A SHORT HISTORY OF THE NAVAL USE OF FUEL OIL. PART VII

In recent years, the safety of oil and gas storage and transportation facilities has been paid more attention by the state and enterprises due to frequent accidents. The oil and gas storage and transportation facilities safety courses in China University of Petroleum (Beijing) includes “Engineering mechanics”, “Strength design of pipelines and tanks” and “Safety and integrity management of oil and gas storage and transportation facilities”. The three courses lack relevance and the teaching mode is too rigid, resulting in students losing their initiative in learning. If students can’t use the knowledge flexibly, it will affect the achievement of the objectives of the training program. Therefore, oil and gas storage and transportation facilities safety courses are reformed, training plans are adjusted and teaching methods are improved. The practice shows that the reform enriches the teaching content, improves the teaching quality, stimulates classroom activity and gets a good evaluation of students. The reform of safety courses has a certain significance for cultivating compound talents who have the ability to solve practical problems in engineering.

AN ASSESSMENT OF THE IMPACT OF EMISSIONS FROM oil storage and trans-shipment facilities on the health of local children Background: The residents of an area where oil storage and trans-shipment facilities are located, complained about poor ambient air quality. 55% of the residents associated air pollution with the deterioration of their health. business entities affirmed that they were complying with the regulations. Aim: To objectively determine whether there was a relationship between the activity of the emission sources and the health of the local residents. Methods: We analyzed the parameters of emissions into the atmosphere, calculated pollutant dispersion, measured the concentrations of pollutants in the ambient air, and performed health risk assessment, an analysis of morbidity in children and calculated the odds ratios. Results: In the areas influenced by the emissions from the oil storage and trans-shipment facilities (300 to 500 m from the production site), an unacceptable risk to the respiratory tract (hazard index (HI) at 3.73), the immune system (HI=3.08), the central nervous system (HI=2.07), blood (HI=1.57), etc. was shown to develop. Major risk factors were hydrogen sulfide, benzene, phenol, formaldehyde, mercaptans. The frequency and severity of respiratory, immune and nervous system diseases as well as disorders in coagulation processes, etc. in the children from the polluted areas were significantly higher than those in the children from a control group (OR from 2.1 to 3.7, p<0.05). Overall, the proportion of healthy children was only 18.5% of the total number of children with exposure, which itself was almost 3 times lower than in the control group (47.9%). Compliance orders stating additional health and environmental measures were issued to the companies. Conclusion: The proven relationship between the emissions, environmental pollution and the health of the residents in the studied area are the bases for making management decisions and improving the environmental health situation

The article is devoted to the problem of cleaning oil transport and storage facilities from asphalt-resin-paraffin deposits. The issues of the use of ultrasound at oil transport and storage facilities for the removal of asphalt-tar and paraffin deposits are considered. The classification of methods for removing asphalt-tar and paraffin deposits in wells, pipelines and reservoirs is formulated. The review of scientific works on the use of ultrasound and ultrasonic installations for changing the basic physical and chemical characteristics of oil and tank cleaning is presented. Based on the analysis, a list of experimental studies is formulated that must be performed for the further formation of the scientific and technical base for the use of ultrasonic exposure for the removal of deposits. An overview of modern achievements in this field is presented, including scientific works on the use of ultrasound to accelerate the removal of deposits. An approach to the destruction of deposits directly during the operation of the tank due to the descent of the emitter to the surface of the boundary of the phases "oil-deposits" is considered. A system of mathematical equations has been developed that simulates the process of changing the temperature and melting of deposits, taking into account the operation of an ultrasonic emitter. As a result, the velocity of the movement of the melting front of deposits is determined depending on the duration of exposure. The recommended duration of exposure at each installation point is determined.

This is the first research that provides the calculation of time and labor standards for foundation works at oil and gas storage facilities construction. A foundation works performance for two identical vertical steel tanks is under investigation. The reinforced soil-cement piles are suggested as the most economical way of foundation works performance at gas and oil storage facilities The deep soil mixing technology is considered. The detailed description of suggested technology is presented along with time spent for each technological element. This paper provides data on the machinery and materials needed for construction. A time study method was applied to compile a working day photo-fixation. The obtained data were processed using the method suggested by engineer Prussak. The nonlinear correlation of drilling time versus depth of reinforced soil cement piles was obtained. The influence of geotechnical conditions on time and labor consumption is presented. Time and labor standards for manufacturing 1 m3 of soil-cement piles have been calculated.  Â

The article raises a topical issue - the improvement of mobile fire-fighting equipment to extinguish fires on oil and oil products storage and processing facilities. During the analysis of fire at these facilities over five years it’s founded that the annual number of fires remains high. Despite the advances in science and technology, fire safety, oil and petroleum products storage facilities are the most dangerous and difficult to extinguish. To extinguish fires at these objects foam tenders are used, besides water tenders and pumpers, application of which is the most important while putting out large tanks. With greater importance in ensuring the security of storage facilities and processing of oil and oil products, foam extinguishing vehicles for many years remain substantially unchanged in its basic performance characteristics. In addition, the analysis of blowing agents in the Russian market led to the conclusion that the blowing agent market is now fairly saturated, and Russian producers without compromising the safety of objects can fully replace imported manufacturers. Most of the fires on oil and petroleum products storage facilities is extinguished using a mobile fire-fighting equipment and fire extinguishing agent is the main air-mechanical foam of low and medium ratio and there is a need to consider to create an innovative car foam extinguishing. The design of such a vehicle comprises feeding the fire to extinguish not only mechanical foam, and the foam structured silica particles. At the same time, the car is characterized by high permeability, increased supply of the pumping unit, the increased supply of extinguishing agent with the creation of three-time stock frother. The creation of such a vehicle would enhance the effectiveness of action fire departments to extinguish fires by improving the functionality and performance characteristics of the foam extinguishing vehicle that will also improve the fire safety of the objects under consideration.

Technological parameters and technical level of the equipment at an oil storage facility influence motor fuel's quality and its waste during reception, storage and transfer. The use of intelligent systems during the oil storage and handling process enhances quality preservation and reduction of motor fuel waste caused by evaporation, oxidation and hydration while stored in above-ground horizontal steel tanks. Systems managing "smart" oil-storage facilities combine technologies for on-line collection, transmission and storage of information with instant data processing and analysis, and managerial decision-making techniques. A methodological framework, that includes algorithms and a program with sensors to monitor indicators of an automated horizontal oil reservoir, has been developed to control the technological parameters (temperature, pressure, fuel level) of the tanks during storage of light oil products, and to protect fuel against flooding and evaporation. The application of the neural network forecasting technique for fuel waste from evaporation during storage, and processing of the data array, made it possible to calculate with a 98% accuracy rate the gasoline waste during storage in horizontal on-ground tanks with up to 100 m <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</sup> in volume capacity. The application of a neural network enables development of new fuel storage algorithms and calculation of the optimal storage amount to minimise losses. The concept and developed digital intelligent control solutions for oil storage allows combining data in oil management into a single information space, and to control the automated oil storage system with application of neural networks, deep learning and Big Data.

The search for hydrocarbons takes place in steadily deeper waters. This fact increases the demand for platforms to operate in water depths beyond the reach of bottom supported structures. This paper presents a floating concrete platform designed for oil and gas production in water depths ranging from 200 m to 600 m. The platform is based on the semi-submersible principle and consists of a submerged caisson and four tapered columns extending above sea level to support the deck structure. A general description of the platform concept is given. The paper also contains information on platform construction and installation. A comprehensive computer simulation has been undertaken for analysis of platform motions and anchor system. Simulation technique and results are presented.

Purpose. In the extreme situations at industrial sites, various damaging factors may appear, such as the spread of toxic substances in the air, the creation of a fireball, etc., which pose a threat to the lives of workers and have a significant negative impact on the environment. That is why today, special attention is being paid to the problems associated with the spread of debris during a drone attack. At an industrial site where oil product storage facilities are located, the debris generated during an explosion can damage the tank building and cause a fire. In this regard, the main objective of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of using gabion to reduce the risk of damage to the oil storage facility during the movement of drone debris. Methodology. To achieve this goal, the paper considers the problem of flying debris in the event of a drone explosion at an industrial site where oil storage facilities are located. The use of gabion with sand is proposed to protect the tank building from the throwing effect of debris. It is proposed to develop a mathematical model of the movement of a fragment in the path of which the gabion is located. The effect of gabion as a protective screen on reducing the air temperature near a neighboring oil storage facility in the event of a fire at an industrial site is also considered. A model of the dynamics of a point motion (Newton's second law) was used to mathematically describe the movement of the debris. Numerical integration of the modeling equations was performed using the Euler's method. The energy equation was used to model the process of thermal air pollution at an industrial site during a fire. Findings. In this work, the numerical model was programmed and a computer code was created. The programming language is FORTRAN. The code provides information on the speed of the fragment movement in different parts of each zone. On the basis of the constructed numerical model and the created code, parametric studies were carried out to determine the effectiveness of using gabion with sand to protect the oil storage facility from the effects of fragment. As an approximation, the case when the fragment after the explosion moves horizontally in the direction of the object was considered. The influence of the gabion height on the heating level of the wall of the oil storage facility located at an industrial site was analyzed. Originality. An effective mathematical model has been developed to evaluate the effectiveness of using gabion to protect the oil storage facility from damage by drone fragment. The proposed model allows determining the rational dimensions of the gabion to reduce the risk of damage to the tank wall. An effective computer model of thermal air pollution at an industrial site in the event of a fire at an oil storage facility is presented. Practical value. On the basis of the constructed mathematical model, a computer code was created to conduct a computational experiment to determine the effectiveness of using protective barriers (gabions) on the territory of an industrial site.

Technological parameters and technical level of the equipment at an oil storage facility influence motor fuel’s quality and its waste during reception, storage and transfer. The use of intelligent systems during the oil storage and handling process enhances quality preservation and reduction of motor fuel waste caused by evaporation, oxidation and hydration while stored in above-ground horizontal steel tanks. Systems managing “smart” oil-storage facilities combine technologies for on-line collection, transmission and storage of information with instant data processing and analysis, and managerial decision-making techniques. A methodological framework, that includes algorithms and a program with sensors to monitor indicators of an automated horizontal oil reservoir, has been developed to control the technological parameters (temperature, pressure, fuel level) of the tanks during storage of light oil products, and to protect fuel against flooding and evaporation. The application of the neural network forecasting technique for fuel waste from evaporation during storage, and processing of the data array, made it possible to calculate with a 98% accuracy rate the gasoline waste during storage in horizontal on-ground tanks with up to 100 m3 in volume capacity. The application of a neural network enables development of new fuel storage algorithms and calculation of the optimal storage amount to minimise losses. The concept and developed digital intelligent control solutions for oil storage allows combining data in oil management into a single information space, and to control the automated oil storage system with application of neural networks, deep learning and Big Data.

Problem statement. The operation of many industries is associated with dust and thermal air pollution. Particularly intense dust pollution of the air occurs during the operation of the mining complex. Intense thermal air pollution occurs during fires. Fires are a dangerous phenomenon at industrial and civil facilities. If a fire occurs at an industrial facility where oil storage facilities are located, a very intensive area of thermal pollution of the atmospheric air arises. This creates a risk of thermal injury to workers and a risk of ignition of oil storage facilities located near the source of ignition. An important practical task arises − reducing the risk of ignition of neighboring storage facilities. One of the means of reducing the risk of ignition is the use of protective screens, gabions at industrial sites. For practice, it is important to determine in advance the stability of such structures under the influence of a heat wave and to assess the "contribution" of these structures to reducing the air temperature near neighboring oil storage facilities. Reducing the air temperature near neighboring storage facilities increases the stability of bulk structures. Solving this class of problems requires the use of specialized mathematical models of aerodynamics and heat transfer. The purpose of the article. Creation of a CFD model for assessing thermal fields at an industrial site in the event of a fire and development of numerical models for predicting dust pollution of the air environment. Methodology. To simulate thermal fields at an industrial site, a potential flow and heat transfer model is used. To simulate the heating of a protective structure (shield), a one-dimensional heat conduction equation is used. Numerical integration of the modeling equations is carried out using explicit schemes. A mass transfer equation is used to model dust air pollution. Scientific novelty. Two numerical models are proposed for a comprehensive solution to the problem of determining the temperature field at an industrial site and inside a protective structure (screen) used to reduce the thermal load on a neighboring oil storage facility. Proposed numerical models for the analysis of dust air pollution. Practical significance. The implementation of the developed numerical models is implemented in real time. With the practical implementation of numerical models, almost all information regarding thermal fields formed on an industrial site during a fire can be obtained. This information allows you to identify areas with an intense increase in temperature, i.e. areas with a significant risk of injury to workers. Conclusions. Effective numerical models are proposed for solving complex problems in the event of a fire at an industrial site and in case of dust emission. The models make it possible to assess the level of thermal pollution of atmospheric air at the site and the effectiveness of using a protective screen to reduce the air temperature near a neighboring storage facility.

Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) provides many critical ecosystem services, yet we lack basic information on SAV assemblages, biomass and diversity across expansive coasts such as the northern Gulf of Mexico (nGoM). This research investigated SAV along the nGoM from 2013-2015 examining (1) inter-annual variation in SAV assemblages and biomass across salinity zones and gulf coast eco-regions (Texas Mid-Coast, Texas/LA Chenier Plain, Louisiana Delta, MS/AL), (2) intra-annual variation in SAV assemblages and biomass across salinity zones, (3) response of two species, Ruppia maritima and Myriophyllum spicatum, to salinity and light regimes, and (4) estimated organic carbon stock and storage of SAV habitat soils across salinity zones. Coast wide, there was no variation among years, but significant differences in biomass and diversity within zones and regions were observed. Specifically, fresh zones and the Louisiana delta region had higher species diversity and contained more biomass than other zones and regions. Intra-annually, there were significant differences in SAV biomass and assemblages by salinity zone and month. Fresh/ intermediate zones contained more species and biomass than brackish/saline zones, and biomass was higher in summer months than winter months. Competitive relationships between co-occurring species were examined using M. spicatum and R. maritima growth response, under different salinity and light regimes. M. spicatum growth decreased with increasing salinity, while R. maritima growth was not impacted. R. maritima was also not impacted by light, while M. spicatum growth increased in high light. We observed strong competitive interactions; both species decreased in mixture and under no conditions was production in mixtures greater than monocultures. We estimated organic carbon stocks (Corg) within Mississippi River Delta Plain (MRDP) SAV habitat, out to the Chandeleur Islands, and found that MRDP SAV Corg did not differ across salinity zones, but was greater than Chandeleur SAV Corg. MRDP SAV habitat (159,609 ha) contains greater than 3.2 * 107 Mg of Corg, representing an unaccounted for reservoir of “blue carbon,” particularly when extrapolated across the Gulf Coast. These new data provide a better understanding of factors controlling SAV spatial distribution, temporal variation and ecosystem services, which helps managers prepare for coastal changes.

Evaluations of the feasibility of oil storage in depleted petroleum reservoirs through experimental modelling studies

Problem statement. The task of assessing the risk of damage to an oil storage facility by debris in the event of a drone explosion is considered. An analysis of the debris movement velocity and the effectiveness of the use of a protective barrier to stop the debris movement in the direction of the oil storage facility is carried out. The purpose of the article. Assessment of the risk of damage to the oil storage wall and the effectiveness of the use of a protective barrier against the throwing action of debris during a drone explosion. Methodology. A numerical model based on the integration of the equation of a material point motion and an empirical model is used to analyze the risk of damage to an oil storage facility when the debris of a drone flies off. The developed numerical model takes into account the initial velocity and size of the debris, the direction of the debris movement, and the height of the debris ejection. On the basis of this numerical model, a computer code was created for conducting a computational experiment. Scientific novelty. An effective mathematical model is developed for analyzing the risk of damage to an oil storage facility from the throwing action of debris generated by a drone explosion. The model makes it possible to determine the effectiveness of using an obstacle to protect an oil storage facility from the throwing action of debris. Practical value. A computer code is developed for calculating the dynamics of the debris movement in the air, which are formed during the explosion of a drone. The use of this code makes it possible to select the rational dimensions of the protective barrier at the industrial site to protect the oil storage from damage. Conclusions. An effective tool for analyzing the risk of damage to an oil storage facility from the throwing action of debris created by a drone explosion is developed. The results of computational experiments are presented.

Risk Assessment and Online Forewarning of Oil & Gas Storage and Transportation Facilities Based on Data Mining

The extensive exploration and development of shallow water oil fields on the continental shelf require the search for new sources of hydrocarbon reserves and movement towards the deep-water or Arctic areas. Today, the development of technologies enables oil production in complex conditions of the Arctic and deep-water shelf. Such production, however, is associated with high technological and environmental risks, which necessitates the development of innovative technologies and means to mitigate environmental risks. One of the solutions is the application of underwater oil storage facilities that have gained popularity abroad. The article provides an analysis of the existing designs of underwater tanks. The main factors affecting the selection of appropriate mass and dimensional parameters for underwater storage facilities are listed, including operational conditions, stability and strength, the technology of tank and membrane manufacturing, transportation and installation on the seabed, safety and environmental requirements, and economic factors. The calculations of mass and overall dimensions of the considered structures help to determine preferable capacities and evaluate the impact of flexible membranes on the mass and dimensional characteristics of oil storage tanks. Studies have shown that using membranes reduces the wall thickness, overall dimensions, and mass of the structure. The main factors contributing to accidents during the operation of subsea oil storage facilities have been identified, along with safety barriers aimed to mitigate the negative impact on the flora and fauna of the surrounding water area. Further investigation of the issue of wax deposition in underwater tanks that occurs when the temperature of crude oil drops due to heat loss in the surrounding seawater is planned. The deposited wax can either remain in the crude oil or settle as a layer adhering to the internal walls of the tank.