Oil Industry Activities Research Articles

Structural and Geodynamic Ideas on the Galati-Izvoarele Seismic-Prone Area (Eastern Romania)

The Galati-Izvoarele region, located in eastern Romania, came into the public attention relatively recent, when hosted an unusual intense earthquake sequence. During September–November 2013, several hundred shallow crust earthquakes were recorded in the area. There were several attempts to explain the phenomenon, and hypotheses more or less documented have been formed. Some speculations occurred on the potential connection between the seismic swarm and oil industry activities. The paper summarizes the results of local geophysical surveys conducted in the area, jointly analysed with the observed seismicity. The main results of the study reveal the Galati-Izvoarele region as a seismic-active area belonging to the northwest prolongation of North Dobrogea mobile zone. The earthquakes were generated mainly in a highly fragmented local graben-like structure, transversally superposed on the descending slope of the North Dobrogea Promontory. The graben fault system was and might be (re)activated each time when tectonic forces acting in the Carpathians foreland intensify. Changes in the intensity of tectonic forces may reflect in the slip acceleration along Peceneaga–Camena Fault, as observed at the Baspunar Geodynamic Observatory. For example, the paroxysmal phase of the Galati-Izvoarele swarm was shortly preceded by a significant increase of the Peceneaga–Camena Fault slip rate recorded at Baspunar Geodynamic Observatory. To conclude, the Galati-Izvoarele region must be seen as a seismic-prone area and any significant increase of the tectonic stress in the Carpathians foreland may generate another seismic sequence in an unpredictable future.

Predicted and measured acute toxicity and developmental abnormalities in zebrafish embryos produced by exposure to individual aromatic acids

Petroleum acids, often called ‘Naphthenic Acids’ (NA), enter the environment in complex mixtures from numerous sources. These include from Produced and Process-Affected waters discharged from some oil industry activities, and from the environmental weathering of spilled crude oil hydrocarbons. Here, we test the hypothesis that individual NA within the complex mixtures can induce developmental abnormalities in fish, by screening a range of individual acids, with known chemical structures.Sixteen aromatic NA were tested using a Thamnocephalus platyrus (beavertail fairyshrimp) assay, to establish acute toxicity. Toxicities ranged from 568 to 8 μM, with the methylbiphenyl acid, 4-(p-tolyl)benzoic acid, most toxic.Next, five of the most toxic monoacids and for comparison, a diacid, were assayed using Danio rerio (zebrafish) embryos to test for lethality and developmental abnormalities. The toxicities were also predicted using Admet predictor™ software. Exposure to the five monoacids produced deformities in zebrafish embryos in a dose-dependent manner. Thus, exposure to 4-(p-tolyl)benzoic acid produced abnormalities in >90% of the embryos at concentrations of <1 μM; exposure to dehydroabietic acid caused pericardial edema and stunted growth in 100% of the embryos at 6 μM and exposure to pyrene-1-carboxylic acid caused 80% of embryos to be affected at 3 μM.The findings of this preliminary study therefore suggest that some aromatic acids are targets for more detailed mechanistic studies of mode of action. The results should help to focus on those NA which may be important for monitoring in oil industry wastewaters and polluted environmental samples.

Triple-Zone Intelligent Completions Aid Extended Well Tests of Exploratory Wells

This article, written by Special Publications Editor Adam Wilson, contains highlights of paper OTC 28103, “Intelligent Completions Used During Extended Well Test of Exploratory Wells in Brazil,” by L. Costa, D. Rodrigues, R. da Silva, I. Souza, and M.A. Fernandes, Halliburton, prepared for the 2017 Offshore Technology Conference Brasil, Rio de Janeiro, 24–26 October. The paper has not been peer reviewed. Copyright 2017 Offshore Technology Conference. Reproduced by permission. This paper describes an extended-well-test campaign using intelligent completions in a presalt reservoir. To understand reservoir behavior during production better, several options were analyzed for the first extended well test. Drilling wells provides valuable rock and formation knowledge; however, this information is not sufficient to simulate formation-flow behavior during the field life cycle and reduce production uncertainties. A triple-zone intelligent completion was envisioned as the optimal solution to understand how each interval would behave under production or injection. Introduction Presalt represents an important driver of the oil industry in Brazil because it is responsible for a large percentage of the total oil being produced in the country. In 2010, the discovery of a new and gigantic field (estimated at 8 billion bbl) increased the importance of the presalt polygon for the region, and it was considered a watershed in terms of the country’s economy, intensifying oil-industry activities at the time. The field, in the Santos Basin, is approximately 140 miles offshore Rio de Janeiro (Fig. 1). According to Brazil’s National Agency of Petroleum, available field resources can vary from 8 billion to 12 billion bbl, while the production per day can reach up to 1.4 million bbl. With these significant numbers, field exploration and production became the focus of a main operator in Brazil. Well Testing: An Important Step Before Production Understanding the reservoir is fundamental to improving recovery and production performance. Poor decisions regarding this information can affect the final result directly. Some of the information necessary to understand a reservoir is obtained during the drilling and evaluation of wells. However, well testing escalates reservoir analysis to a higher level in terms of details. The more accurately data are acquired during the exploratory phase of the field, the better the reservoir models can be, resulting in optimal completion plans. During this particular project, the operator decided to perform extended well testing in three exploration wells, an injector and two producers. This strategy was implemented successfully by the operator in previous deepwater reservoirs. Extended well testing provided key information for field development in those reservoirs, and it came to be considered essential for similar future projects. The primary difference between those extended well tests and the one discussed in this paper is the use of intelligent-completion equipment installed in each well. The equipment allows the operator to evaluate each zone with detailed data provided in real time.

First Characterization of PAH-degrading bacteria from Río de la Plata and high-resolution melting: an encouraging step toward bioremediation

ABSTRACTThe Río de la Plata, one of the most important estuarine environments in South America that sustains valuable fisheries, is affected by PAH contamination associated with oil industry and port activities. A total of 95 bacteria with potential to degrade phenanthrene were obtained from water samples using traditional culture methods. PCR-RFLP analysis of 16S rDNA partial fragments was used as a screening tool for reducing the number of isolates during diversity studies, obtaining 42 strains with different fingerprint patterns. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that they were affiliated to 19 different genera of Gamma- and Alpha-Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria. Some of them showed an efficient phenanthrene degradation by HPLC (between 83% and 97%) and surfactant production (between 40% and 55%). They could be an alternative for microbial selection in the degradation of PAHs in this estuarine system. In order to detect and monitor PAH-degrading bacteria in this highly productive area, rDNA amplicons of the 33 isolates, produced by PCR real time, were tested by the high-resolution melting (HRM) technique. After analyzing the generated melting curves, it was possible to accurately distinguish nine patterns corresponding to eight different genera. HRM analysis allowed a differentiation at the species level for genera Pseudomonas, Halomonas and Vibrio. The implementation of this method as a fast and sensitive scanning approach to identify PAH-degrading bacteria, avoiding the sequencing step, would mean an advance in bioremediation technologies.

Concentrations of selected radionuclides and their spatial distribution in marine sediments from the northwestern Gulf, Kuwait

This study focuses on creating a baseline for 40K, 210Pb, 137Cs, 90Sr, 226Ra, 228Ra, 238U, 235U, 234U, 239+240Pu and 238Pu in marine sediments in the northwestern Gulf. The respective measured concentration ranges were 386–489, 32.3–48.8, 1.5–2.9, 4.53–5.42, 18.3–23.1, 18.8–23.0, 22.3–30.5, 0.99–1.33, 25.6–34.8, 0.30–0.93, and 0.0008–0.00018Bqkg−1. The levels of these radionuclides are generally comparable to values reported for other marine waters in the northern hemisphere. The 137Cs activity in the Gulf sediments offshore Kuwait is an order of magnitude lower compared to sediments from northeastern Iran. Other than that finding, no hot spots were observed in sediments adjacent to power and desalination plants, oil and gas industrial activities or wastewater treatment facilities. These data will serve as a baseline to gauge possible future inputs of radionuclides in the northern Gulf. The calculated average ratio of 235U/238U activity in the area is in agreement with the reported figure of the natural uranium ratio, suggesting the absence of depleted uranium (DU) at all the stations. The low concentration of 239+240Pu suggests that there is no significant source of plutonium except that from atmospheric fallout from weapon testing and possible dry deposition via long-range dust transport.

Historical trace element accumulation in marine sediments from the Tamaulipas shelf, Gulf of Mexico: An assessment of natural vs anthropogenic inputs

The Gulf of Mexico is considered one of the world's major marine ecosystems, supporting important fisheries and habitats such as barrier islands, mangrove forests, seagrass beds, coral reefs etc. It also hosts a range of complex offshore petroleum exploration, extraction, and refining industries, which may have chronic or acute impacts on ecosystem functioning. Previous work on the marine effects of this activity is geographically incomplete, and has tended to focus on direct hydrocarbon impacts, while impacts from other related contaminants (e.g. heavy metals, salt-rich drilling muds) which may be discharged from oil facilities have not been widely assessed. Here, we examine historical trace element accumulation in marine sediments collected from four sites in the Tamaulipas shelf, Gulf of Mexico, in the area of the Arenque oil field. Dated sediment cores were used to examine the sources, and historical and contemporary inputs, of trace metals (including those typically present in oil industry discharges) and their potential biological impact in the Tamaulipas aquatic environment over the last 100years. CaO (i.e. biogenic component) normalized data showed increasing V, Cr, Zn, Cu, Pb, Zr and Ba towards the sediment surface in three of the four cores, with Ba and V (based on an adverse effect index) possibly associated with adverse effects on organisms. Dated Ba/CaO profiles show an increase of 30–137% after opening of oil installations in the study area, and can be broadly correlated with increasing oil industry activities across the wider Gulf of Mexico. Data do not record however a clear enhancement of Ba concentration in sediment cores collected near to oil platforms over more distal cores, indicating that any Ba released from drilling platforms is incorporated quickly into the sediments around the drilling sites, and once this element has been deposited its rate of resuspension and mobility is low. Capsule abstractSediment core data from the Tamaulipas shelf show the influence of oil industry activities on selected trace element concentrations, with Ba/CaO broadly correlating with increasing oil industry activities across the wider Gulf of Mexico.

Geospatial assessment of vegetation status in Sagbama oilfield environment in the Niger Delta region, Nigeria

Forest ecosystems, species habitats and vegetation resources in Sagbama oilfield axis of the Niger Delta ecological zone are disproportionately stressed out by increased oil and gas industrial activities and are rapidly degrading. This study aims to achieve a conservation-driven assessment of vegetation dynamics under such human-induced disturbances, as a strategy for informing the natural resources sector policy formulation. A 26-years change detection starting from 1987 to 2013 was performed on Landsats 4TM, 7ETM and 8 OLI/TIRS datasets at 30m resolution. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the Maximum Likelihood Classifier (MLC) supervised methods of geospatial techniques in Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS) were applied on these datasets. Results indicates severe decline of healthy forests and vegetation resources as revealed by 0.23 deviation in NDVI of 0.55 (41.98%) in 1987 to 0.32 (24.43%) in 2002. Nonetheless, in 2013, a 15.76% vegetation gain was registered given an NDVI value of 0.44 (33.59%), yet, falls below the initial NDVI threshold of 0.55. Thereby, implying that rates of forest and vegetation recovery are much slower compared to rates of degradation. However, this study provides baseline statistics and other helpful information for the effective management of vegetation and natural resources in the coming years.

PENERAPAN KONSEP CONTINUOUS AUDITING: STUDI KASUS AUDIT KEPATUHAN TERHADAP PTK 007 DI SKK MIGAS

The use of information technology (IT) in the business transactions processing consequently will change the techniques from conventional to the computer-based audit techniques. SKK Migas, as an institution established to supervise and control the activities of oil and gas industry, is also required to utilize IT in carrying out the compliance audits on Governance Regulations (PTK 007). Based on the current condition, through simulation audit, it is concluded that the SKK Migas will be able to apply the concept of continuous auditing though still at the level 1 of theoritical continuous auditing framework. Thetypeof continuousaudittestingthatcanbeimplementedarevaluechaintransactiontrackingand chain transaction tracking.

Radiological impact of NORM generated by oil and gas industries in the kingdom of Bahrain

A study of the external background radiation in areas affected by NORM generated by oil and gas industrial activities has been performed in the Kingdom of Bahrain. In this framework, two experimental residential areas, Awali and Riffa Views, were selected due to the presence of extensive oil and gas exploration and transportation. Additionally, two control residential areas, Isa Town and Al-Budaiya Village, were selected as they lack any industrial activities that would disrupt the radiation profile. The radiation dose rates were measured using Colibri Very Low Dose radiation survey meter with a built-in GPS. A total of 317 dose rates with their GPS coordinates were acquired. The lowest dose rate was 0.02 μSv/h acquired in Isa Town while the highest dose rate was 0.37 μSv/h acquired in Awali. Since there were no studies performed in the Kingdom to measure the average background radiation, the average external background radiation calculated from the control areas was used in this study which is 0.75 ± 0.31 mSv/y. The measured mean annual equivalent doses above the background radiation levels in Isa Town, Al-Budaiya, Riffa Views and Awali were −0.05 ± 0.05 mSv/y, 0.04 ± 0.04 mSv/y, 0.62 ± 0.13 mSv/y and 1.32 ± 0.35 mSv/y respectively. In other words, the radiation measurements were notably higher in the experimental areas. This was particularly true in south and southwestern Awali where the annual equivalent dose in some areas reached 2.49 mSv/y above average background levels. The geological constituent of the earth crust could be one source that contribute to overall background radiation. However, presence of NORM generated by extensive oil and gas operations and transportation is stronger justification for the higher radiation readings in the experimental areas than geological characteristic factor. Such high radiation values were found only near oil and gas installations and not in other locations of the same areas.

Housing for essential service workers during an oil boom: opportunities and policy implications

This article analyzes the affordability of housing in two counties in western North Dakota, during a period of rapid economic and population growth, triggered by increased oil industry activity. The focus is on affordability issues of essential service workers—such as teachers, nurses, police officers, and local government employees—who are also the moderate-income earners in a community. Findings presented in the article shows that essential service workers face considerable housing affordability issues, because of the housing market conditions generated by the economic and population growth. Findings also show that conventional housing assistance programs are of little use to solve the affordability issues of essential service workers. The article further explores three models or mechanisms that could be used to improve the affordability of housing: a community land trust (CLT) model, a property tax exemption model, and a low-interest model. Analysis shows that the CLT model has considerable financial potential toward provision of housing that is affordable to essential service workers.

Potentially Induced Earthquakes during the Early Twentieth Century in the Los Angeles Basin

Recent studies have presented evidence that early to mid‐twentieth‐century earthquakes in Oklahoma and Texas were likely induced by fossil fuel production and/or injection of wastewater (Hough and Page, 2015; Frohlich et al. , 2016). Considering seismicity from 1935 onward, Hauksson et al. (2015) concluded that there is no evidence for significant induced activity in the greater Los Angeles region between 1935 and the present. To explore a possible association between earthquakes prior to 1935 and oil and gas production, we first revisit the historical catalog and then review contemporary oil industry activities. Although early industry activities did not induce large numbers of earthquakes, we present evidence for an association between the initial oil boom in the greater Los Angeles area and earthquakes between 1915 and 1932, including the damaging 22 June 1920 Inglewood and 8 July 1929 Whittier earthquakes. We further consider whether the 1933 M w 6.4 Long Beach earthquake might have been induced, and show some evidence that points to a causative relationship between the earthquake and activities in the Huntington Beach oil field. The hypothesis that the Long Beach earthquake was either induced or triggered by an foreshock cannot be ruled out. Our results suggest that significant earthquakes in southern California during the early twentieth century might have been associated with industry practices that are no longer employed (i.e., production without water reinjection), and do not necessarily imply a high likelihood of induced earthquakes at the present time. Online Material: Summary of background information about the Wilmington oil field, information about revisited earthquakes between 1900 and 1935, tables of felt events, and accounts of three earthquakes.

Series of Texas quakes likely triggered by oil and gas industry activity

Series of Texas quakes likely triggered by oil and gas industry activity

Tariffs Formation on oil transportation

Oil transportation via trunk pipelines is an important part of the oil industry's activity. The main instrument of tariff regulation is the method of tariffs formation. Three methods of tariffs formation such as the method of economically justified costs (the Cost plus method), the method of economically justified return on investment capital (the RAB method), and the method of tariffs indexation were considered.

Heavy metal pollution and ecological geochemistry of soil impacted by activities of oil industry in the Niger Delta, Nigeria

The aim of the study was to assess the metal pollution of the soil around two crude oil flow stations in the Niger Delta, Nigeria and perform the ecological geochemistry of soil. Soil samples were collected by systematic random sampling around the flow stations in Kokori and Kolo Creek, Niger Delta Nigeria. The concentrations of Zn, Pb, Ni, Cr and Cd in the soil were determined by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry after wet-digestion in acid mixture of HNO3 + HCl + H2O2. Mean concentration values of Zn, Pb, Ni, Cr, and Cd in the soil of both Kokori and Kolo Creek were higher in some cases by several orders of magnitude than the Control values except for Ni in Kokori and Pb in Kolo Creek. The levels of Index of geo-accumulation (I-geo) were no pollution to low pollution except Cr in Kolo Creek that indicates strong pollution. Nemerow integrated pollution index (NIPI) also indicates the soil of Kokori and Kolo Creek to be of moderate and high levels of pollution respectively with Zn majorly contributing to the pollution status in Kokori while Cr, Zn and Ni are the major pollutants in Kolo Creek. However, a different pollution pattern was observed in the single potential ecological risk assessment of metals in the soil. Cd and Cr in Kokori and Cr, Cd and Ni in Kolo Creek portend ecological risk with the following patterns; Cd = Cr > Zn = Pb = Ni and Cr > Cd = Ni > Zn = Pb respectively. Comprehensive potential ecological risk (RI) assessment indicated low potential ecological risk for Kokori and Kolo Creek; and the major contributors are Cd, Ni and Cr. Therefore, there is urgent need to remediate these metals that could pose ecological risk so that further buildup would be prevented, and avert any potential harm to ecological functioning of the areas.

Bridging IMO e-Navigation Policy and Offshore Oil and Gas Operations through Geospatial Standards

In offshore industry activities, the suitable onboard provision of assets location and geospatial marine information during operations is essential. Currently, most companies use its own data structures, resulting in incompatibility between processes. In order to promote the data exchange, oil and gas industry associations have pursued initiatives to standardize spatial information. In turn, the IMO - International Maritime Organization - started the implementation of e-Navigation policy, which is the standardization of technologies and protocols applied to maritime information and navigation. This paper shows relationship and integration points between maritime activities of oil and gas industry and e-Navigation technologies and processes, highlighting geospatial information. This paper also preludes out an initiative for a suitable product specification for the offshore oil and gas industry, compliant with e-Navigation and IHO S-100 international standards.

Natural Resources Investment of Oil and Gas and Regional Development Impact on Community Empowerment

This study was done in Bekasi district, at West Java, Indonesia, with the aims to analyze the management of upstream activities (exploration and production) of oil and gas industry and its impact on improving the quality of infrastructure, the equal benefits proportion for the corporation, local government and society, and CSR programs that would affect the community empowerment. The analysis would be calculated based on the per capita income, the number of medical personals, and the number of teachers. Based on that calculation, this study analyzed the impact of oil and gas activities to the regional development of the area under this study. Analysis of regional development was calculated through number of industry in the area, the economic growth, and local government revenue that affects community empowerment in Bekasi.Analyzed by structural equation modeling (SEM), the results showed that: (1) management of upstream oil and gas activities in this area have a positive influence, but no significant effect on community empowerment; (2) management of upstream oil and gas activities have a significant positive impact on regional development; (3) regional development has a significant positive impact on community empowerment; (4) management of upstream oil and gas activities have a greater positive influence towards community empowerment through regional development, because of the multiplier effect of the development of the region.

Linking biochemical perturbations in tissues of the African catfish to the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Ovia River, Niger Delta region

Petroleum hydrocarbons including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a pollution issue in the Niger Delta region due to oil industry activities. PAHs were measured in the water column of the Ovia River with concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 1055.6 ng L−1. Attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy detected alterations in tissues of the African catfish (Heterobranchus bidorsalis) from the region showed varying degrees of statistically significant (P<0.0001, P<0.001, P<0.05) changes to absorption band areas and shifts in centroid positions of peaks. Alteration patterns were similar to those induced by benzo[a]pyrene in MCF-7 cells. These findings have potential health implications for resident local communities as H. bidorsalis constitutes a key nutritional source. The study provides supporting evidence for the sensitivity of infrared spectroscopy in environmental studies and supports their potential application in biomonitoring.

Pressure to Reduce Methane Emissions Highlights the Need for Better Monitoring

Methane Emissions The US government is working on regulations to reduce oil industry methane emissions by more than 40% over the next 10 years. Meanwhile, it is making a large investment in research seeking reliable ways to measure how much of the methane in the atmosphere is from natural gas production versus other sources of the gas that can lead to global warming and smog. “We can tell how dirty the air is. What is really tricky is ‘where it is coming from.’ ” said Susan Stuver, a senior research scientist at the Texas A&amp;M Institute of Renewable Natural Resources, who was among the first persons to begin gathering emissions data in unconventional gas plays. There are a growing number of estimates published and they vary wildly, with studies estimating natural gas losses ranging from 1% to 7% of US production, according to a summary in a US Department of Energy research grant. The methods, the math, and the politics of methane measurement are complex and changing. What once was an economic question facing the natural gas business—how to cut losses of a valuable product—has become a contentious environmental issue of how to reduce emissions of a gas that is able to warm the Earth far more than carbon dioxide? The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that nearly 29% of all methane emissions in 2012 came from oil and gas industry activity. It is the largest source, followed by enteric fermentation, at 25%, which is the digestive process used by grazing animals, such as cattle, producing methane as a gassy byproduct. Those animals also produce manure, which is responsible for an added 9% of methane emitted. Other estimates suggest far higher industry emission levels. That matters to the oil and gas business because those numbers will guide future emissions rule making. The public furor several years ago over whether fracturing polluted water supplies led to studies of how unconventional exploration and production (E&amp;P) affects air quality. Some high-profile academic studies said methane leaking from gas operations are far higher than thought, challenging industry claims that natural gas is the cheaper, cleaner fuel option.

Toxicity evaluation of effluent from the de-oiling works of a decommissioned Nigerian crude oil pipeline using Palaemonetes africanus

Oil industry activities often involve the cleaning and replacement of pipelines, usually resulting in the discharge of effluents into waterbodies. The toxicity of de-oiling effluent from a decommissioned crude oil pipeline in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria was assessed using the brackish water shrimp Palaemonetes africanus in a 96 h laboratory bioassay. On the basis of the computed 96 h LC50, the effluent showed a significant dose-dependent relationship in its toxicity between 24 and 96 h of exposure. The 96 h LC50 was 4.6 times more toxic than the 24 h LC50, indicating that the toxicity of the effluent increased over the study period. Besides crude oil and refined petroleum products, which are often the major concern for regulators, there is a need for the proper enforcement of standards and safe limits for effluents prior to discharge so as to protect sensitive marine species.

Oil Extraction From Oil Sludge and TPH Elimination of Solids/Water by Ozonation

About 1.1 million barrels of oil sludge are generated yearly in Indonesia by many oil and refinery industrial activities. Oil is strongly bound with solid particles in the sludge. Oilin the sludge may range from benzene, phenols to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons which are classified as toxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic for human and pollute the environment. Oilextraction is favorable option because of environmental and economical reasons. Oil sludge from an oil fields inSumatra, Indonesia was extracted at low temperature (40–70 °C) resulting in Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH) around 1–2%. After addition of 10,000 ppm REKLIN G04 surfactant, TPH extraction was improved to 9%. After decantation, effluent water containing ± 15,000 ppm TPH was ozonated for 60 minutes resulting in TPH reduction to ± 5 ppm. After ozonation, TPH of discharge solids was only 7–40 ppm. Fingerprint by gas chromatography showed removal of light fraction of oil after ozonation.