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旧Assignment 1

Environmental Impacts of Offshore Oil and Gas Operations (Memorial University Of

Newfoundland)

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EN9625 Environmental Aspects of Offshore Oil

and Gas Operations.

Assignment 1

INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Hongjing Wu

Minzhe Zhu
minzhez@mun.ca
201792499

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Question 1:

1) There are two main reasons to consider pollution as the most widespread, and
dangerous factors of anthropogenic impacts on hydrosphere:
 Pollution accompanies most kinds of human activities, including offshore oil and
gas production and marine oil transportation;
 In the water environment, pollutants quickly spread over large distances from the
sources of pollution causing great concerns to environment.

2) There are three pathways that pollutants enter into the marine environment:
 Direct discharge of effluents and solid wastes into the seas and oceans;
(industrial discharge, municipal waste discharge, coastal sewage, and others)
 Land runoff into the coastal zone, mainly with rivers;
 Atmospheric fallout of pollutants transferred by the air mass onto the seas’
surface.

3) Main sources and components of marine pollution

Sources: Plastics/glass/metal, Drilling cuttings, Thermal impacts,

DDT, toxaphene, lindane, PCBs, Dioxins/furans, chlorophenols, Oil hydrocarbons,
Crude oil/products, Benzopyrene, other PAH.

Pollutants: Coastal disposal, Offshore drilling/dumping, Oil slicks/tar balls, Oil

production, transportation, river runoff,
Heated water discharges, Pesticides, Electronics, Pulp/paper, combustion, Wood
preservatives,
Production, storage, transportation, industrial discharge, atmospheric fall-out, natural
sources, Natural biosynthesis, incomplete combustion.

4) The potential impacts of oil and gas exploration operation of marine environment
includes:

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Human, socio-economic and cultural impacts; and atmospheric, aquatic,

terrestrialand biosphere impacts.

Question 2:

1)
m oil =m total−m tank =4450−1050=3400 ft 3

moil 3400
ρoil = = =56.67 lb/ft 3
V oil 60

ρoil 56.67
G= = =0.91
ρwater 62.4
2)
141.5 141.5
API= −131.5= −131.5=23.99
G 0.91

T o +459.67 166+459.67
T k= F
= =347.59℉
1.8 1.8

T o =1.8 T k =1.8 ×347.59=625.67℉

R

1 1
( T B ) 3 ( 625.67 )3
KW = = =9.4
G 0.91

Question 3:

1) Drilling fluid is used to aid the drilling of boreholes into the earth. The main
functions of drilling fluids include providing hydrostatic pressure to prevent

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formation fluids from entering into the well bore, keeping the drill bit cool and
clean during drilling, carrying out drill cuttings, and suspending the drill cuttings
while drilling is paused and when the drilling assembly is brought in and out of
the hole.

2) Drilling fluid is divided into Water Base Muds, Oil Base Muds and Gas Water
based drilling fluid has very little toxicity, made from water, bentonite and barite,
all clay from mining operations, usually found in Wyoming and in Lunde,
Telemark. There are specific chemicals that can be used in water based drilling
fluids that alone can be corrosive and toxic, such as hydrochloric acid. However,
when mixed into water based drilling fluids, hydrochloric acid only decreases the
pH of the water to a more manageable level. Caustic (sodium hydroxide),
anhydrous lime, soda ash, bentonite, barite and polymers are the most common
chemicals used in water based drilling fluids. Oil Base Mud and synthetic drilling
fluids can contain high levels of benzene, and other chemicals.

3) I don’t think so. Since drilling fluid has various functions and is widely used in
offshore drilling, it is unrealistic to stop using them completely, which might lead
to difficulty in exploitation. Worse still, as drilling fluid can minimize impact on
environment, stop using it blindly may cause environmental pollution.

Question 4:

1) Produced water is a co-product when oil and gas is produced. To achieve

maximum oil recovery, water flooding is often implemented, in which water is
injected into the reservoirs to help force the oil to the production wells.

2) The water mixed with oil is transmitted to the oil/water separator and is divided
into the oil tanks and the evaporations (pits or sumps). The produced water in the
evaporations turns into potential water or soil, or air contamination. The water
disposed by injection will turn into non-producing formation (a disposal well),

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which can be reused for EOR (>80%). After surface discharge, less than 9% of
produced water becomes surface water pollution.

3) Larvae are the most vulnerable to produced water. Produced water treated by
biocide is 100 times higher than the toxicity of untreated effluents. Acute toxicity
of produced water is relatively low (LC50 values vary within 1-30%)

Question 5:

1) Two types of drilling operations are exploratory and development. In geological

and geophysical survey stage, core and shallow drilling operations can collect
information (geological parameters and drilling conditions).

2) Discharged drilling wastes are undesirable coproducts from all stages and
operations of offshore oil and gas production, including drilling fluids, drilling
cuttings, metals, atmospheric emissions and other liquid, solid and gaseous
wastes.

3) Exploratory drilling, development drilling, well completion, well workover,

production and accidental discharges like oil spills, gas blowouts and chemical
spills.

Question 6:

The Canada–Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NLOPB;

formerly Canada–Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board, C-NOPB) regulates
offshore oil and gas activities in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The C-NLOPB was formed under the Canada–Newfoundland Atlantic Accord
Implementation Act (Government of Canada 1987).

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Currently, three oil production licenses are in operation: two Floating Production
Storage and Offloading Facilities (FPSOs: Terra Nova and White Rose) and one fixed
platform (Hibernia; e.g. C-NOPB 2006).
Offshore oil and gas activity in the region is expanding (e.g. Orphan Basin; LGL
Limited 2005a). In 2001, the C-NOPB estimated that only half of the potential oil
reserves and three-quarters of the natural gas had been located. Between 2003 and
2005, 3 058 534 ha were licensed for exploration. In 2006, an exploratory drilling
program was approved for the Orphan Basin (see LGL Limited 2005a).

Question 7:

1) If a seismic survey is required before an oil exploration in the Terry Nova oil field.
To marine it can cause:
 Over 50 fish families have sound-producing species and all marine
mammals are vocal;
 Mechanisms and manifestations of biological effects of high energy waves
of seismic signals on living organisms can differ;
 Damage to orientation and food search systems, physical damage of
organs and tissues, disturbance of motor activity and death, which can
even lead to early stages of fish development;
 Mortality of 90% of larvae, fry and even adult;
 Severe fish damages;
 A sharp decline of commercial catch.

On land:
 Conducting a seismic survey may require the building of roads, for
transporting equipment and personnel, and vegetation may need to be
cleared for the deployment of equipment.
 If the survey is in a relatively undeveloped area, significant habitat
disturbance may occur and many governments require seismic companies
to follow strict rules regarding destruction of the environment;

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 Seismic processing techniques allow for seismic lines to deviate around

natural obstacles, or use pre-existing non-straight tracks and trails.

2) Satellite topographic mapping for seismic surveys:

 Improves seismic safety;
 Reduces source point scouting;
 Reliable engineering data can be used for all oil and gas project
engineering design and construction.
 Reduce advance scouting. Photo Satellite’s high accuracy satellite
surveying and satellite photos significantly reduces the number of field
days for scouting projects. This reduces environmental impact and lowers
costs.
 Safer vibroseis operations. Accurate topographic surveys of the ground
slope enables mapping of no-go zones that are too steep for vibrator truck
operations, lowering the risk of overturning the vibes on steep inclines.
 PhotoSat’s topographic mapping data. PhotoSat has invented a process
based on seismic data processing to produce topographic surveys from
stereo satellite photos with elevation accuracies better than 20cm. We
have delivered over 850 projects globally.
 Our surveying package includes an engineering grade 1m topographic
grid accurate to better than 30cm, 50cm or 1m contours, and a 50cm
precision satellite ortho photo.
 Proof of accuracy. PhotoSat’s accuracies have been proven using tens of
thousands of survey points for comparison.

With careful planning, this can greatly reduce the environmental impact of a
seismic survey.

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