A detailed field-based evaluation of naphthenic acid mobility in groundwater

An anaerobic plume of process-affected groundwater was characterized in a shallow sand aquifer adjacent to an oil sands tailings impoundment. Based on biological oxygen demand measurements, the reductive capacity of the plume is considered minimal. Major dissolved components associated with the plume include HCO₃, Na, Cl, SO₄, and naphthenic acids (NAs). Quantitative and qualitative NA analyses were performed on groundwater samples to investigate NA fate and transport in the subsurface. Despite subsurface residence times exceeding 20 years, significant attenuation of NAs by biodegradation was not observed based on screening techniques developed at the time of the investigation. Relative to conservative tracers (i.e., Cl), overall NA attenuation in the subsurface is limited, which is consistent with batch sorption and microcosm studies performed by other authors. Insignificant biological oxygen demand and low concentrations of dissolved As (< 10 µg L^− 1) in the plume suggest that the potential for secondary trace metal release, specifically As, via reductive dissolution reactions driven by ingress of process-affected water is minimal. It is also possible that readily leachable As is not present in significant quantities within the sediments of the study area. Thus, for similar plumes of process-affected groundwater in shallow sand aquifers which may occur as oil sands mining expands, a reasonable expectation is for NA persistence, but minimal trace metal mobilization.     

含油污泥调剖技术在陇东油田悦29区的应用

针对长庆陇东油田悦29区注水平面矛盾突出的特点,优选了含油污泥调剖技术。详细介绍了调剖体系的配制,调剖体系性能测试表明其相关性能指标满足要求。进行了驱替模拟试验,结果表明:其封堵作用可以维持较长时间,通过对不同注水井组进行现场应用,显示该技术能改善水驱开发效果,可以满足油藏深部封堵大孔道的技术要求,有增油降水效果。     

含油污泥处理新技术与设备研究

针对辽河油田含油污泥处理现状,经过科研攻关、工艺优选,研制出高效、环保的处理工艺技术和设备,通过该技术的核心设备"三相分离器"分离含油污泥各种杂质,再进行综合利用。结果表明:该项技术与设备对含油污泥处理彻底,综合利用率高,同时具有实用性强、操作性好及良好的环境效益和经济效益。     

紫外光度法测定地表水中石油类的油标选择

精选了一种新油标。采用这种油标,可使紫外分光光度法测地表水中石油类的令人满意,省工省时。     

Filterability of oil sands tailings

In Canadian oil sands mining operations, bitumen is extracted from oil sands using the hot water extraction process, which produces tremendous amounts of tailings. Currently, these tailings are disposed of in large ponds, in which coarse particles settle out relatively quickly and fine particles remain suspended in water and settle very slowly. After years of settling, the fine particles form a stable suspension in water known as mature fine tailings (MFTs). Long-term storage of the MFT is costly and poses a major environmental liability.Oil sands companies are now actively investigating different approaches to replace or reduce the use of oil sands tailings ponds. Filtration of the tailings to produce “dry tailings” for stacking is now being investigated as an alternative by a number of companies. Fast water drainage is a critical step for the filtration process. In this paper, we use simple laboratory-scale filtration tests to evaluate the filterability of the oil sands tailings and to generate a parameter that can be used in filtration scale-up. It was found that the filterability of the original coarse oil sands tailings was relatively low. However, after the fines are flocculated with the coarse particles to form uniform flocs the filterability was improved by several orders of magnitude. The results demonstrate that filtration of the flocculated coarse tailings to produce the “dry” stackable tailings may be viable.     

Oil spill cleanup cost estimation—Developing a mathematical model for marine environment

The field of oil spill cost modelling is not as well explored as desirable. Generally speaking, the existing models have either low accuracy, in that their predictions are far from the real cost, or low applicability, in that they are only valid under very specific conditions; such as in one particular country. This work strives to construct a model that is functional in a global scope and still possess a high level of accuracy. The resulting attempt is in many ways superior to the publicly available competitors, not only because of its predictive capacity but also because the model is quick to use, and its input variables should be readily available to any informed user. The model is more accurate comparing with similar available models. However, further study is needed to modify it to obtain more realistic results.     

Damage to offshore oil and gas facilities following hurricanes Katrina and Rita: An overview

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit the centre of the American petrochemical industry, shutting down eight refineries, hundreds of oil-drilling and production platforms, and many other industrial facilities. Furthermore, it triggered unprecedented numbers of hazardous-materials releases from industrial facilities and storage terminals onshore, as well as from oil and gas production facilities offshore in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). In this paper, we analyse the damage caused by the two hurricanes on the offshore oil and gas industry. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita caused the largest number of destroyed and damaged platforms and pipelines, and the highest number of mobile offshore drilling units set adrift in the history of GoM operations. Following the hurricanes, changes have been proposed to operating and emergency procedures, maintenance requirements, and design practices including mooring practices for mobile offshore drilling units.     

Sorption of polar and nonpolar organic contaminants by oil-contaminated soil

Sorption of nonpolar (phenanthrene and butylate) and polar (atrazine and diuron) organic chemicals to oil-contaminated soil was examined to investigate oil effects on sorption of organic chemicals and to derive oil–water distribution coefficients (K_oil). The resulting oil-contaminated soil–water distribution coefficients (K_d) for phenanthrene demonstrated sorption-enhancing effects at both lower and higher oil concentrations (C_oil) but sorption-reducing (competitive) effects at intermediate C_oil (approximately 1 g kg⁻¹). Rationalization of the different dominant effects was attempted in terms of the relative aliphatic carbon content which determines the accessibility of the aromatic cores to phenanthrene. Little or no competitive effect occurred for butylate because its sorption was dominated by partitioning. For atrazine and diuron, the changes in K_d at C_oil above approximately 1 g kg⁻¹ were negligible, indicating that the presently investigated oil has little or no effect on the two tested compounds even though the polarity of the oil is much less than soil organic matter (SOM). Therefore, specific interactions with the active groups (aromatic and polar domains) are dominantly responsible for the sorption of polar sorbates, and thus their sorption is controlled by available sorption sites. This study showed that the oil has the potential to be a dominant sorptive phase for nonpolar pollutants when compared to SOM, but hardly so for polar compounds. The results may aid in a better understanding of the role of the aliphatic and aromatic domains in sorption of nonpolar and polar organic pollutants.     

顶空气质联用法测定水中四乙基铅、松节油和丙烯腈

利用顶空气相色谱-质谱(HS/GC-MS)联用法对水中的四乙基铅、松节油和丙烯腈进行了检测分析,优化了实验参数。该方法线性关系良好,相关系数为0.997 0~0.999 9, 检出限为0.1~1.2 μg/L;方法用于饮用水、生活污水和工业废水中四乙基铅、松节油和丙烯腈的测定,并进行加标回收率实验,加标回收率为94.5%~104.4%;相对标准偏差为4.4%~9.5%。结果表明,方法能用于饮用水和废水中四乙基铅、松节油和丙烯腈的测定,效果满意。     

Age-dating Diesel Fuel Spills: Using the European Empirical Time-based Model in the U.S.A.

In 1993, a paper was published by Christensen and Larsen that offered a method for determining the age of diesel oil spills in soil (Christensen and Larsen, 1993 Ground Water Mount. R . Fall , 142-149). It presented an empirical time-based model of the degradation of diesel fuel in soils using chemical data gathered at petroleum release sites in Denmark and the Netherlands. Now, evaluation of the validity of the application of this work to subsurface petroleum releases in other countries remains. In the U.S.A., investigations assessing date(s) of release of diesel fuel in soils, e.g. age dating of subsurface petroleum contamination, have considerable interest. Litigation-driven scientific investigations with accompanying expert testimony in a court of law are underway. The number of instances where application of the Christensen and Larsen empirical time-based model to petroleum-contaminated properties is growing in the U.S.A. This paper presents two case studies which evaluate the applicability of the Christensen and Larsen empirical time-based model to petroleum-contaminated properties in general. It illustrates the approach using gas chromatographic data from two recently-completed projects evaluating the applicability of the Christensen and Larsen model to a No. 2 fuel oil/diesel fuel surface spill in the U.S.A. Results showed that the application of the model to petroleum-contaminated soils was scientifically valid, provided its applicability was evaluated using hypothesis testing for specific changes in the characteristics of the petroleum hydrocarbon distribution in a number of soil samples collected over time at one site. The paper offers observations on the application of the Christensen and Larsen model to petroleum found in the light non-aqueous phase liquid (LNAPL) phase and groundwater.