Environmental Problems and Solutions in the Petroleum Industry

Level: Basic

Upcoming Sessions:

To Be Determined
Please Contact Us at tahmed@mtech.edu for more information
Instructors: Dr. Samuel Osisanya

Designed for:

This course is designed for engineers, geologists, drilling and production personnel, health and safety personnel, and landman.

Course Overview:

This course is designed to provide participants with an overview of environmental problems and solutions in the petroleum industry.

Course Content:
  • Introduction to Environmental Problems and Solutions to Petroleum Engineers
    • Keys to Producing Oil and Gas in Environmentally Sound Ways
    • Consequences of Oil and Gas Production Environmental Hazards
    • API and Exxon-Valdez Environmental Principles
  • Sources and Types of Waste
    • Drilling and Completion Wastes - Overview of the Drilling and Completion Processes
    • Production Wastes - Overview of Production Processes & Composition of Produced Waters, Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM), & Associated Wastes
    • Workovers Wastes (Sand Consolidation, Acidizing & Fracturing)
  • Impact of Petroleum Industry Wastes
    • Effects on Animals and Plants
    • Field Studies – Oil Discharges, Brine Discharges, and Discharges from Offshore Platforms
    • Air Pollution and Acoustic Impacts
  • Pathways for Transport of Petroleum Wastes
    • Surface Paths – Land and Water
    • Subsurface Paths – Ground Water, Abandon Wells, and Water
    • Atmospheric Paths - Emissions, Onshore Spills, and Soil Excavation
  • Regulations Affecting Petroleum Exploration and Production
    • U.S. Federal Government - Safe Drinking Water Act, Clean Water Acts, Clean Air Act, CERCLA (Superfund), SARA, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
    • States and Local Agencies
    • Other Countries
    • Cost of Environmental Compliance
  • Planning Environmental Compliance
    • Environmental Audits
    • Waste Management Plants
    • Risk Assessment
    • Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures (SPCC) Plan
    • Contingency Plans
  • Waste Clean-up
    • Waste Minimization
    • Release Prevention
    • Abandonment - Abandoned Wells, Platform Removal
    • Sensitive Environments - Rain Forests, Arctic, Subsidence
  • Waste Treatment and Disposal
    • Treatment Methods – Water Purification, De-watering of Wastes, Hydrocarbon Removal Wastes, Chemical Treatment of Wastes
    • Disposal Methods - Surface Disposal and Subsurface Disposal
    • Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials
    • Air Emissions
  • Waste Cleanup
    • Waterways, Shorelines
    • Land and Groundwater
    • Air Stripping – Adsorption, Bio-remediation, Volatilization, Surfactants
    • Reserves Pit Cleanup
    • Sulfur Pad Cleanup
    • Costs