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Space Bugs Facilitate Oil Spill Cleanup
Several space program technologies have
found application in the oil and gas industry. One is the
use of fiber-optic sensors to provide real-time monitoring
and measurement of strain and vibration along the entire
length of deepwater risers and other pipelines. Another
sensor, the tunable diode laser, was originally developed to
measure the composition of the atmosphere of the moon and
planets. It has been adapted to measure the moisture of
natural gas entering a pipeline and turn it off if
necessary.
In the environmental realm, a third
technology, developed by Jet Propulsion Lab and the Marshall
Space Center, involves the technology of encapsulation to
encourage the growth of naturally-occurring microbes in oil
and water to accelerate the degradation of spilled oil. It
has been commercialized by UniRem and consists of very small
(5 to 50 microns) spheres of beeswax (PRB) that act as
nutrients to the microbes. When the spheres come in contact
with the spilled hydrocarbon, they bind to it and promote
the growth of enzymes that break down the hydrocarbons,
absorbing and remediating up to 20 times its weight. The
powder is also used in a variety of containment products
including absorbent pads, socks, rings and booms and is an
effective cleanup agent for small to medium spills, up to
1,000 gallons onshore or in the water.
Excerpted from "Industry Benefits from
NASA's Ideas," The American Oil and Gas Reporter, August
2006, pp. 101–105.
Recycling Frac
Water Makes Cents
The number of wells being drilled in the
unconventional gas plays of coalbed methane and shales and
the amount of water required to frac them has become a
problem of cost and supply availability in Canada and the
U.S. Two Canadian companies have applied currently available
water processing technologies to the field to recycle up to
85% of the frac water, eliminating much of the cost of
shipping in fresh water and disposing of spent water. Based
on a 2004 market study of the Alberta activity, Newalta
Income Fund built a processing plant that is recycling water
from 12 area producers. [Editor's note - Is a common
facility an opportunity for Barnett |
Shale producers?] It utilizes a
chemical preprocessor and a two-stage membrane treatment.
Another Canadian Company, Aqua Pure Ventures Inc., is
working with Devon Energy to reduce water consumption in the
very active Barnett Shale play. Because of the level of
activity in the basin and the massive fracs required, up to
half a million gallons, water and disposal options have
become more expensive and present a bottleneck in the
completion process. Aqua Pure utilizes a mobile treatment
system that consists of three modules: a pre-treatment
module, an evaporator and a compression module.
Excerpted from a 6/29/06 email alert from
New Technology Magazine (www.ntm.nickles.com).
Options for
Noise Reduction
Two Calgary-based companies are attacking
the issue of noise reduction, growing through different
technologies. Noise Solutions Inc. (www.noisesolutions.
com) has developed the proprietary Zeron
muffler that essentially eliminates reciprocating engine
exhaust noise. In CBM field operations, Noise Solutions has
integrated mufflers and acoustic ventilation to keep the
engine, compressor and building interior cool. ATCO Noise
Management Ltd. (www.atconoise.com)
began in 1990 with the purchase of proprietary technology
for walls and roofs of buildings and enclosures. It provides
standard and custom-designed enclosures for oil and gas
production, pipeline compressor stations, and recently was
awarded four contracts to design and manufacture
technologically-advanced buildings for the Long Lake Oil
Project. They |
also provide turbine exhaust, reciprocating
engine, and ventilation system silencers. The combination of
improved equipment and buildings provide a facility that
cannot be heard from a vehicle on-site until the engine is
turned off and the windows rolled down.
Excerpted from "Silence Is Golden," New
Technology Magazine, June 2006, pp. 24–26; visit
www.ntm.nickles.com
Iron Derrickman Reduces Drilling Injuries
According to the IADC 2005 statistics, the
drilling industry safety record is improving, a 5% reduction
in lost time incidents (LTI) over 2004 despite a 10%
increase in activity, but drilling is still a dangerous
occupation. A total of 1,077 LTIs were reported in 2005,
including 23 deaths. IADC breakdown by occupation shows half
of the incidents involved the floorman and the second most
by the derrickman. Iron Derrickman Ltd. wants to improve
those statistics. The company has developed a product that
utilizes a remote-controlled hydraulic device that automates
the process of moving and stacking the double or triple
stands of pipe tripping in and out. This eliminates the
human derrickman. The device can be retrofitted on any
existing double or triple rig. There is additional cost and
slightly slower tripping times (15%). Work is proceeding on
equipment for service rigs.
Excerpted from "Simplicity in Motion," New Technology
Magazine, June 2006, pp. 18–19; visit
www.ntm.nickles.com.
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Environmental
