Release Of Hydrocarbons Research Articles

Палеоврезы и газовые зоны плиоцен-четвертичных отложений на площадке инженерно-геологических изысканий на шельфе острова Сахалин

The engineering and geophysical studies are carried out before installation of a drilling platform and construction of engineering structures in the water areas in order to identify and map geological hazards, including the anomalous gas zones, from which involuntary release of hydrocarbons is possible, when the drill string passes through in the upper part of the geological section. The paper presents the results of expeditionary studies carried out at the site of engineering and geological surveys using continuous seismoacoustic profiling. The site is in the Sea of Okhotsk at the northeastern shelf of Sakhalin Island and adjoins Nogliksky district of the Sakhalin Region. Two seismoacoustic complexes were identified according to the data of continuous seismoacoustic profiling in the section of the study area, which differ from each other in the nature of the wave pattern. Gas zones and paleo-incisions were found in the bottom part of the section. The identified geological hazards are mapped and must be taken into account during further drilling of wells and construction of engineering structures.

Organic petrology and geochemistry of the Sunbury and Ohio Shales in eastern Kentucky and southeastern Ohio

As part of a study to determine the origin of oil and gas in the Berea Sandstone in northeastern Kentucky and southeastern Ohio, 158 samples of organic-rich shale from the Upper Devonian Olentangy and Ohio Shales and the Lower Mississippian Sunbury Shale, collectively referred to as the “black shale,” were collected and analyzed from 12 cores. The samples were analyzed for total organic carbon (TOC) content, organic petrography, and programmed pyrolysis. Previously acquired analytical data for 11 samples from 2 additional wells in eastern Kentucky were also used. Most of the samples were organic rich (>5 wt. % TOC), high in sulfur (>2.0 wt. %), and dominated by liptinite macerals. The vitrinite reflectance (VRo) and equivalent vitrinite reflectance (VReq) values, calculated from bitumen reflectance (BRo) measurements, were found to be in close agreement. The calculated reflectance values from programmed pyrolysis temperature at which the maximum release of hydrocarbons occurs (Tmax) showed better agreement with measured VRo after Tmax was corrected for excessive hydrogen index values for several samples. Thermal maturation parameters were found to increase in a northwest–southeast direction, paralleling an increase in black shale thickness and depth of burial. The thermal maturity proxies indicate the northwestern part of the study area to be more thermally mature than previously indicated. Geochemical and biomarker data from Berea oils indicate migration of oil from more thermally mature to less thermally mature areas. As such, the occurrence of petroleum liquids in the Berea Sandstone cannot be predicted directly from conventional thermal maturity proxies (Tmax, VRo, and BRo) because these methods do not account for migrated petroleum.

Arsenic release to the environment from hydrocarbon production, storage, transportation, use and waste management

Arsenic (As) is a toxic trace element with many sources, including hydrocarbons such as oil, natural gas, oil sands, and oil- and gas-bearing shales. Arsenic from these hydrocarbon sources can be released to the environment through human activities of hydrocarbon production, storage, transportation and use. In addition, accidental release of hydrocarbons to aquifers with naturally occurring (geogenic) As can induce mobilization of As to groundwater through biogeochemical reactions triggered by hydrocarbon biodegradation. In this paper, we review the occurrence of As in different hydrocarbons and the release of As from these sources into the environment. We also examine the occurrence of As in wastes from hydrocarbon production, including produced water and sludge. Last, we discuss the potential for As release related to waste management, including accidental or intentional releases, and recycling and reuse of these wastes.

Coupled multiscale-modeling of microwave-heating-induced fracturing in shales

Microwave heating may be used to stimulate fracture formation and the release of hydrocarbons in gas shales. Although extensively studied experimentally and numerically, the microscopic observations are not fully explained in current work where the heating, at sample-scale, and fracturing, at the mineral-scale, are represented independently. Furthermore, the geometry, structure and mechanical interaction of different minerals are not fully considered in current approaches. We present a novel simulation approach to investigate the coupled electromagnetic-heating-stress-damage process. Microwave heating is simulated at sample-scale and the resulting stress-damage response is examined at micro-scale where minerals with contrasting thermo-mechanical characteristics are stacked as lamellae, instead of nested internally as in previous representations. A three-stage temperature evolution profile is observed in the shale samples – although some stages may be absent in other rocks. The mathematical model accounts for the three modes of stress generated between minerals: horizontal stress (σh) (tensile stress parallel to the grain-grain interface) and the normal stress(σn) (tensile stress normal to the grain-grain interface) applied on the minerals, and the shear stress (τ) applied on the interface between different minerals. The minerals comprising the shale matrix are categorized into three types – ‘high’, ‘intermediate’ and ‘low’ – conversion efficiency based on their susceptibility to thermal stressing from microwave irradiation. Shear damage and intergranular fracture usually occurs for minerals with high dielectric permittivity. Transgranular fracture may feature both in high permittivity minerals, due to the larger induced horizontal stress (σh), and in low permittivity minerals - due to high volume fraction and larger size. The simulation approach is a powerful way to link the macro-scale characterization and heating to micro-mechanisms of rock failure. Also this work provides mineral classification and criteria to define a priori evaluation of the effectiveness of microwave treatment of shales and other mineral aggregates.

Insights into pyrolysis of torrefied-biomass, plastics/tire and blends: Thermochemical behaviors, kinetics and evolved gas analyses

The pyrolysis behaviors, the kinetics of the synergistic effects, the functional groups during the co-pyrolysis of torrefied-biomass (TBG) with a tire, and different plastics such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE), ethyl vinyl acetate (EVA), polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP) were analyzed by TG-FTIR. The TG-DTG curves revealed thermal stability due to torrefaction treatment and blending. The most potential reaction mechanisms associated with the first stage for both pure and blend samples were first-order reaction and one-dimensional diffusion mechanisms, while the second stage was mostly governed by second and third-order reaction mechanisms. The interactions between TBG-plastics/tire were obvious at temperatures of 290–540 °C, according to the variation of weight loss (ΔW) values. The highest degree of synergy was observed with the TBG/PS blend, while the TBG/tire mixture being the least synergistic. The FTIR spectra indicated that hydrocarbons compounds, CO2, CO, H2O, CH4, NH3, acid, aldehydes and C=O, C-O, O-H, C-H, C-C, N-H, HCN were the main gaseous products and functional groups detected by the FTIR. The HDPE, EVA, and PP generated mainly alkanes and alkenes. While the PS depolymerized into styrene monomers. The tire mainly disintegrated into olefins and alkanes. The effect of co-pyrolysis of TBG, tire, and different plastics on species produced is noticeable on pyrolysis characteristics, kinetics, gaseous products, and functional groups. Thus, H2O, acid, ketone, and aldehydes were suppressed. Generally, the co-pyrolysis of plastic/tire with TBG can reduce the oxygen-containing compounds in the gaseous species and can improve the release of hydrocarbons.

The effects of adsorptive materials on microbial community composition and PAH degradation at the sediment cap–water interface

Capping with layers of inert or adsorptive materials is used to control the release of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in sediment but little is known about microbial degradation processes in these materials. A rich native microbial community inhabits the sediment bed, and capping media can influence enrichment and biodegradation activity of benthic microorganisms. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of capping media (sand, organoclay, and powdered activated carbon [PAC]) on microbial communities under oxic conditions typical of the cap–water interface, where naphthalene degradation (model PAH) is likely to be maximized. Bench scale experiments compared naphthalene concentrations, nahAc biomarker abundance, microbial community composition, and cellular attachment in systems amended with adsorptive and non-adsorptive capping materials. Results indicate that activated carbon promoted and enhanced bioactivity; PAC treatments showed high biodegradation rates, nahAc biomarker levels, and attached biological growth consistent with enrichment of the PAH-degrading genus Pseudomonae. In contrast, sand did not enhance biological activity compared to media-free systems. Naphthalene strongly influenced microbial community composition at the species level in all treatments except organoclay, which promoted biological signatures commonly associated with impeding degradation activity. Data overall suggest that adsorptive capping materials can both promote (PAC) and inhibit (organoclay) bioactivity in the surficial layer of caps, indicating that media selection is critical to the design of bioactive capping systems.

Capillary trapping induced slow evaporation in nanochannels

Unconventional reservoirs are massive and providing an increasing share of global energy with a broad group of stakeholders in academia, industry and government. The size of pores in unconventional reservoirs can be down to nanometers, necessitating a deeper fundamental understanding of fluid phase properties at nanoscale. In this paper, we investigate capillary trapping induced slow evaporation of n-pentane in nanochannel arrays through isothermal pressure drawdown to mimic the hydrocarbon release in nanopores of low-permeability reservoirs. Importantly, the capillary trapping forms during a slow reservoir pressure reduction process and significantly impedes liquid evaporation. Compared to the evaporation case without any capillary trapping, the global evaporation rate is ~16 times lower, which unfavorably affects gas recovery. In addition, we observe liquid corner flow in assisting evaporation in nanochannel, providing important experimental evidence towards previous theoretical study. In brief, our work reveals a type of anomalous evaporation at nanoscale that is fundamentally relevant to shale gas recovery. The experimental and modeling finding indicates that regulating pressure drawdown at an appropriate rate plays a key role in efficiently extracting shale gas.

Injection of H2-rich carbonaceous materials into the blast furnace: devolatilization, gasification and combustion characteristics and effect of increased H2–H2O on iron ore pellets reducibility

Increasing the share of hydrogen in reduction of iron oxide in the blast furnace iron making will directly reduce the share of blast furnace greenhouse gas emissions. In the present study, injection of H2-rich biomass and plastic materials was studied in terms of its devolatilization, gasification and combustion characteristics. The released gases were identified using mass spectroscopy attached to a thermogravimetric analyzer and the corresponding kinetics parameters were estimated.The devolatilization was found to occur through two or more steps. The first step is always associated with the release of CO2, CO, H2, H2O and hydrocarbons while only CO and H2 were detected during the later steps. Combustion and gasification starting temperatures of char of H2-rich carbonaceous materials were lower than that of pulverized coal char by ≥ 100 °C. The estimated activation energies suggested that, under the present conditions, devolatilization, gasification and combustion were chemically controlled. Carbon reactivity of the char of the studied H2-rich carbonaceous materials were higher than that of pulverized coal. Moreover, increased H2–H2O content in the blast furnace gas, due to injected H2-rich carbonaceous materials, was found to improve the iron ore pellets reduction kinetics.

Determination of permeability for hydrocarbon release due to excavation-induced stress redistribution in rock salt

Due to a stress redistribution after the excavation of an underground tunnel for radioactive waste disposal, an Ed/DZ (excavation disturbed/damaged zone) will be generated in the near field of the opening, resulting in significant changes in the hydraulic and mechanical properties of the rock mass in the zone. Initially more or less randomly distributed hydrocarbons at grain boundaries in rock salt, which sometimes can only be observed with ultraviolet light, can then be mobilised and migrate at a potentially significant rate towards the excavation.Within the international cooperative project DECOVALEX 2019, the migration mechanism of such fluid inclusions in rock salt is being studied intensively. A multi-scale modelling strategy has been developed. A macroscale coupled hydro-mechanical modelling of an underground excavation was performed to determine hydraulic and time-dependent deviatoric stress conditions, by taking into account the rock salt creep behaviour. Under the obtained macro-scale constraints, micro-scale modelling of a pathway dilation along halite grain boundaries was performed using different model strategies: a) coupled hydromechanical modelling with a consideration of hydraulic pressure-induced dilatant deformation, b) nonlinear dynamic model taking account of fluid migration, stress-dependent grain boundary wetting and shear-induced dilatancy of salt, and c) phase-field modelling of flow pathway propagation. The permeability increase resulting from the pathway dilation is estimated to be as high as two orders of magnitude. Based on the permeability determined, a series of pressure build-ups measured from a borehole with a high hydrocarbon release rate, a total of 430 build-ups within a monitoring time of 938 days, can be simulated with a macro-scale compressible flow model accounting for different zones around the opening.

Native metals and intermetallic compounds in subduction-related ultramafic rocks from the Stanovoy mobile belt (Russian Far East): Implications for redox heterogeneity in subduction zones

Plutonic associations in orogenic belts are potent indicators of multi-stage fractionation of primitive arc magmas and growth of island-arc crust under evolving redox conditions in ancient subduction zones. Ildeus-Lucha ultramafic–mafic complex (ILC) was emplaced at 232–233 Ma within the Mesozoic Stanovoy convergent margin and subsequently underwent multi-stage hydrothermal alteration and greenschist to amphibolite facies metamorphism (~140 Ma), followed by adakite and K-lamprophyre magmatism (114–117 Ma). Dunite, wehrlite, pyroxenite and gabbro in the ILC are composed of olivine, clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene, plagioclase and late-magmatic amphibole. Mineral compositions in the ILC are typical of island-arc plutonic complexes characterized by early crystallization of orthopyroxene, plagioclase intercumulus and presence of magmatic amphibole. Ultramafic-mafic rocks display high-field strength (HFS) element depletions coupled with large-ion lithophile (LIL) element enrichments, indicating formation via crystal fractionation of mafic primary magma derived from a subduction-related mantle source. Some ultramafic rocks from the ILC contain native metals (W, Pt, Au, Ag, Zn, Bi) and intermetallic compounds (Cu-Au-Ag, Pt-Rh-Pd, Cu-Sn-Zn, etc.) included in silicate minerals, or observed as discrete phases in the finer-grained silicate-oxide-sulfide matrix. Textural evidence and association with either primary (magmatic) or secondary (metasomatic or metamorphic) mineral phases, suggest either magmatic (high-temperature) or metasomatic (low-temperature) origin of metals and metallic compounds. The following models of their formation can be proposed on the basis of the presented data: a) crystallization (W and, possibly, Pt) from metal-rich arc magmas under unusually reduced conditions in subduction-related lithosphere; b) formation from magmatic sulfides during pervasive serpentinization and release of abiogenic hydrocarbons and c) precipitation from chlorine-rich, saline aqueous fluids associated with collision-related metasomatism of the Stanovoy island arc crust.

Trends in causes of offshore releases by severity classification

The Hydrocarbon Release Database (HCRD) contains data on loss of containment events in the UK sector of the North Sea. The data shows a decrease in the annual number of releases. A study was carried out to determine whether statistically significant trends are apparent when categorizing releases by severity and specific cause. It was investigated whether the relative contribution of some causes as compared to all releases, had changed over time.The main conclusion is that over the analysed period (1993–2014), the relative contribution of “Procedures” as a cause for release has decreased with statistical significance. “Design” improvements seem to lead to a reduction in releases too. Finally, “Equipment” was improving at the slowest rate, if at all, until 2005. Since then, it appears to improve as well. These findings are robust, at least for the total set of data, and the releases of Significant severity. For releases of Major severity, the number of incidents is too small to justify any conclusion on trends.The conclusions suggest that over the analysed period improvements in offshore safety have been mainly driven by improvements in management, covering elements like procedures, competence and compliance.

Analysis of Green Fuel for Diesel Engine

We are One of the inconsumable oils that could be used to produce green fuel is Tamanu oil. It is derived from Tamanu green plant seeds. This research describes about the features, analysis that have been performed by an empirical study on using Tamanu oil as a raw material to generate green fuel in diesel engine. The green fuel Tamanu Methyl Ester Tamanu100 and its blends Tamanu30 and Tamanu60 are used in engine to test the efficiency of the fuel. The characteristics of the engine that are impacted such as brake thermal efficiency, brake specific energy consumption, unburned hydrocarbon, carbon monoxide, and release of NOX have been measured using Tamanu100 green fuel and the output of the tests have been contrasted with conventional fuel. It is noted that the green fuel resulted in trivial reduction in brake thermal efficiency. Release of hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide has lessened on using green fuel with substantial release of oxides of nitrogen. Also, the ignition characteristics such as cylinder gas pressure, ignition delay period have been detailed. The output from the experiments has been contrasted with conventional diesel fuel by applying various load conditions.

Acidification-Induced Distribution of Organo-Mineral Aggregates and Release of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Red Soil from Central South China

Acid rain (AR) has become an important environmental problem in southern China. In addition, the pollution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soils is increasingly drawing people's atten...

Managing Pressure To Mitigate Environmental Impact

Managed-pressure drilling (MPD) as the simple but effective principle that by managing downhole pressures, critical performance indicators such as risk, safety, efficiency, and cost are also controlled. As the energy world works to balance supply, demand, and the environment, efficient solutions such as MPD can help drive the promise of a compatible relationship. Globally, MPD is increasingly seen as an option to move drilling toward a “green” future. Beyond putting in place an adaptive drilling process to precisely control the annular-pressure profile throughout the well, MPD has consistently shown it can support green credentials for the wells where the application is utilized. This article discusses real-world examples of the less often considered but valuable environmental benefits delivered via MPD which include the following. Lowering the risk of spillage and blowouts Reducing mud chemicals; increasing use of simpler drilling fluids Optimizing drilling operations by reducing nonproductive time (NPT) from geopressure-related events and enabling a reduction of drilling carbon footprint through earlier achievement of well objectives Consuming fewer materials (casing, etc.) through streamlined well architecture These MPD benefits are well documented in the technical literature of the industry. In fact, a basic search for the exact phrase “managed pressure drilling” in OnePetro, the online library of technical literature for the oil and gas industry, shows 1,775 results. A majority of these papers was written in the past 10 years with each year averaging more than 100 technical papers and the average over the past 5 years increasing to 150 papers per year. The numbers tell the story of the growing technical interest in MPD technology which has been sustained even through the recent economic downturns. A further search of these MPD papers shows that 1,117 (63%) papers mention “safety,” 849 (48%) mention “efficiency,” and 47 (3%) specifically mention “environmental impact.” With the recent interest in green and environmentally friendly technologies, there is a need to highlight that the safety and efficiency benefits MPD applications already provide are also reducing environmental impact. Generally speaking, choosing MPD vs. conventional drilling methods is a step toward carbon neutrality. The following case studies showcase the improvements MPD has provided in land, shallow-water, and deepwater applications as seen from the perspective of environmental-impact mitigation. Mitigating Environmental Impact For land rigs, particularly in the US, where the majority have for decades now constantly deployed rotating control devices (RCD) that enable operations involving MPD and underbalanced drilling (UBD) methods, RCD technologies have consistently proven to reduce the risk of spillage and blowouts. Studies have shown that the use of a fit-for-purpose RCD has been statistically proven to “reduce the risk of a well-control event when drilling with an essentially incompressible fluid and not inviting the well to flow in the process,” underscoring the safety and environmental benefits of MPD in terms of minimizing unintentional hydrocarbon release.

The effect of minute chronic release of hydrocarbon on soils of communities in proximity to oil fields

Objective: The study documents the effects of hydrocarbon exploitation (without major oil spills) on soils of a rural community, 5 Km from an E &P(exploration & production) site. Method/Statistical analysis: By 3 composite drill cuttings, 6 agricultural soil samples obtained from Oben oil field or oil mining lease 4 (OML 4) and Oben village, Nigeria were microbiologically examined. Water and crude oil samples were subjected to physical, chemical, and microbiological examinations. Pearson and Rosenberg model (1978) was used to describe changes in species richness and abundance from 2018– 2008. The 2008 environmental impact assessment report (EIA) was the environmental baseline. Finding: Significant changes in microbe diversity and population was noticed from 2008 to 2018 although no oil spills occurred. Total heterotrophic bacterial count (TBC) revealed greater diversity in 2008 than in 2018. The average TBC for soil samples from rural community and E&P site were 7.00.30 x 106 cfu/g, and 2.23 0.15102 cfu/g, respectively, in contrast to 6.60 x 10 9 cfu/g in 2008. Percentages of hydrocarbon utilizing microbes increased; indicative of a more favorable environment. Chi-square test (chi-square critical value = 9.49 & p-value= 0.05) used to compare observed population data with the expected; showed changes were not random chance but due to E &P activities. The prevailing regulatory approach was incapable of capturing fundamental issues of contemporary continuous, routine release of contaminants. Need to understand the subtle and pernicious effect of E&P operations on neighboring communities. Environmental laws should be reexamined. Applications: Microbes can be used to monitor minute, chronic release of hydrocarbon, inexpensively. They are “markers” in environmental changes even before major pollution, contamination, spillage or devastation occurs. Keywords: Acute contaminants on soils; contamination in nearby communities; oil field’s contaminants; contamination by proximity; chronic pollutants

Experimental investigation on performance and emission characteristics of CI engine fuelled with linseed oil and Ethyl-Tert-Butyl-Ether (ETBE) as additive

Increment in vitality exaction, serious outflow gauges, and consumption of the oil resources prompted chase for elective powers for traditional CI Engines. The examination prompts the exhibition and outflow attributes of CI engine fuelled with linseed oil and diesel is blended inside the mixing proportion B20, B40, B60, B80 with 5% ETBE. The Examination was controlled inside the four stroke single chamber diesel by changing the heap from 20% to 80%. The outcomes delineate that expansion of linseed oil increases the Brake thermal efficiency (BTE) with decrease in Brake Specific Fuel consumption (BSFC) and Temperature of Fumes Gas. Higher concentration of linseed oil within the blends also reduces the emission parameter but with an increment in the Hydro Carbon discharge. The expansion of ETBE in mix with diesel fuel has comparative impact thereto of expansion of unadulterated linseed oil in shifting extents, that increases the brake thermal efficiency with decrease in specific fuel utilization and fumes gas temperature, the impact on the emission characteristics by expansion of lamp oil brings about a lower CO, CO2, NOx and Smoke with an increase inside the HC discharge. The powerful blending of linseed oil and diesel yield agreeable outcome on the ignition qualities at lower load which shows signs of improvement on increasing the heap.

Variability of a natural hydrocarbon seep and its connection to the ocean surface

Natural hydrocarbon seeps are ubiquitous along continental margins. Despite their significance, we lack a basic understanding of the long-term temporal variability of seep dynamics, including bubble size, rise velocity, composition, and upwelling and entrainment processes. The shortcoming makes it difficult to constrain the global estimates of oil and gas entering the marine environment. Here we report on a multi-method approach based on optical, acoustic, satellite remote sensing, and simulations, to connect the characteristics of a hydrocarbon seep in the Gulf of Mexico to its footprint on the sea surface. Using an in-situ camera, bubble dynamics at the source were measured every 6 h over 153 days and the integrated total hydrocarbon release volume was estimated as 53 m3. The vertical velocity was acoustically measured at 20 m above bed (mab) and found to be approximately 40% less than the dispersed-phase at the source, indicating that the measured values are reflecting the plume continuous-phase flow. Numerical simulations predict that the oily bubbles with diameters larger than 8 mm reach the surface with a small footprint, i.e. forming an oil slick origin, deflection of which with wind and surface current leads to the formation of an oil slick on the surface. Nineteen SAR images are used to estimate the oil seepage rate from GC600 for 2017 giving an average discharge of 14.4 cm3/s.

Probabilistic risk assessment of offshore installation hydrocarbon releases leading to fire and explosion, incorporating system and human reliability analysis

Human support and the inevitable interaction necessarily play a major part in daily production and maintenance activities on offshore platforms, thereby immensely affecting the performance of workers owing to the harsh working environment. Unsurprisingly, 75% of fire and explosion accidents are caused by human error [1–5] and it is mostly in combination with other causes. On offshore platforms, one of the primary reasons for hydrocarbon releases is the combination of process upsets and human errors [1]. This study presents an integrated probability model that combines human and system reliabilities and utilises a Bayesian network (BN). Particularly, this research uses probability values obtained from expert opinions in fire and explosion scenarios caused by hydrocarbon release in an offshore facility. BN has the advantage of updating the probability of the nodes whenever new information, such as the probability of failure, emerges. Additionally, the criticality between a variable with its related variables can be assessed using BN. The proposed integrated approach is applied to a case study on a hydrocarbon storage tank at an offshore facility. Accordingly, three possible consequences were evaluated (i.e. probability of safe condition, hydrocarbon release and high pressure) that could lead to fire and explosion. For lower bound probability data, when human reliability is considered and integrated into system reliability, the probability of having a safe condition has significantly decreased from 98.73% to 96.68% (2% reduction). Meanwhile, the probability of having hydrocarbon release has increased from 1.21% to 3.17% (1.96% increase) and the probability of having high pressure has increased from 0.06% to 0.15% (9% increase). For the manual valve (MV) operation where human interaction is inevitable, it was observed that human reliability has a significant influence in overall system reliability in reducing the probability of a safe condition and increasing the probabilities of unsafe conditions (hydrocarbon release and high pressure) in hydrocarbon storage tank. Therefore, human reliability must be included in system reliability analysis for high risk systems as it contributes significantly to hydrocarbon release that can lead to fire and explosion at offshore facilities.

Co-pyrolysis of sewage sludge and rice husk by TG–FTIR–MS: Pyrolysis behavior, kinetics, and condensable/non-condensable gases characteristics

In this study, pyrolysis behavior, kinetics, and condensable/non-condensable gases characteristics during co-pyrolysis of sewage sludge (SS) and rice husk (RH) were evaluated using Thermogravimetric–Fourier transform infrared spectrometry–Mass spectrometry (TG–FTIR–MS). The mass loss was divided into two stages: the main devolatilization and the continuous slight decomposition of macromolecular substances. The pyrolysis behavior was improved during co-pyrolysis, and the interaction between SS and RH showed synergistic and inhibitive effects. The lowest average activation energy was obtained at 30% RH blending; the Diffusion 3D (Zhrualev–Lesokin–Tempelmen) reaction model can fit the pyrolysis process using the Coats–Redfern method. The functional groups and condensable/non-condensable gases (O-H, C=O, C-O, C-H benzene skeleton, CO, CO 2 ) were detected by FTIR, revealing the synergistic effect on the evolution of condensable/non-condensable gases in the promotion of C-O, C=O and CO 2 release in blends. The condensable and non-condensable products were detected via MS (including aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, CO 2 , NOx and SOx). The results showed that CO 2 was the main gaseous product and confirmed an enhancement of the CO 2 release during co-pyrolysis. The release of both hydrocarbons (C 2 H 6 , C 4 H 7 + , C 4 H 8 ) and pollutants (SO, SO 2 and toluene) were significantly increased when dealing with pyrolysing the feedstock blend. • Co-pyrolysis of sewage sludge and rice husk was studied by TG-FTIR-MS. • Blending rice husk improved the pyrolysis behavior of blends. • The lowest average activation energy was obtained at 30% RH blending. • Synergistic effect on the volatiles appeared during co-pyrolysis.

Microwave-assisted preparation of two-dimensional amphiphilic nanoplate herding surfactants for offshore oil spill treatment

Oil spills are the uncontrolled release of liquid hydrocarbon by ruptured pipelines and tanker hulls, or blowouts and leaks from offshore storage facilities and drilling rigs, either by faulty human behaviors or inevitable natural aging processes. Spills cause disastrous environmental and economic consequences, with the effects of marine habitat damage for lasting decades, necessitating a critical need for efficient oil spill mitigation and leakage treatment. In this study, we develop a two-dimensional (2D) amphiphilic nanoplate as the herding surfactant for retracting spilled oil offshore on the seawater surface with various temperature and saline concentrations. Applying 2D nanoplate herding surfactant causes areas of thin oil slick floating on water to largely shrink and form a thick bulk layer. This transformation lays the foundation for the next-step oil treatment and recovery. Microwave-assisted synthesis method was used to fabricate the surface-modified zirconium phosphate (ZrP) nanoplates as the oil herder, which has an amphiphilic characteristic, containing both hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties. The 2D nanoplate surfactants decrease the air-water surface tension to facilitate the oil herding process efficiently. Using this herding procedure, we propose a biocompatible, high herding efficiency and cost-effective 2D herding surfactant fabrication method and offer a new direction for oil treatment in the offshore process safety field.