TOPICS OF INTEREST
ENVIRONMENT
North Dakota, Texas Fuel Increase in US Natural Gas Venting and Flaring
According to a new report from the EIA, the volume of natural gas reported as flared reached its highest average annual level in 2018, 1.28 Bcf/D. With production soaring in the Bakken, Permian, and Eagle Ford plays, North Dakota and Texas accounted for more than 80% of that total.
Offshore Wind: The New Frontier in Powering Platforms?
Offshore wind makes up less than 1% of the current energy mix, but analysts have it pegged as a potential trillion-dollar business in the near future. That growth presents an opportunity for operators to reduce costs and their carbon footprint through the electrification of their offshore platforms.
Bandwidth of Nanotechnology in the Oil Field Widens
Nanotechnology has great potential to reduce cost, increase production, and even improve the sustainability of E&P operations. But, where do we stand in terms of potential vs. reality? And, is the industry ready and willing to use the technology?
BP Completes North Sea Drone Methane Monitoring Pilot
The pilot used sensor technology originally deployed by NASA for the Mars Curiosity Rover to collect methane emissions data live-streamed from a drone. BP said it plans to deploy the technology to all of its North Sea assets, including ETAP and Glen Lyon, in 2020.
SeekOps Secures Venture Funding To Scale Drone-Based Emissions Systems
Equinor Technology Ventures and OGCI Climate Investments have agreed to back the tech developer, which integrates its SeekIR miniature gas sensors onto drones to detect, localize, and quantify carbon emissions.
Is Optical Gas Imaging the New Solution for Methane Detection?
Thermal imaging helps operators maintain regulatory compliance on methane-emissions requirements. Optical gas imaging technology may be an answer in allowing for faster, more efficient inspections, but there are hurdles to its adoption. How can its widespread use become a reality?
Xodus Group To Acquire Green Light Environmental
The acquisition will add to the group’s offerings aimed at environmental impact assessments and project approvals.
GHGSat Readies Launch of Second Emissions-Monitoring Satellite
The new satellite will build on the success of the company's demonstration satellite Claire, which has performed over 2,500 observations of oil and gas facilities as well as other natural and industrial sources of carbon dioxide and methane.
UN Cautions Countries Eyeing Shale Development
A new report on shale gas from UNCTAD addresses the balance between providing affordable energy to developing countries and the agency’s climate change goals.
Program Aims To Slash Cost of Methane Sensor Systems
A US-government-sponsored program is putting new methane leak detection systems to the test with a goal of achieving functionality costs of $3,000/year/wellsite while hitting stringent performance criteria.
PHMSA Tags Construction Damage as Cause of Keystone Pipeline Spill
Weights used in the original construction of TransCanada’s Keystone Pipeline in South Dakota were identified as a preliminary cause of the failure that resulted in a 210,000-gal spill in November.
How Has the US Fracking Boom Affected Air Pollution in Shale Areas?
In recent years there has been a spike of research to determine what the extent of emissions are from fracked oil and gas wells. While much discussion has surrounded methane emissions, a greenhouse gas, less attention has been paid to air toxics.
ExxonMobil Expands Methane Emissions Reduction Program
ExxonMobil announced an enhanced program to reduce methane emissions from its production and midstream facilities across the US. The program includes a commitment to switch out more than 1,000 high-bleed pneumatic devices over 3 years.
Drones Utilized to Assess Facility Damage After Harvey
As companies begin examining facilities in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, commercial drones have become a valuable asset in reaching flooded areas too dangerous for people to reach.
Spatial Analysis of Horizontal-Shale-Well Water Production in the Wattenberg Field
This paper analyzes water production from horizontal shale wells in five sections of the Wattenberg field in northeastern Colorado. Models were developed for these wells for future water-production prediction and a spatial analysis was also conducted.
Symposium Examines Shifting Toward a Circular Economy
What is circular economy? A recent multisector symposium on sustainability explored the role of circular economy in bringing about a sustainable future.
Odor-Treatment Technology for Recovered Hydrocarbons From Oily Waste in a Thermal-Desorption Unit
Oily waste, is an intrinsic byproduct of the oil and gas industry and thermal desorption units with an odor-treatment system can bring technical and economic advantages to the user.
Ecological and Environmental Management During the Hail 3D Transition-Zone Survey: Safe Working Practices Within a UNESCO World-Biosphere Reserve
The Hail 3D transition-zone seismic survey carried out by ADNOC is located in a UNESCO world-biosphere reserve. Effective environmental and ecological management throughout the project was attained through working procedures and monitoring programs.
New EPA Regulations Issued To Curb Methane and VOC Emissions
The US EPA’s 2016 New Source Performance Standards updated the 2012 standards by adding requirements for the industry to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, specifically methane. The 2016 NSPS also covers hydraulically fractured oil wells and production, processing, transmission and storage activities.
CO2 Capture and Usage: Harnessing the CO2 Content in Natural Gas for Environmental and Economic Gains
The deployment of appropriate CO2-separation technologies for natural gas processing is viewed as an abatement measure toward global CO2-emissions reduction. Selection of the optimum technology requires special attentiion.
New EPA Regulation Offers Opportunities for Emissions of Waste Gas
A new federal air quality rule from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) could affect how the oil and gas industry handles waste gas emissions.
Pneumatic Controllers in Upstream Oil and Gas
Natural-gas-actuated pneumatic-control equipment has recently become a focus area for regulators trying to reduce the quantity of actual pollutants and greenhouse gases released to the atmosphere.
Considerations for the Application of Controlled In-Situ Burning
The burning of oil in place (in situ) on water is a viable means of mitigating the impact of marine oil spills. This paper examines decision criteria and safe practices for deploying this method in both icy and warm conditions.
Shale plays: Environmental Issues Related to Surface Facilities
As the development of US shale plays expands to undeveloped or underdeveloped areas, the environmental issues related to surface facilities move to front and center. Operators, regulators, politicians, and the general public have become more aware of and concerned about environmental effects.
Flare-Gas Recovery in Tunisia—From Liability to Value
This paper describes the project evolution, from the first study to the implementable concept of energy production using the associated gas of two onshore facilities in Tunisia. Despite complex composition, high CO2, high H2S, and relatively low quantities, a solution was developed successfully.
Minimizing HSE Impacts During Design and Construction of a Major Gas Pipeline Through the Baltic Sea
During the design of two parallel gas pipelines from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea, major design changes were made to minimize project impacts, resulting in rapid approval by all five affected countries.
Design and Implementation of Comprehensive Tank Overfill Protection Program
This paper addresses a “conceptual model” for an overfill-protection program, based on a recent industry example. Key portions of the programmatic and overfill-equipment aspects will be addressed.
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