Richards

Here is the fourth issue of the new online-only journal, SPE Projects, Facilities & Construction! This marks the completion of our first year of publishing. This editorial comes to you from Aberdeen, Scotland, where I am based. One of my hobbies is growing fruit and vegetables, which keeps me busy in my spare time most of the spring and summer. I keep a few chickens in my back yard as well. Up at this latitude (57º 9'N), daylight is in short supply at this time of the year (with barely 6½ hours of sunshine), so I have to work quickly when outside. Earlier this year, I installed a wind turbine and solar hot water panels that should provide most of my domestic energy needs, provided the sun shines and the wind blows! I am presently building a wooden shed at home and plan to install a rainwater harvesting system next year. I also keep a couple of donkeys, the output from which feeds the plants. In addition to this, my wife and I have four kids to raise!

I try to take a holistic view of environmental issues in our industry. One thing is certain: almost all the hydrocarbons that we produce are ultimately oxidized into carbon dioxide and water. This happens when we burn it, but it also occurs in the environment when some is lost as an emission, such as a spill or with produced water, for example. The sun’s UV radiation is a very effective oxidizing (bleaching) agent. With this in mind, anything that we do to prevent emissions effectively only changes the rate at which the hydrocarbon molecules are oxidized to carbon dioxide and water.

As an industry, we spend a great deal of money on new equipment to reduce emissions. These are often driven by legislative requirements. The basis of most such legislation seems to be centered on limiting visual impact and potential damage to living organisms. This may well be the most direct effect of emissions, but there are other indirect impacts, which may not be so easy to measure. As the legislation tightens, the industry needs to spend more on capital equipment to meet these needs. As a result, emissions-reduction initiatives seem to be subject to a law of diminishing returns. If this is so, there must come a point at which reducing emissions targets further actually harms the global environment. We should be able to demonstrate the environmental impact of various emissions-reduction targets by a life cycle value analysis of the equipment involved. This would account for both the energy input and the environmental impact to manufacture, install, operate, and decommission a piece of equipment.

As with all other SPE journals, SPEPFC relies on the contribution of papers from its readers. We are constantly looking for suitable papers to publish, and we welcome and encourage your submissions. If you have recently written any papers or have ideas for paper topics, please go to www.spe.org for information on how to submit a paper. Once a paper is submitted for publication consideration, it will go through the peer-review process. This discriminating process is one of the things SPE excels at, and because of it, we are able to produce top-quality publications. But remember, the checks and balances involved in the peer-review process do take time, so submit your paper now to be considered for publication sooner.

For your information, the topics that this journal covers are technical developments, case histories, and field reports for all aspects of surface-facilities design, project management, operations, and abandonment, including onshore, offshore (subsea, platform-based, and floating-based systems), and pipelines for oil and gas developments. It also covers topics such as liquid natural gas, compressed natural gas, and gas-to-liquid plants, terminals, and transportation concepts. We are also interested in relevant topics that do not fit in the above list or the more established SPE journals.

From this fairly wide remit, we have selected the following papers for publication this quarter.

Oil Fallout in the Vicinity of an Onshore Blowout: Observations on a Field Case—Typically, the wellhead location is a compromise between factors such as minimizing the drilling depth and distance to the production facilities, among others. This paper is interesting in that a method is proposed for including another factor in this analysis, which to date has often been overlooked or not well understood.

Chemical Compromise: A Thermodynamic and Low-Dose Hydrate-Inhibitor Solution for Hydrate Control in the Gulf of Mexico—This paper describes the work done to develop a hybrid hydrate inhibitor, which combines the properties of thermodynamic, kinetic, and antiagglomerant inhibitors. A very interesting read.

A Web-Based Integrated Project-Management System Supporting Teamworking and Decision Making on Field-Development Projects—Many E&P companies now use a “stage-gate” process during development projects. This paper illustrates one company’s approach in automating this process with a web-based tool.

Rheology of Gas-to-Liquid Products, Alaska North Slope (ANS) Crude Oil, and Their Blends for Transportation Through the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS)—This is an interesting paper that looks at the impact of transporting GTL products as a blend with crude oil. This is a useful study because it gives the pipeline operator a good handle on the costs and benefits of this export route for GTLs. The actual export route selected would involve a full techno-economic analysis.

Treatment of Seawater With Cartridge Filtration—A Field Trial—This describes a compact alternative to conventional deep-bed filtration units for treating injection water in offshore facilities in which space and weight are at a premium. Compact production and processing technologies have the capacity to reduce offshore facilities costs significantly.

I hope you enjoy this edition of SPEPFC. Please post your thoughts regarding these papers to the appropriate discussion board by way of the Discussion link found below each title on the Table of Contents page. If you have any further questions or comments, please feel free to contact me at Simon.Richards@petro-canada.com.