bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
HSE Training and Competence Development at Petrobras University
Authors: Trindade Roberto de , Queiroz Durval Vilar
Published: July 2010

Investment in training and education merges with the history of Brazilian company Petrobras, one of the main energy corporations of the world. Training of Brazilians to develop the national oil industry started in 1938 when many were sent to specialise in universities not only within Brazil but also abroad to courses in countries such as USA, Canada and UK. Environmental and industrial accidents that occurred in early 2000 helped push Petrobras towards the objective of transforming HSE – Health, Safety and Environment as a value to the whole working force. Actions toward this objective include strict health and safety rules, monitoring of environmental impacts, running of cleaner and more energy efficient processes, reduction of residues and the introduction of mandatory HSE guidelines to the entire company. The present paper shows that Petrobras University plays a relevant role organising and operating several training activities on Health, Safety and Environment. This paper also shows the background of Petrobras University and highlights courses on HSE that are available to the employees. Results associate a positive relationship of the investment in training and education with economic, social and environmental performance. It is concluded that Petrobras University is an important strategic player of the company to achieve HSE as a true value to the workers.
Managing Safety in Difficult Times: What You Cannot Measure is Difficult to Manage
Authors: Siokos George , Karish John
Published: July 2010

"Boy – it's tough out there"

Many organizations say that safety is a core value that should not be compromised, yet there is evidence in these difficult times that this is happening. Every time there is pressure on business, the first thing that suffers appears to be areas such as training and HSE.

Perhaps, despite many years of linking good safety practices and performance to good productivity, the message has simply not gotten through to the right people. How can we convince organizational decision makers, that in tough times, investment in safety becomes even more important? People feel the pressure to reduce access to resources and experienced people, in times when they are needed most.

While there is no simple answer, there is research that suggests people will do things when they are convinced that they will benefit. Providing evidence of a return for the investment made in improving safety performance has always been problematic.

Ensco International Incorporated has extended and refocused its SHE leadership and cultural programs that commenced some years ago to address the challenges of managing in difficult times. Principally, it has worked with its leaders and rig based people to help them better understand how the organization's safety management systems work to deliver a superior safety outcome, and how these outcomes can be measured and linked to business performance in ways that make sense so that the workforce is actively engaged.

This paper will use research and Ensco's experiences to show the benefits of using evidence-based processes to improve safety. It will demonstrate the link between lead and lag indicators with behavioral observations that add value to productivity improvements. This is an important focus for many leaders today as they try and meet production and safety targets at the same time.
Systemic Means of Ensuring Quality Incident Investigations - Corrective Actions and Sharing Lessons Learned Make a Difference
Authors: Plett David , Boudreaux Eric , Holtke Greg
Published: July 2010

A common challenge in safety is ensuring that lessons learned from incidents are incorporated in such a way as to eliminate or substantially reduce the potential for recurrence. For years, we have applied recognized causal analysis tools and corrective action philosophy. In the spirit of continuous improvement, the entire incident investigation process was reviewed to look for better methods.

Through our review, we discovered that although we conducted investigations they did not always determine root causes. When they did determine a root cause, we struggled with implementing effective corrective actions and applying lessons learned across multiple sites. Consequently, in many instances, the corrective actions did not always prevent repeat incidents. In addition, findings or corrections were not consistently shared throughout similar operations, which provided the possibility of similar occurrences at other sites.

Through research, collaboration, education, and communication, we have developed an effective model for reducing repeat incidents. This model can be used to solve problems, proactively or reactively, by using a combination of elements from commonly used causal analysis tools, as well as corrective action mechanisms. After an investigation, a high-level peer review is conducted to understand the findings and fidelity of preventative measures. To ensure follow-up, the findings and corrective actions are loaded into tracking software. Each action has automated notifications and escalation triggers if it is not completed timely. Reports are published to the intranet on a daily basis to show the progress of each item. The final and concurrent step is to share with other sites by uploading the entire investigation into a portal. The portal has notification capabilities and several hundred subscribers receive an email notification when a new document is posted; subscribers are expected to review and assess the applicability of the new information.

Improved quality of investigations, a drive toward sustainable corrective actions, and sharing implementation across the organization has contributed to an overall reduction in incidents and to an increased awareness and recognition of hazards. This method increases organizational visibility and accountability. It also creates an environment that promotes learning from incidents and taking actions that will reduce risks.
CDF Models Applied to Optimize Safe Designog Huge Gas Field Developments with High H2S Content
Authors: Huse Jan Reier , He Xuong
Published: July 2010

In 2003, a gas well in Chongqing, China blew out and the H2S rich gas released caused in total 243 fatalities and numerous injuries. Fatalities occurred up to two kilometers from the well site and in quite different directions from the well.

Several huge gas fields are being developed in the same area, implying a significant risk for similar accidents. Modern 3D CFD model tools have been applied to simulate potential gas releases from such developments and the associated risk contours. The simulation work has been based on detailed modeling the complex geometries in a 25 km2 area and applying various environmental conditions for a set of release scenarios.

The results are corresponding very well to the actual accident in 2003 and explain why the accident at Luojazhai field had the extensive fatal consequences.

The simulation results may contribute to a safer design and operation of gas fields with very high content of H2S.

The results may also be applied in the planning and operation of emergency preparedness in densely populated rural area with an infrastructure typical for such areas.
Safety Culture Maturity in Petrochemical Companies in Brazil: The View of Managers and Workers
Authors: Goncalves A. P. , Andrade J. C. , Marinho M. M.
Published: July 2010

A framework to measure safety culture maturity in Brazilian oil and gas companies was formulated based on the model of Hudson (2001). Following a review of the safety culture literature, a questionnaire was designed to measure aspects of organizational safety indicative of 5 levels of cultural maturity in Brazilian industry. This was completed by the safety managers (N=17) and workforce (N=161) of 17 petrochemical companies based in Camacari, Bahia, Brazil. The reliability of the questionnaire was checked and the Cronbach's α for each one five dimension range from α = 0.635 to α = 0.832, demonstrating good reliability of the measures used. The findings of the research demonstrate that the safety culture maturity model of Hudson (2001) was suitable, with slightly adaption, along with the framework to identify the stages of development of safety culture in the context of the Brazilian petrochemical industry. The differences between managers and workforce were not statistically significant. The companies studied presented characteristics of different stages of development of safety culture.
Online Journey Management System
Authors: Velazquez Beatriz , Rincon Ana Maria , Kanhan Beatriz
Published: July 2010

Transportation is one of the highest risk activities identified in the upstream oil and gas industry. It involves light and heavy vehicles moving people, tools, equipment, and possibly hazardous materials, through difficult routes and sometimes to remote sites. Each year, the industry records thousands of vehicle accidents during its operations, which have resulted in injured workers, fatalities, and millions of dollars in property losses.

Because of this situation and the outcomes of vehicle accidents investigations, the Latin America region of our company launched Journey Management, a Web-based application to help reduce transportation risks. This paper describes the design, application, advantages, and organizational results of this regional system.

This initiative was designed to reduce risk exposure to employees, third parties, and the public, in addition to preventing vehicle incidents while operating under company authority. This paper explains how to plan a journey to consider the associated risks, including third parties involved in company transportation activities. It also reviews how to consider the legal requirements of each country while still adhering to company standard vehicle driving policy.

The principal improvements include reducing the risk levels and monitoring the progress of each journey in real time. This system generates reports, manages night trip restrictions, facilitates the identification of hazardous material transportation requirements, and increases supervision awareness within the organization. Since this application was implemented, a significant decrease in the vehicle incident rate has been achieved in our company's Latin America operations. This reduction reinforces the motivation to continue to work for additional improvements and to strive for the desired goal of zero vehicle accidents.
Management Of Change, Key Component Of An Effective HSE Management System
Authors: Julaihi Saiee , Jaafar Ahmad Tarmizi , Bakar Nur Atikah
Published: July 2010

Management of Change System is an essential component of HSE management. Whilst the typical risk management framework is aimed at ensuring a safe system of work, the somewhat complementary management of change system is crucial in sustaining that safe system of work.

In the execution of work activities, changes or deviation from defined processes/procedures is inevitable; and this is not necessarily a problem provided such changes are adequately controlled. The key consideration in managing changes is ensuring that risk posed by proposed changes, if any, remains ALARP.

In PETRONAS Carigali, the management of change system clearly defines the required change governance, spanning the entire value chain of the company business; it caters for: ■Geophysical (survey and seismic) activities■drilling activities■facility design, fabrication and installation■production and maintenance activities■facility abandonment and decommissioning

Key considerations in the management of change system include the followings: ■Types of changes requiring control are clearly defined; including changes to plant design, operating philosophy, plant equipment, operating parameters, standard operating procedures, personnel, bypass of safety critical equipment, etc.■For temporary changes, the maximum duration and criteria for approval of such changes clearly defined.■Types of risk assessment that need to be carried out for the various proposed changes; including aspect of risk screening and acceptance criteria.■Approval process, including review by multi-disciplines technical authorities.■Key performance indicators and target; the critical success factors of the management of change system.

Specific examples of changes, selected from amongst the different types of changes representing the entire business value chain, will be discussed. This is aimed at sharing PETRONAS Carigali experience on how changes are managed in the organization, including a perspective of the key challenges.
In-service Integrity Monitoring through the Association of Acoustic Emission and Phased Array Non Destructive Examination
Authors: Marques Bruno Cruxen , Henriques Paulo Cesar , Estefani Cintyha , Donato Guilherme V.
Published: July 2010

This paper is a result of a field experience during an oil leak verified through the shell of a duplex steel production heat exchanger. It describes the use of non destructive examination (NDE) to monitor the in-service integrity of damaged equipments. The absence of the oil heater under investigation would represent a major impact in the unit's overall oil production, but a sudden failure could risk the plant safety and cause a serious oil leak to the sea. Therefore, in-service monitoring through the use of Acoustic Emission (AE) associated with Phased Array (PA) technique was considered to be an adequate way to evaluate the crack behavior. First, it was determined the crack size limit through the use of fracture mechanics analysis and compared to the existing one. The association of AE with PA ultrasonic technique introduced two important aspects to a precise monitoring: AE allowed an on line evaluation of the crack activity as a consequence of operational transients and PA permitted a precise crack location and sizing despite of the specific material characteristics. During the monitoring period the equipment underwent two shutdown events and one well startup. The results from AE indicated a high increase in the crack activity during those events. The PA analysis showed that from the first operational event, first shutdown, to the last event, second shutdown, there was a significant increase in the crack growth rate. This fact indicated an evident rise in the crack instability demanding the equipment removal from operation. This monitoring allowed the company to prepare another production strategy and plan the repairs while the production was safely maintained for extra 40 days. The complementary use of these two NDE techniques for in-service applications emerges as a powerful tool to support integrity management and improve facility safety.
Nuestro Lugar- Fostering Sustainable Solutions to Local Challenges in Oxy Argentina's Oil and Gas Operations
Authors: Alvarez Mariale , Barrales Carolina Ortega , Ravishankar Krish
Published: July 2010

Oxy Argentina developed a systematic process to identify, analyze and prioritize its stakeholder issues and social risks in connection with its ethical standards, its commitment to a safe and healthy workplace, environmental protection and active participation in the communities where it operates. The result was a unique social responsibility (SR) program that addresses important challenges for the local community.

Oxy Argentina developed "Nuestro Lugar" (Our Place) guided by an analysis of stakeholder interests and expectations in the northern Santa Cruz province. This program fosters a sense of belonging (to the company or to the community) and instills appreciation and care for local resources. Nuestro Lugar has three thematic pillars: Our Natural Place, Our Workplace, and Our Social Place. The latter consists of activities targeted to teenagers and young adults.

From the detailed analysis, teenagers and young adults were identified as the population at most serious social risk. Violence, drug addiction and lack of aspirations have become increasingly prevalent in the local community. Cities in the region depend heavily on the State and the oil industry for their economic wellbeing. In addition, immigration and extreme geographic and climate conditions contribute to a sense of isolation and lack of opportunities amongst the population.

In Nuestro Lugar teenagers can develop creative skills to build self-esteem and develop healthy recreational habits. The project also creates opportunities to foster sustainable solutions to local issues through dialogue and consensus-building, and helps Oxy Argentina to safeguard and protect its reputation as a responsible member of the business community.

The first center, built in Pico Truncado in 2007, greatly exceeded the company's expectations, enabling over 1,000 teenagers to participate in activities implemented through partnerships with third parties (mainly non-governmental organizations). A second center was inaugurated in Las Heras in 2009 to similar acclaim.

This paper discusses how Nuestro Lugar was developed to address key stakeholder expectations and issues; describes the main objectives, activities and outcomes of the Nuestro Lugar centers; and demonstrates how the Nuestro Lugar program has helped Oxy Argentina fulfill its SR mission to become the partner of choice, employer of choice, and neighbor of choice while contributing to the sustainability of the local community.
Haze—Hazard and Emergency in the Oil and Gas Industry in South East Asia
Authors: Kumarasamy Devan
Published: July 2010

In Malaysia and other parts of Southeast Asia, haze is an annual problem that occurs from March through June and during September and October. The haze is caused mainly by fires in land clearing for cultivation activities, which seriously affect air quality and visibility in the region.

The scope of the presentation will cover the health effects and safety concerns, precautions to be observed, actions/counter measures and responsibilities during haze hazard and emergency situations in the oil and gas exploration & production (E&P) and downstream activities of an integrated petroleum multinational Corporation with its headquarters in Malaysia. The Company has business in more than 30 countries worldwide. In the Southeast Asian region, it has E&P and downstream petroleum and petrochemical operations in Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

During haze incidents, the Ministry of Health, Malaysia has monitored the disease trend and found a positive correlation between haze, air pollution indicators and Upper Respiratory Tract Infection and Bronchial Asthma. These disease trends will be reflected in the paper. Other surveys were also conducted and are discussed. In the paper, health effects caused by haze and precautionary health measures will be detailed out with corresponding reference to the Air Pollution Indicators.

The paper will highlight the control and mitigation measures, the action plan and counter measures undertaken by the Company in managing haze hazard and emergency.
Successfully Leveraging Gas Flaring Reduction through the CDM – Overcoming Methodological Barriers
Authors: Juez Jaime Martín , Mackinnon Jamie , Monzón Enrique Girón , Sánchez-Luengo Ángel Bueno
Published: July 2010

There are over 1,900 projects registered under the Clean Developing Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol, with an annual average reduction of nearly 300 million tCO2eq. The last data published by Global Gas Flaring Reduction Partnership (GGFRP) show that over 150 billion cubic meters of natural gas are being flared and vented annually, accounting for over 400 million tCO2eq in annual emissions. However, today there are only 8 gas flaring reduction projects registered with annual expected reductions of just over 7.8 million tCO2eq. There are many possible reasons for this clear mismatch between the huge gas flaring reduction potential and its presence in the CDM, although we believe, and will try to demonstrate along the paper based on our experience, that the lack of a clear and universal methodology that embraces all the different possible projects under "gas flaring reduction" is a major hurdle.

In this paper we will analyse in detail the five current existing methodologies (AM0009, AM0037, AM0055, AM0074 and AM0077) that try to cover the gas flaring reduction field. We will go through the difficulties in their application and show the different CER generation result they produce. The analysis will be done through two concrete examples which cover significant examples of widespread project types that can be encountered in the O&G industry. Finally, the effect on the applicability of these methodologies of expected CDM progress towards sectoral approaches will be hinted.
A Human Factors Approach to Reduce Hydrocarbon Leakages on the Norwegian Continental Shelf
Authors: Bunn James , Berentsen Rune , Glittum Eli , Steinsvik Louise Kristiansen
Published: July 2010

Investigations following hydrocarbon leakages from Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) installations have focused almost exclusively on measures related to technical and mechanical causal factors, despite human and organizational failures being accepted as a significant underlying contributor to unwanted incidents.

The aim of this project was to examine recent large leakage incidents to look for common underlying causes relating to human and organizational factors and write appropriate recommendations based upon the findings. The project formed part of a larger Norwegian Oil Industry Association project to reduce hydrocarbon leakage incidents and subsequently improve HSE performance on the NCS.

Hydrocarbon leakage incidents from five offshore installations in the Statoil portfolio were assessed during a series of focus group workshops conducted with management and technical representatives from each installation, process specialists, and Human Factors specialists.

The incident reports and HTO (Human, Technology, Organization) annotated timeline diagrams were examined against at 14- point Human Factors keyword list adapted from the UK Health and Safety Executive's Major Hazards website.

Eighty one findings relating to the fourteen keywords plus twenty eight existing recommendations in the Synergi incident reporting and follow-up system were grouped into four themes for discussion at a follow-up plenary workshop; governing documentation for issuing permits to work, system understanding during abnormal situations, inspection & maintenance programs, and interaction between modification projects and the operational organization.

Based upon the discussion of these four themes, five recommendation topics were prepared; permits to work, land-based support during abnormal situations, understanding of technical systems and risk during abnormal situations, inspection and maintenance (tubing and fittings), and interaction between modification projects and the operational organization. Specific actions relating to each topic were then written for company duty holders for follow-up as part of a company integration process.

The keyword method revealed new findings, particularly relating to organizational deficiencies that had not been considered in the initial incident investigations. The methodology also gave operational management insight into how the Human Factors discipline contributes to incident investigation work.
Energy Efficient Designs; Facing New Challenges with Best Practices and Innovative Thinking
Authors: Godfrey Mike , Watlow Annette
Published: July 2010

The climate change agenda is to move from a trend of increasing green house gas (GHG) emissions to either holding emissions flat then reducing over the next few decades. By examining upstream projects early enough in the project lifecycle and using tools to assess energy usage over the field life of the project, reductions in GHG emissions can be achieved, which results in savings of operating costs and future carbon dioxide (CO2) trading costs.

Several techniques and tools have been developed which, when applied at the correct stage of the project, can help to optimise energy intensity and CO2 emissions. These include workshops, forecasting software for GHG emissions and flowsheeting tools to evaluate various design configurations taking into account cost, reliability and project variables such as weight and space. Results show that by applying these tools early in the design life energy intensity can be significantly reduced, which results in lower operating costs for fuel and potential CO2 costs.
Results and Lessons Learned from a 3-Year Intensive Coral Communities Monitoring During the Construction of a LNG Plant in Yemen
Authors: Chaîneau Claude-Henri , Hirst Robert , Al-Thary Ibrahim , Dutrieux Eric , Thorin Sébastien , Caragnano Annalisa , Benzoni Francesca , Pichon Michel
Published: July 2010

The Yemen LNG plant construction started in September 2005 in Balhaf in the Gulf of Aden and lasted over 4 years. The 1 km2 plant, within a 10 km2 fenced site, lies along 7 km of coastline. This paper describes the approach of Yemen LNG along with its main shareholder Total E&P, concerning the protection of the coral biodiversity during marine construction activities in a sensitive environment. This approach was developed according to three stages: establishing biodiversity, monitoring coral communities and protecting the reef ecosystem with mitigation and compensation means.

Knowledge of the coral biodiversity was an indispensable preliminary stage to evaluate the sensitivity of the site. The Environmental Baseline Studies have highlighted the richness of the marine ecosystem. The plant is bordered by a dense, diversified coral community forming a narrow reef extending from the shore to a depth of 15 metres. Almost 85 coral species occur in the reefs, colonizing about 85% of the substrate. The largest coral colonies are approximately 400 years old. Therefore, these corals are a valuable and delicate resource.

Monitoring composition and diversity of corals communities is considered an integral part of biodiversity conservation. The monitoring plan allowed to measure several parametres: some of which were related to the natural environment, others measured the effects of the works on water quality and finally, most observations included a direct measurement of coral community health.

Protecting the reef ecosystem by implementing mitigation and compensation measures is aimed at keeping reef biodiversity at its highest level by preventing and/or reducing the negative impacts on the ecosystem. Initially, part of the marine construction work encroached on existing coral outcrops. A planned, but not yet implemented, Marine Protected Area nearby also increased the pressure on the construction teams who had to fulfill the Social and Environmental Impact Assessment Study requirements as well as World Bank and IFC standards. It is recognized that some limited physical damage to corals occurred despite the implementation of these mitigation measures.

Lessons learned from the monitoring will be used to provide feedback to the industry in general. This offers a positive way forward when constructing installations in sensitive coastal marine environments.
Undertaking a $4Bn Dollar LNG Project in a High Risk Security Context and Achieving Exemplary Safety Performance
Authors: Hirst Robert , Syed Bilal , Zerriatte Reda
Published: July 2010

Yemen is ranked among the poorest countries in the world, according to World Bank indicators. Constant security threats, coupled with persistent tribal conflicts make it a high risk context within which to operate. In spite of these major hindrances, the consortium of seven International Companies who are shareholders in Yemen LNG, led by Total, took on the challenge to undertake the largest ever industrial investment project in Yemen – namely constructing an LNG terminal and pipeline to provide gas to the international markets from an area which is one of the remotest and poorest of Yemen.

The engineering resource, infrastructure and the human capital required to undertake this huge project have proven to be the biggest challenge. The mobilization required significant manpower (the peak being over 14,000 personnel); a large proportion of whom came from the local community. They had to be trained to come up from a "zero safety culture" in order to meet the required international standards and to be able to work together in spite of individual and tribal differences. The multinational team of up to 67 nationalities on the site gelled together to produce the end result and are proud of having achieved an undertaking, whose safety record is one of the best of any major project being undertaken by an OGP member company. This achievement in the face of the aforementioned challenges, not normally faced by businesses elsewhere, is a real credit to the team spirit and indomitable faith in project success.

This could not have been possible without the safe working environment culture which was inculcated in the largely uneducated workforce, serving the needs of the project. Through capacity building and interface at grass root levels between the tribes, the government and the local nomadic communities, the stakeholders were encouraged to share a common platform. At the start of each phase regular dialogue, needs assessments and a follow-up mechanism were implemented. Training and development initiatives were undertaken with the local communities. From changing mindsets to introducing better practices and creating a harmonious work environment, the challenge has been considerable. The bottom line is that awareness of the benefits of working together in a safe environment brings safety success.
How the OGP Land Transportation Safety Recommended Practices Led One Company to Significantly Reduce Fatalities in Just 18 Months
Authors: Allison David , Frasineanu Mihai
Published: July 2010

This paper demonstrates that the application of the elements of the International Association of Oil & Gas Producers, (OGP), Land Transportation Safety Recommended Practices was instrumental in reducing traffic related fatalities to zero over an 18 month period. The paper describes the gradual step by step development of a Company Land Transportation Standard; the key elements applied so far and shares the learning's of the Company in Romania.

Although full compliance to the Recommended Practices and the Company Standard is not completed, the result is a dramatic reduction in automobile related serious injuries and fatalities within the Company.
GHG Data Management, from Data Acquisition to Report Compilation
Authors: Aryaguna A. , Novendra O. S.
Published: July 2010

Global warming is one of the hottest issues in the last decades. The 2007 assessment report compiled by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) observed that "Changes in atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases and aerosols, land cover and solar radiation alter the energy balance of the climate system", and concluded that "Increases in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations is very likely to have caused most of the increases in global average temperatures since the mid-20th century".

Total E&P Indonésie (TEPI) as the largest gas producer in Indonesia has a very strong commitment to demonstrate their environment stewardship. One of the ways is by providing accurate reporting of GHG releases. Currently, many developing countries do not have any specific, GHG related regulations, taxes incentives or disincentives as applied in some developed countries. In this issue, TEPI demonstrated their leadership by monitoring GHG emission as a base for further action. In addition, the reporting system that TEPI utilizes has been audited by a reputable international audit firm.

This paper explores GHG data management, from data acquisition to report compilation in TEPI, as a part of environment reporting that covers the following areas: Referential / Corporate Management System. The internal rules and guidance document for the development of the TEPI GHG report.Data gathering on Production Site. Identification of related GHG Emission sources that will be described in data mapping.Roles and responsibility. Related entities that are responsible for each step of the processData Extraction and Compilation. The links between the available Production Site data, the user interface in the office, and the data compilation in automated GHG computer software.Verification and Validation. The inconsistency check that will be clarified and validated by the authorized entities.Report development. Compilation of validated data report to be provided to TEPI Management and subsequently, to Corporate Offices in France.

Through this process, TEPI will be able to review Environment Key Performances Indicator (KPI) such as; Flaring Volume, GHG volume, GHG Intensity, etc. After reviewing, TEPI could decide what will be the way forward for improving the Environment Performances.
Proactive Indicators of Risk in Remote Operations of Oil and Gas Fields
Authors: Johnsen S. O. , Okstad E. , Aas A. L. , Skramstad T.
Published: July 2010

Remote operations, remote support and use of new technology introduce new ways of operating oil and gas fields. These new practices are often called "field of the future" or "integrated operations" - IO. These new practices are being implemented on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, leading to increased hydrocarbon recovery and increased collaboration between onshore and offshore sites. IO is raising new challenges related to HSE (Health, Safety and Environment), but IO should not increase the risks of major accidents or increase the risks of HSE.

We are suggesting a set of proactive indicators to ensure that risks are controlled when IO is implemented and operated. A proactive indicator is used as a measure of risk related to a causal factor, to be controlled in risk management. The indicators have been developed based on analysis of accidents, discussion of theory and collaboration with the oil and gas industry. Our suggested approach is to collaborate with stakeholders and agree on indicators to increase the understanding and focus of the risks among the stakeholders.

The most important causal factors of incidents seem to be poor design and poor validation of equipment, poor risk analysis of critical operations and deviations from established procedures. A causal factor that is suggested to be important in remote operations is miscommunication between actors during critical operations.

Several proactive indicators are suggested, among them the level of exploration of scenario analysis/safety cases during design and risk assessments/scenario analysis prior to operations. Risk perception among stakeholders involved in operations is a suggested indicator too. Important indicators in remote operations are suggested to be the assessment of shared communication and shared risk perceptions when critical tasks are distributed among different organizations and different places.

To validate the indicators, we are correlating the indicators with actual HSE levels, safety culture and risk perceptions. We suggest exploring how shared risk perceptions can impact safety and resilience, when task are distributed between onshore and offshore.
Global Practices and Regulations for Land application and Disposal of Drill Cuttings and Fluids
Authors: Clements Kayli , Veil John A. , Leuterman Arthur J.
Published: July 2010

The process of exploration and production (E&P) in the oilfield typically generates large volumes of drilling fluids and cuttings that must be properly managed. Cuttings reinjection, thermal desorption, stabilization, landfill disposal and other techniques have been used to mitigate potential hazards from drill cuttings and used drilling mud. These methods have been historically favored methods of treatment from a regulatory perspective. However, land treatment avoids hauling drilling mud and cuttings long distances to disposal sites, allows on-site mitigation and natural attenuation of potential hazards, and promotes waste minimization. When properly applied, land application is an excellent technique to protect surface and groundwater supplies.

Globally, common concerns about potential environmental damage from drill cuttings and fluids continue to drive research, technology and regulations with the goals of beneficial reuse and decreased footprints in oil and gas operations. Global trends for the introduction of new technology and the development of regulatory approaches are examined along with a critical review of the scientific research used to support these standards. Additionally, this paper contrasts and summarizes the current regulatory and management practices in active onshore oilfields.

Results and information collected from this research are compiled onto an interactive site which is accessible to those interested parties in the industry as a reference tool.

Industry sharing of knowledge and practices contributes to including environmentally protective standards and new technologies in the development of future regulations in all parts of the globe to protect our onshore resources. This information can aid key stakeholders to reach a higher level of understanding regarding the current state of onshore drilling waste management.
The Operation of the Multiphase Flow Meters on the Sour Environment of Qatif Field: Case Study
Authors: Al-Dossary Faisal M. , Al-Ghamdi Abdulrahman A.
Published: July 2010

Qatif field is the first intelligent field in Saudi Aramco equipped with measurement, communication, control and software enabling semi real-time and automated asset management and field rate optimization. Qatif is fully automated with remote controls, due to its complex reservoir characteristics and fluids with high H2S concentration up to 16% (160,000 ppm). Difficulties were experienced with one of the main intelligent components of the surveillance systems, the Multiphase Flow Meter (MPFM), due to the H2S variations, which can reach up to 5% within the same reservoir.

Qatif field was developed with three producing reservoirs with API ranges from 28° to 42° due to the different reservoir characteristics and compartmentalization. The production from the three reservoirs is commingled inside the Gas Oil Separation Plant (GOSP) to produce blended Arab light crude. Measuring mechanism of the multiphase flow meters (MPFMs) is dependent on the accurate PVT properties of the fluids. PVT Reports based on black oil models were Initially used, but did not match the fluid characteristics due to the H2S presence in the produced gas in addition to the sulfur substance in the produced fluids, which has resulted in inaccurate water liquid ratio (WLR) measurements that was showing as high as 60% water cut on dry wells. Each MPFM is serving multiple wells from the three producing reservoirs. Without allocating the right rate for each single producing well utilizing the MPFM, it was very difficult to produce the blended Arab light crude that Saudi Aramco was committed to produce. To enhance the matching of fluid PVT characteristics and due to the limited number of wells with PVT analysis, generic PVT reports from simulation models were generated, then cross-checked with the output readings of the oil, water and gas rates with a three-phase portable separator in series with the MPFM. Separator test results almost matched the rates from the MPFM loaded with known PVT reports from wells and within an acceptable accuracy compared to the readings from wells with generic PVT reports.
IA for the Goliat Offshore Oil Field Development. World's Northernmost Offshore Oil Development?
Authors: Bjørnbom Erik , Nesse Steinar , Hansen Ole , Foldnes Grethe
Published: July 2010

The Goliat field is the first offshore oil field in the Barents Sea planned for development and operation. The field is probably the worlds' northernmost offshore field being located at the 71.2 latitude (Figure 1). The oil field is located in an environmentally sensitive area with high political focus and strict environmental requirements. It will be the first field in Norway to meet the special environmental requirements for discharges to the sea for the Barents Sea, which is stricter than the general "zero harmful discharge" requirement for the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS). In addition, strict requirement for emissions to air will be met by transmitting electricity from shore to cover the power demand offshore. The paper will address how thorough and focused planning (the IA1 process) over several years has ensured that the zero discharge requirements and strict obligations on oil spill planning will be met. Further, the paper will address how the project successfully managed the stakeholder dialogue, involving key stakeholders already in an early planning phase and contributing to partly changing the negatively focused perceptions by fishermen, indigenous people and the society in general.
Environmental Performance in the E&P Industry: Data for 2007 and 2008
Authors: Findlay A. J. , Poore W. M.
Published: July 2010

Since 2001, the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (OGP) has collected environmental performance information from its member companies on an annual basis. This programme has continued and new sets of data for activities in 2007 and 2008 have now been produced.

The performance information has been collected under the following five categories: Emissions to air.Aqueous discharges.Discharges of non-aqueous drilling fluids on cuttings.Accidental spillages of oil and chemicals.Energy consumption and flaring.

The ultimate aim is to provide a representative statement on the environmental performance in the upstream oil and gas industry. Subsidiary objectives are to provide a basis for individual member companies to compare their environmental performance and to demonstrate the industry's wish for greater transparency concerning its activities to help identify better and more efficient ways of operating.

Performance results are presented on a global and regional basis, onshore and offshore, and normalised to hydrocarbon production. Results are shown, for ease of comparison, alongside the previous years' published results. The paper will address the emerging trends in environmental performance as well as factors that underpin the data.

32 OGP member companies took part in the survey representing about a third of known world production. Contributing companies provided data from 62 countries worldwide; however geographical coverage of the reported data remains uneven, ranging from 98% in Europe, to 20% of known production in the Middle East and 8% in the Former Soviet Union.
Intervention Proposal in Outbreakes Foodborne Diseases in Oil Platforms
Authors: Araújo T. P. , Macedo L. F. , Haddad M. O.
Published: July 2010

This paper aims to assist in the investigation of outbreaks of Foodborne Diseases (DTAs). Currently, cases of gastroenteritis occasionally occur on the platforms in Campos' Basin. This is a worrying fact, because this type of outbreak affects many people and may worsen depending on the type and amount of contaminated food consumed. In order to trace the causes of occurrence of these cases we have created a Standard Guideline (PE) with the procedures to be performed in cases of oil platforms gastroenteritis outbreaks. It is fundamental to the success of research that actions are taken quickly, as soon as they are checked the first symptoms.
Deepwater Environmental Long-term Observatory System (DELOS)
Authors: Walls Anne , Clarke Jim , Bagley Phil
Published: July 2010

Deepwater represents a significant proportion of future oil and gas exploration and production. Scientists have however stated that the deepwater environment is less well understood than the dark side of the moon. At the same time there is increasing pressure from NGOs to postpone deepwater exploration until more is known about potential impacts. In partnership with the marine science community, and via capacity building in Angola, BP has developed and installed the world's first Deepwater Environmental Long-term Observatory System (DELOS) off the coast of Angola. Two environmental monitoring stations were installed, one in the near field and one in the far field 16 kms distant from, and upstream of, any infrastructure. These subsea platforms will be in place for around 25 years and, for the first time ever, will provide scientifically defensible data to distinguish between anthropogenic and natural change in the deep sea. Without this understanding future changes in the deepwater environment could be incorrectly attributed to E&P operations.

The data collected will be fundamental in helping Industry and the scientific community to build a long-term picture of deep-sea processes and ecology. In particular, it will enable us to: ➢Measure and monitor deep-sea biological communities➢Monitor the pace of recovery from any unforeseen impacts➢Differentiate between natural & anthropogenic changes and provide a linkage between marine biodiversity & climate change

The development of the system from concept through to fabrication, installation, and first data recovery is outlined including a first use of non-corrosive Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) as the primary structural element for a deepwater subsea facility. The selection of the various instrumentation modules and their application is discussed.
Upgrading a 2nd-Line Emergency Response Setup with Internet Web-Based Technology: A Case Story
Authors: Petersen S. P.
Published: July 2010

The Danish energy utility DONG Energy is one of Northern Europe's leading energy groups. The business is based on procuring, producing, distributing, trading and selling energy and related products in Northern Europe. One of the core business units, DONG Exploration & Production (DONG E&P) explores for and produces offshore oil and gas.

The present paper describes the DONG E&P 1st, 2nd and 3rd Line set-up for emergency preparedness and response, the planning process carried out, the human resource development needed and the lessons learned, when upgrading the 2nd Line onshore emergency response set-up from a traditional emergency room white board approach to a web-based crisis management program system with 4 electronic information boards.

A computer based set-up linked with an internet web-server program for 2nd Line on-shore crisis management has shown to offer a number of advantages compared to a traditional white board based system. Information and allocated actions are much more easily accessed, transferred to and shared between the involved duty functions. This allows staff on other locations to be directly involved in the emergency response team actions. As the system is web-based, the information boards and the crisis management system can be accessed from anywhere (including 1st and 3rd Line) as long as one has the appropriate user rights. The system has a log-function very useful for event documentation and training purposes - as well as a roster planning module.
Standard Healthy Menu in Oil Platforms
Authors: Araujo T. P. , Macedo L. F. , Haddad M. O.
Published: July 2010

Nowadays, the food reaches concern at world level. In Brazil we have observed this concern after the results of the Research of Family budgets (POF 2002-2003) that points 40% of the Brazilian population above the ideal weight. In July of 2008 the minister of the health installed a forum in order to define alternatives to reduce fats, salt and sugar in the industrialized foods. We have observed in the demonstrated studies, that workers tend to ingest more foods if the food is supplied by the company, in way to obtain a larger compensation, mainly those that receive low wages. The food can be also transformed in "escape valve" in anxious individuals. These results show the importance of offering healthy foods in the company. The standard menu UN-BC objectives improves the quality of the served meals and to turn to a healthier alimentary environment, favoring the healthy choices, mainly in an oil platform, a confinement place, where the workers stay fourteen embarked days.