Assessment of Effluent Recycling Process and Drilling Waste Management Procedure in Some Niger Delta States

Abstract

The assessment of effluent recycling process and drilling waste management procedure in some Niger Delta States in Nigeria to identify ways to minimize cost in oil production, have been investigated. Niger Delta States are located in southern part of Nigeria, which are known to be the highest in crude oil production in Nigeria, however, the process of exploration and extracting of the oil also affects the ecosystem of that particular area. A comparative design was taken, which analysed various indices in the conventional methods of drilling waste management applied in a site in Edo State northern part of Nigeria, and comparing it to some modified methods employed in the wellhole locations in Imo State. The research was conducted in a wellhole site located in Ohaji Imo state, southern part of Nigeria, afterward, a correlation was drawn between the volume of generated waste and the drilling waste management, in order to develop a cost-effective model of waste management in the region. From the result obtained from the quantitative measures taken at the four drilling sites in Edo and Imo States, a significant reduction in waste volume of about 50% was observed, which therefore minimized the cost of drilling observed in Ohaji site, maybe as a result of the enhanced drilling design layouts using the effluent recycling method adopted in that location. The study therefore recommends the adoption of effluent recycling as a technique to be incorporated in the management of drilling waste during onshore petroleum development in the Niger Delta, among others, which would improve productivity.