Multi-criteria evaluation technique for SFI site identification of NORMS and oil industry waste disposal – Possibilities in Kuwait

Waste generation and accumulating quantities of oil field waste are a matter of environmental concern. This study proposes the Slurry Fracture Injection (SFI) technique as an alternative waste disposal method. The slurried solids injection waste disposal method is environmentally secure and permanent, leaving no future liabilities that must be risk-evaluated or priced. An entire waste stream comprising ground solids and waste water can be injected into deep and hydraulically secure target strata with no contamination of potable water-bearing formations or formations outside the target zone that may contain resources (gas and oil). The slurry injection method can be used to clean and reclaim landfills, oil pits and granular waste dumps. This article proposes a two-tier screening method for evaluating the feasibility of this technique and the identification of suitable target zones. A stringent environmental and process control monitoring program should complement the planning and operational period to ensure environmental protection, waste containment, and regulatory HSE compliance.     

Evidence of hydrocarbon contamination from the Burgan oil field, Kuwait: interpretations from thermal remote sensing data

The paper presents the application of thermal remote sensing for mapping hydrocarbon polluted sites. This has been achieved by mono-window algorithm for land surface temperature (LST) measurements, using multi-date band 6 data of Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM). The emissivity, transmittance and mean atmospheric temperature were used as critical factors to estimate LST. The changes in the surface emissivity due to oil pollution alter the apparent temperature, which was used as a recognition element to map out oil polluted surfaces. The LST contrast was successfully used to map spatial distribution of hydrocarbon pollution in the Burgan Oil field area of Kuwait. The methodology can be positively used to detect waste dumping, oil spills in oceans and ports, besides environmental management of oil pollution at or near the land surface.     

Preliminary observations of environmental damage due to the Gulf War

Preparing for and conducting the Gulf War resulted in much damage to the environment of the region. The first and most visible effect is related to the damage caused by oil well fires in terms of air pollution as well as the potential damage to the petroleum reservoirs. The second detrimental effect has been caused by the oil spill in the Gulf water. Hundreds of miles of the western coastline of the Gulf are already covered with oil. Petroleum 'mats' have settled on coral reefs and have reduced Gulf water productivity. Foremost among the irreparable damages are changes to the terrain due to the digging of trenches, building walls of soil and otherwise disturbing the desert pavement in and around Kuwait. Disruption of the, usually, one-grain thick layer of pebbles on the desert floor exposes soil to wind action. Changing the contours of the normally flat land increases resistance to the wind and increases the potential of particle transport until the land is peneplained. This condition will increase the frequency and the ferocity of dust storms in the region. It will also result in the formation of new sand dunes; sand drifts already exist along roads in northern Kuwait. It is believed that the detrimental effects on the atmosphere will last for years, on the Gulf water for decades, and on the desert surface for centuries.     

油田含油污泥处理工艺技术研究与应用

在石油和天然气开发过程中,会产生大量的含油污水及污泥,为避免含油污泥处理不当而影响油田生产和污染环境,中原油田有关技术人员结合本地特点,针对污泥的产生、特性、浓缩、脱水及最终处置等进行了大量的试验研究。实践表明:含油污泥处理技术的研究与应用在中原油田各污水站先后都取得了较好的效果,污泥处理的稳定运行,不仅较好地解决了污水处理设施的排污问题,保障了注水水质稳定达标,同时避免了污泥外排引起污染,有效地保护了油区环境。     

PDW-Ⅱ型石油钻井污水处理机的研制与应用

本文介绍了PDW-Ⅱ型石油钻井污水处理机的开发研究及现场试验结果。该机采用一步絮凝沉淀的工艺过程，适用于低色度、低浊度石油钻井污水的处理。试验表明：处理后出水达到国家综合污水二级排放标准，可以排放或回用于井场。     

The Role of Ownership in Environmental Performance: Evidence from Coalbed Methane Development

One way coalbed methane production differs from traditional oil and gas extraction is in the large quantities of produced water. This water must be disposed of for production to occur. Surface discharge has proven to be a low-cost alternative; regulations are in place to protect surface water quality. This paper investigates the effects of alternative ownership regimes on regulatory compliance. A unique dataset linking coalbed methane wells in Wyoming to water disposal permit violations is used to explore differences in environmental performance across severed and unified minerals. Empirical analysis of these data suggest that ownership does impact environmental compliance behavior. Most violations occur on split estate. Federal split estate wells have more severe violations, though not necessarily more of them. Federal unified wells performed best, with fewer and less serious violations. Wells on private land have more, though not necessarily more severe, violations. These results suggest some room for policy proposals accounting for alternative ownership regimes.     

A conceptual approach to selection of a control measure for residual chlorine discharge in Kuwait bay

It is estimated that some 17 metric tons of residual oxidants (chlorine) are discharged into the enclosed coastal seawater of Kuwait on a daily basis from power-desalination plants alone. Alarmed by the unlimited number of reported cases of damage to marine aquatic systems due to chlorine discharge around the world, several alternatives were proposed to control such a massive discharge of residual oxidant into seawaters. Most of the proposed alternatives lacked the basic criteria necessary for their evaluation, justification, and then selection. The objective of this article is to provide a conceptual approach that can be used to select a control measure for residual oxidant discharge in Kuwait coastal seawaters. This approach is based on state-of-the-art knowledge and the unique operational and environmental factors involved. A matrix system was designed whereby the cost of residual chlorine control alternative, its effectiveness, and environmental and public health impact, performance, and reliability in Kuwait can be compared and evaluated. The selection approach considered currently operating power plants in terms of their engineering design and material (cast iron or steel condensers), current operational conditions, operator's perception, acceptability, and projected problems associated with the environmental management of proposed modifications. The proposed approach revealed that in Kuwait, conventinal chlorination was marginally superseded only by chlorination/dechlorination using SO₂ and operation alteration using process optimization. The overall cost-effective assessment matrix classified other alternatives as worse than chlorination by various degrees. Ozone and UV were found to be the worst and the least desirable alternatives for biofouling control of seawater in Kuwait. In light of the available information on the consequences of the Gulf War on the marine environment, and the potential formation of additional halogenated organic compounds through the reaction of residual chlorine with the released petroleum hydrocarbons, it is essential to control residual chlorine discharged into the nearshore environment of Kuwait.     

DISTRIBUTED DISCHARGE OF COOLING WATER ALONG DIRECTION OF STREAM FLOW1

ABSTRACT. A multiple-outfall system for cooling water disposal which is distributed along the direction of stream flow is analyzed. The results provide a simple method of preliminary design of a cooling water discharge outfall system and for a quick extimate of water quality of a polluted stream. It is shown that a properly designed distributed discharge system is capable of preventing serious pollution due to localized discharge of wastes and waste heat; however, the final design of the discharge system should take into account alternative schemes of waste heat disposal and their economic consequences.     

Avian Mortality at Oil Pits in the United States: A Review of the Problem and Efforts for Its Solution

Oil production operations produce waste fluids that may be stored in pits, open tanks, and other sites accessible to wildlife. Birds visit these fluid-filled pits and tanks (“oil pits”), which often resemble water sources, and may become trapped and die. The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has a program to reduce these impacts by locating problem pits, documenting mortality of protected wildlife species, and seeking cleanup or corrective action at problem pits with the help of state and federal agencies regulating the oil industry. Species identification and verification of protected status for birds recovered from oil pits are performed at the USFWS National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory. From 1992 to 2005, a minimum of 2060 individual birds were identified from remains recovered from oil pits, representing 172 species from 44 families. The taxonomic and ecological diversity of these birds indicates that oil pits pose a threat to virtually all species of birds that encounter them. Ninety-two percent of identified bird remains belonged to protected species. Most remains identified at the Forensics Laboratory were from passerines, particularly ground-foraging species. Based on Forensics Laboratory and USFWS field data, oil pits currently cause the deaths of 500,000–1 million birds per year. Although law enforcement and industry efforts have produced genuine progress on this issue, oil pits remain a significant source of mortality for birds in the United States.     

稠油废水及油性废渣处理技术

克拉玛依油田的稠油废水及油性废渣的有效治理,一直是困扰油田的技术难题。为了解决这一难题,利用专效化学药剂使废水内含的油性杂质产生中和、破乳、架桥、絮凝等反应形成絮凝胶体,通过机组的加压、加气、混匀、旋流、释放、气浮、分离、阻截等物理作用,加速药剂与杂质的反应过程,将其从水体中分离出来,达到净化水质的目的。对油性废渣,加入还原剂在室温以上进行充分搅拌,产生还原反应,分离成原油和铝（铁）离子水溶液。该项技术经过三年多的实践与探索,在机组性能、运行费用、作业条件等方面,取得了满意的效果,特别是油渣回收处理不仅消除了二次污染,填补了国内技术空白,而且具有明显的环境效益与经济效益。     

Bird Mortality in Oil Field Wastewater Disposal Facilities

Commercial and centralized oilfield wastewater disposal facilities (COWDFs) are used in the Western United States for the disposal of formation water produced from oil and natural gas wells. In Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming, COWDFs use large evaporation ponds to dispose of the wastewater. Birds are attracted to these large evaporation ponds which, if not managed properly, can cause wildlife mortality. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted 154 field inspections of 28 COWDFs in Wyoming from March 1998 through September 2008 and documented mortality of birds and other wildlife in 9 COWDFs. Of 269 bird carcasses recovered from COWDFs, grebes (Family Podicipedidae) and waterfowl (Anatidae) were the most frequent casualties. Most mortalities were attributed to oil on evaporation ponds, but sodium toxicity and surfactants were the suspected causes of mortality at three COWDFs. Although the oil industry and state and federal regulators have made much progress in reducing bird mortality in oil and gas production facilities, significant mortality incidents continue in COWDFs, particularly older facilities permitted in the early 1980’s. Inadequate operation and management of these COWDFs generally results in the discharge of oil into the large evaporation ponds which poses a risk for birds and other wildlife.     

Discharge of oilfield-produced water in nueces bay,texas: A case study

During oil and gas production, water is often extracted from geological formations along with the hydrocarbons. These "produced waters" have been discharged to Nueces Bay since the turn of the century. These effluents were found to be highly toxic, and sediments in the vicinity of the discharges were also toxic. We developed a map of wells and produced-water discharge sites in the vicinity of Nueces Bay and identified numerous unplugged wells suitable for conversion to produced water disposal wells. An economic analysis of conversion to subterranean injection of produced water indicates that most of the wells currently in production could pay out the cost of conversion to injection in one to three years. The use of one injection well for two or more water-producing wells could yield greater savings. Wells that could not support the cost of injection are small producers, and their loss would not constitute a major loss of jobs or dollars to the area. This study could serve as a useful model for evaluating the economic feasibility of conversion to injection in other areas of Texas and Louisiana.     

聚合物驱采出水处理工艺研究

聚合物驱油技术在大庆油田得到广泛应用,由于采出水粘度大、油珠粒径小,其处理难度大于油田常规水驱采出水。通过对聚合物驱采出水的特性分析,并在现场分别进行了以横向流除油器(串联DTH聚结器)和水力旋流器为主体的工艺试验。其工艺参数分别为:横向流除油器和DTH聚结除油器的处理量均为85 m3/h,有效停留时间为2.4 h。过滤器为石英砂、磁铁矿双层滤料,处理量为20 m3/h,过滤周期24 h,反冲洗时间为15 min,一次和二次过滤的滤速分别为12 m3/h和8 m3/h。试验结果表明:两种工艺均可代替现有的沉降过滤工艺处理聚合物驱采出水。     

采油污水处理技术研究现状与发展趋势

综述了各项回注水和外排水处理技术的优势和不足。纵观国内油田采油污水处理技术,按照主要处理工艺过程可分为重力除油工艺、压力除油工艺、气浮除油工艺和精细过滤工艺等;外排采出水所采用的技术主要有生物法、化学法和植物湿地法。为了降低成本,实现更有利的经济和社会效益,对采油污水处理技术进行适当的组合或改进,从而更好地满足当前油田高含水期处理污水的需要。     

Life-Cycle Impact Assessment of oil drilling mud system in Algerian arid area

The objective of this work is to assess the environmental impacts of the drilling mud system in Algeria's arid region. Water-based mud (WBM) and oil-based mud (OBM) are used during well drilling in Hassi Messaoud petroleum field, and have a considerable pollution potential particularly on the aquifer system which constitutes the single resource of drinking water in the Sahara. The Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach is applied to evaluate the impacts of several drilling mud systems across all stages of their life cycle, e.g. use, treatment and disposal. Environmental impacts of five treatments scenarios corresponding to the drilling waste management applied in Hassi Messaoud are compared: reserve pit without treatment (burial option), secondary high centrifugation (vertical cuttings dryer), stabilisation/solidification online, stabilisation/solidification off line and thermal desorption. The impact assessment is carried on using the LCIA models of Impact 2002+ method in SIMAPRO7 software. This assessment identifies human toxicity and terrestrial eco-toxicity as the major impact categories in this specific arid context and quantifies the emissions contributions. The local environmental impact is the most important of the drilling mud life cycle and is mainly linked to emissions from reserve pits, treated cuttings, and drilling phase 16″ through the Turonian and Albian aquifer. The main contributing substances are aromatic hydrocarbons fraction and metals in particular barium, zinc, antimony, arsenic, and aluminium. Concerning the comparison of the treatment scenarios, it appears that stabilisation/solidification online is the best one; it has the lowest impact score in the two dominating categories because of the waste minimisation: mud storage avoided in the reserve pit. The second best scenario is the thermal desorption which obtains the lowest impact score in carcinogen effects due to hydrocarbons reduction (<1%) and avoided impacts of recovered oil. The toxic substances fate modeling will be improved by taking into account their site-specific impact.     

用超声气浮—BAF组合工艺处理油田稠油污水

利用超声气浮处理机对稠油油田污水进行的室内试验研究结果表明,超声气浮工艺对污水中COD的去除效果不明显,去除率只有23.0%。但是,经超声气浮处理后,污水的可生化性明显得到改善,BOD5/CODcr值由0.18上升到0.31,这为稠油污水的二级生化处理创造了条件。稠油污水经超声气浮-BAF组合工艺处理后,出水水质可达到国家GB8978-1996一级标准的水质要求。     

REUSE OF POWER PLANT COOLING WATER FOR IRRIGATION1

ABSTRACT: Current water quality policies in California require disposal of saline blowdown waters from power plants in sealed evaporation ponds to avoid degradation of ground waters. This policy highlights the conflict between increased energy demands, increasing scarcity of water, and environmental priorities. Saline blowdown waters can be used for the irrigation of salt tolerant crops, albeit with some reduction in yields. The results of experiments intended to specify these yield reductions are reported. If such irrigation is carefully managed, the soil profile can be used to store residual salts and ground water degradation will be avoided, provided that irrigation ceases before the salts are leached to the ground water. An analysis of discharge below a carefully managed irrigation project shows that the downward movement of salts below the root zone is no worse than with conventional methods of disposal. Thus, irrigation reuse with blowdown water is shown to be a viable means of saline water disposal while maintaining existing standards of ground water quality protection. Further analysis demonstrates the economic feasibility of such irrigation reuse by showing that it is significantly less costly than the evaporation pond alternative.     

Physicochemical Characteristics and Pollution Indicators in the Intertidal Zone of Kuwait: Implications for Benthic Ecology

/ The coastal environment of Kuwait has been under considerable stress since the onset of the oil era in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Oil, sewage, and industrial pollution were believed to be the main environmental problems in the coastal zone. The huge oil spill and destruction caused by the Gulf War further complicated those problems. In this article, the temperature, pH, salinity, and total dissolved sulfide (TDS) of the interstitial water in the intertidal zone and the water content and total organic carbon (TOC) of the intertidal sediment were investigated. The purpose of the study was to understand the effect of the physicochemical characteristics on the intertidal benthic ecology and to identify the level and sources of organic pollution in the intertidal zone. The study results indicated that the prevailing harsh environmental conditions, especially high temperature and salinity, restricted benthic fauna diversity and led to the development of a fragile intertidal ecosystem. The fauna inhabiting the intertidal zone was dominated by a few species probably living at their limit of tolerance. Organic pollution was evident mainly in Sulaibikhat Bay and to a lesser extent in Kuwait City waterfront and Shuaiba coast in the south. The pollution was attributed mainly to land-based sources such as the occasional discharge of raw sewage through stormwater outlets, the direct oil spillage, and industrial effluents from refineries, oil terminals, and petrochemical plants. Quantitative analysis was inconclusive in establishing a significant correlation between the chemistry and composition of the benthic fauna. However, close examination of sites with high TOC and TDS concentrations indicated that the benthic fauna in those sites was showing evidence of degradation. A number of strategies were recommended to ensure protection and sustainable management of the coastal environment.KEY WORDS: Intertidal environment; Pollution; Total organic carbon; Dissolved sulfide; Interstitial water; Benthic fauna     

AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT OF THE TEHRAN REGION IN IRAN1

ABSTRACT: In this paper, a system approach to water resources development in Tehran Metropolitan Area, with its complex system of water supply and demands, is discussed. Water resources in this region include water storage in the Lar, Latyan, and Karaj reservoirs, the Tehran aquifer, as well as water discharge in local rivers and in drainage channels (mainly supplied by urban runoff and wastewater). This study consists of three phases of long‐term water resources planning and management in the Tehran metropolitan area. In each phase, a different level of details among different components of the system is considered. In the first phase, optimal operating policies for Tehran reservoirs and a decision support system are developed. In the second phase, interactions between surface and ground water resources as well as surface runoffs and wastewater disposal in different subareas are investigated. The water table fluctuations as a result of implementing sewerage collection project was also simulated. In the last phase, long‐term scenarios for water resources and agricultural development in the Southern part of Tehran are defined, and the effects of each scenario on the quality and quantity of surface and ground water resources are studied.     

以苛性法软化油田采出水用作锅炉给水的处理新工艺

在应用蒸汽开采重油（稠油）生产中，常因采出水不需回注而带来环境保护上的问题。较适宜的处置方法是将采出水处理后作为发生蒸汽的锅炉给水。而软化具高矿化度的采出水使其符合硬度指标要求极为严格的锅炉用水，是处理工艺中关键技术之一。本文对美国当前在这方面的一般处置方法作了综合性介绍，着重介绍了Belridge油田水软化处理厂采用苛性法和弱离子交换法这一新工艺的成功经验。