|
Reducing Fatal O&G Industry Incidents
Each year, the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics releases a "Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries."
For the oil and gas extraction subsector, the fatality rate
for 2003 data was more than 8.5 times the average for all U.S.
industries. Industry formed a review team to better understand
the problem and discover insights. Looking to OSHA's
Integrated Management Information System, the team analyzed
each fatality in a seven-year period from 1997 through 2003. A
key step was verifying whether the incident was in fact an
E&P-related incident. The analysis focused on onshore
operations, excluding offshore and off-site
transportation-related fatalities. During this period there
were 254 fatalities.
Major causes by type of incident were:
- "Struck by" 47%. Within this
category, 39% were mechanical, 39% were pressure, and 22%
were gravity-dropped objects.
- Fires and explosions 16%
- Falls from heights 14% (none due to
failure of equipment; all due to failure to use
fall-protection equipment properly)
Major causes by wellsite-location categories
were:
- 33% on the wellsite proper
- 20% specifically on the rig floor
- 15% occurred in the derrick
Of significance with today's higher activity
level, the review team noted that "many of the fatal incidents
were associated with field activities of smaller companies."
Well known safety-management principles suggest that
programmatic interventions can and will make a difference. |
Excerpted from "Strategic
Direction for Reducing Fatal Oil and Gas Industry Incidents,"
Journal of Petroleum Technology, July 2005, pp. 66-68. SPE
Paper 94416, presented at SPE/EPA/DOE Exploration and
Production Environmental Conference, March 2005, available
online through
www.spe.org.
Public Relations Booklet Energy and
Environment: A Partnership That Works
Drawn from presentations made at the AAPG
President's Conference on National issues in late 2002, this
48-page, four-color booklet developed by AAPG targets a
non-scientific audience, which makes it ideal for public
relations. Topics include:
- Energy needs, production and resources
- Conventional and alternative energy
resources
- Environmental evolution of the petroleum
industry
- Current practices
- Exploration and production in an urban
environment
Contact AAPG's communications department
(918-584-2555, ext 634) to obtain the booklet.
Flexseal, An Alternative to Cement Squeezing
Re-cementing a well with surface casing vent
leakage can be costly and unfortunately multiple squeezes can
be required. Steelhead Reclamation Ltd. has developed a unique
emulsified asphalt process marketed by Trican Well Service
Ltd. under the trade name Flexseal. The tar-like emulsion, 65%
asphalt and 35% water, has the consistency of a milkshake so
it can be pumped with conventional oilfield equipment. When
the mixture moves through the perforations into the problem
zone, contact with saline fluids causes the emulsion to break
into its constituents, asphalt and water. The demulsified
asphalt sets to the consistency of tar on a hot day, plugging
the formation. The asphalt remains sufficiently fluid to
transmit hydrostatic pressure into the problem zone.
In applying Flexseal, Trican normally
perforates immediately above the identified gas source and
then fills the wellbore with water. If the hydrostatic
pressure seals off or reduces the leak, then a Flexseal
abandonment is considered. This is still early-stage
technology. Trican has used Flexseal in five wells and it has
been consistently successful. Trican indicates they would like
to work with more operators to establish the track record
needed for broader industry acceptance. |
Excerpted from "On The
Cutting Edge," New Technology Magazine, June 2005, p. 10. For
more information, contact Dale Dusterhoft, Trican
(403-266-0202,
ddusterhoft@trican.ca.
Targeting Development of A Low Impact
Drilling System
Access issues associated with drilling in
environmentally sensitive areas provide a strong driving force
for continued development of low impact drilling systems.
Texas A&M (The Global Petroleum Recovery Institute and several
other entities at Texas A&M), Noble Corporation, Houston
Advanced Research Center (HARC) and others are embarking on a
DOE-supported project to better integrate drilling
technologies into a low impact drilling system. A first step
is measuring where the industry IS NOW and where it would like
to (or needs to) be.
Technical work will identify critical
enabling technologies for a prototype low impact drill system
and then test subsequent prototype systems in field
laboratories. The project will focus toward lower 48
exploration activities (but to include operations issues).
A primary enabling technology will be the
pad-free, road-free rig demonstrated earlier in an
Anadarko-operated Alaskan project. Other potential enabling
technologies include: trenchless flow line laying, extended
reach drilling, zero discharge operating practices, slimhole
or microhole drilling, etc.
Demonstrations are planned in both desert
ecology (West Texas) and coastal margin (wetlands on Galveston
Island) environments. Environmental partners will participate
in the project and monitor the effectiveness of the prototype
systems.
An August presentation to the Drilling
Engineering Association (www.dea.main.com/meetings/
2005/AUG_18_2005/Williams.
pdf) provides
further details about the project. Interested parties are also
encouraged to contact Mr. David Burnett, Texas A&M University
(979-845-2274,
burnett@spindletop.tamu.edu)
or Tom Williams, Maurer Technology, a division of Noble
Corporation (281-276-6750,
twilliams@noble
corp.com).
|
Environmental