Decommisioning of Oil Fields

DECOMMISIONING OF OIL
FIELDS
By:
Ravneet Kaur(R820210036)
Randeep Singh(R820210042)
ABSTRACT
Decommissioning offshore oil and gas production systems have been
progressively increasing the concern of the industry, government, and
interest groups through the last years. There are at least two reasons for
this. First, it is the maturing of several oil and gas fields around the world in
recent years. Second, it is the growing impact of environmental concerns in
international affairs.
Following decommissioning, the area would be restored to approximate its
original condition or to some standard that results in stable environmental
conditions. Typical activities during the decommissioning phase include
closure of all production and injection wells; removal of aboveground
components and gravel from well pads, access roads(not maintained for
other uses), and other ancillary facility sites; recontouring the surface; and
revegetation.
In the absence of adequate planning and mitigation measures, the impacts
of resource extraction activities can present persistent and adverse
environmental, social, health and safety effects with significant potential
legal and financial consequences to the operators, the local population --
and the host countries in which these projects are conducted.
Introduction….
Decommissioning refers to the dismantling, decontamination
and removal of process equipment and facility structures.
Eventually the facilities installed for oil and gas production
reach the end of their economic lifetime. In a well-managed
field development, this point will be reached only after having
produced as much oil and gas as is technically and
economically feasible on the basis of best available techniques.
Decommissioning involves a multidisciplinary process, which
requires detailed method balanced on several areas,
e.g., environmental, financial, political, health and safety. It
applies not only to entire field developments at the end of their
economic life, but also to individual installations such as wells
that will no longer be used while other parts of the field are still
producing.
Decommissioning : General
considerations
Decommissioning is often a complex and costly operation which entails
certain risks, particularly for offshore installations. In addition to the
regulatory requirements, five key considerations influence the concept and
method for decommissioning installations :
 The potential impact on the environment
 The potential impact on human health and safety
 Technical feasibility
 Costs
 Public acceptability
More than 1000 offshore installations have been decommissioned and
removed to date, most of which steel structures in the Gulf of Mexico. Some
7000 remaining installations are located on the continental shelves of more
than 50 seaside states. Removal of these large structures is particularly
difficult, costly, and potentially hazardous. A rough estimate indicates a
total cost of US$40 billion for removing all offshore structures worldwide.`
Major Steps in Permitting Process
Decommissioning Methods
WELL ABANDONMENT
It involves :
 Isolation of all hydrocarbon bearing intervals
 Containment of all over-pressurized zones
 Protection of overlying aquifers
 Removal of wellhead equipment
An abandonment plan begins with all the fluids being circulated
out of the well, pushed back into the formation, and replaced by
fluids that are sufficiently heavy to contain any open formation
pressure. The perforations are then cemented to seal off all
production zones. A series of cement plugs is set in both the
production lines and the production casing. The production casing
is cut and removed above the top cement, and another cement
plug over the casing stub will isolate any formation that may still
be open below.
DECOMMISSIONING OFFSHORE FIXED PLATFORMS
Platforms that are removed may be recycled or disposed off
at shore, disposed off at deep water, or used as artificial reefs.
A particular problem arises where oil-based drilling mud has
been dumped on the seafloor, whereby the disturbance
caused by the removal process may lead to pollution release.
Concrete platforms are more difficult to remove. There are
relatively few(but some very large) concrete platforms
worldwide. They were originally floated out to locations using
tanks in the substructure for buoyancy, but tend to settle in
the seafloor on location, making them difficult to refloat.
SUBSEA FACILITIES can be removed with relative
ease as they are small, modularized, and easy to
lift. However manifolds and templates may weigh
in excess of 1000 tons and will thus require heavy
crane barges for removal.
PIPELINES are circulated clean, and those that are
buried or left on the seabed are filled with water
or cement. Flexible subsea pipelines may be
reeled in and disposed off onshore. Surface pipings
are removed. A steel pipeline can have a long
useful lifetime, usually more than 50 years, if
constructed and maintained well, and it can be
relevant to leave it in place for possible future use.
LAND FACILITIES such as processing facilities and
terminals are cleaned and scrapped. The land
may have to be reconditioned if pollutants have
escaped during operations.
CONCLUSION
Recent estimates indicate that world
oil production will increase from over
80 million barrels per day (Mb/d)
in 2007 to over 100 mb/d in
2030. Much of this increase will
come from resource rich non
Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD)
developing countries in regions such as sub Saharan Africa where oil
production is expected to double by 2010. Between 2010 and 2030, a
significant increase in decommissioning of existing oil fields is expected
as their production declines; and even more decommissioning activity is
expected in the years leading up to 2030, when production of
conventional oil (crude oil, natural gas liquids and enhanced oil
recovery) is expected to drop off notably.
FINDINGS
The various impacts of decommissioning are:
• Acoustics (Noise)
• Air Quality
• Ecological Resources
• Hazardous Materials and Waste Management
• Health and Safety
• Land Use
• Transportation
• Water Resources (Surface Water and
Groundwater)
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND WEBLIOGRAPHY
Petroleum Resources with emphasis on
Offshore Fields , Jarlsty, E.T.
www.offshorecentre.eu/log/bibliotek/Decom
missioning-offshore.pdf

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DECOMMISIONING OF OIL

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