Features
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Advancements in Mercury Removal From Crude Oil
Mercury in crude oil has received more scrutiny as refiners seek cleaner oil for their product streams. An upstream mercury removal plant for crude oil in Argentina, operating since 2006, has demonstrated success with a mercury removal efficiency of 96%. Further development of the technology aims to reduce its footprint to allow for installations on offshore platforms.
Built-In Bias Jeopardizes Project Success
In spite of massive investments in project management best practices and the organizations to implement them, major oil and gas projects continue to experience cost overruns and schedule delays. A root cause that has not been sufficiently explored is the built-in bias of owner and contractor organizations toward optimism and overconfidence.
Peer-Reviewed Papers
Jim Collins
ConocoPhillips
Peer Review Editor
HIPPS-Based No-Burst Design of Flowlines and Risers
N. Politis, H. Banon, and C. Curran
Provides a new methodology to evaluate the design pressure of flowlines and risers using a highintegrity pressure protection system (HIPPS). The proposed approach uses a design pressure lower than the well shut-in pressure, but maintains high reliability against burst failure.
Pipeline Integrity Assessment Using Probabilistic Transformation Method and Corrosion Growth Modeling Through Gamma Distribution
K. Younsi, A. Chebouba, N. Zemmour, and A. Smati
Two papers that discuss issues that arise in the operation of pipelines. Integrity assessment is an ongoing issue in all pipelines. The first of these two papers identifies the use of structural probabilistic analysis on the basis of the assumption of a stationary Gamma distribution of the corrosion process. The paper also reviews inspection data from two pipelines to show how the process would be applied.
Available Methodologies Concerning the Treatment and Removal of Sand From Pipelines and Associated Case Studies
N. Mackay
Discusses the available methods to treat and remove sand from pipelines. The discussion highlights the technologies that can be used for remediation of a pipeline affected by sand and provides examples of where these systems have been applied. Mature technologies, such as pigging, and newer technologies, such as gel-removal systems, are discussed.
Considerations for the Application of Controlled In-Situ Burning
N.J. Mabile
Discusses the considerations in controlled in-situ (water-surface) burning. The paper identifies the decision-making process, key issues of each phase, and proposes a process for analysis of the issues when in-situ burning of oil is planned. The burning of oil on water may be a viable means of mitigating the impact of marine oil spills, but there are many aspects of this activity that must be balanced to provide an effective solution.
