelf, but there is room for discretion for other decommissioning options. The manner in which facilities are decommissioned must be assessed on a case-by-case basis, taking into account factors such as technical feasibility, commercial risk, safety and social impacts, costs and environmental effects.Two decommissioning options appropriate in some instances are to leave selected facilities in-situ or dispose of a facility to some other location on the continental shelf, preferably in deep water. Residual liability refers to the responsibility and liability associated with leaving facilities on the seabed. If a facility is allowed to remain on the seabed, questions related to residual liability arise:who is responsible for any facility left on the seabed; andwho is liable to pay for compensation in the event that this facility is allowed to remain in place on the seabed and injury or damage is caused to a third person or property?There is no universally accepted practice in relation to residual liability in relation to decommissioning. In some countries, the State assumes responsibility; in other countries the company remains responsible in perpetuity. This issue still needs to be clarified in Australia.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 1613-1634 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oladoyin Kolawole ◽  
Ion Ispas

Abstract Hydraulic fracturing treatment is one of the most efficient conventional matrix stimulation techniques currently utilized in the petroleum industry. However, due to the spatiotemporal complex nature of fracture propagation in a naturally- and often times systematically fractured media, the influence of natural fractures (NF) and in situ stresses on hydraulic fracture (HF) initiation and propagation within a reservoir during the hydrofracturing process remains an important issue. Over the past 50 years of advances in the understanding of HF–NF interactions, no comprehensive revision of the state of the knowledge exists. Here, we reviewed over 140 scientific articles on investigations of HF–NF interactions, published over the past 50 years. We highlight the most commonly observed HF–NF interactions and their implications for unconventional oil and gas production. Using observational and quantitative analyses, we find that numerical modeling and simulation is the most prominent method of approach, whereas there are less publications on the experimental approach, and analytical method is the least utilized approach. Further, we suggest how HF–NF interactions can be monitored in real time on the field during a pre-frac test. Lastly, based on the results of our literature review, we recommend promising areas of investigation that may provide more profound insights into HF–NF interactions in such a way that can be directly applied to the optimization of fracture-stimulation field operations.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas J. Gianoutsos ◽  
◽  
Seth S. Haines ◽  
Brian A. Varela ◽  
Katherine J. Whidden

2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan Fay

This year marks the golden jubilee of Australia’s offshore petroleum industry after the first gas was produced from Bass Strait by Esso and BHP’s Gippsland Basin Joint Venture. For half a century our industry has been driven by technology – pioneering technical excellence and pushing the envelope in the pursuit of much needed oil and gas production. Today, the landscape in East Australia is changing and gas is at the forefront of the discussion. Declines in East Australia’s historical conventional fields have seen gas supply tighten and prices rise. There is a strong need for additional affordable and reliable gas supply. While continued improvements in technology remain a critically important enabler in developing Australia’s gas resources; global supply and demand, regulatory frameworks, and the commercial arrangements that underpin new developments are becoming more and more important. ExxonMobil Australia’s new Chairman, Nathan Fay, has a wealth of experience working with gas markets around the world. He will explain why it is so important for policymakers to establishment a stable free market environment to encourage these long-term relationships. To view the video, click the link on the right.


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