bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Assessing Psychosocial Risks at Work in Oilfield Personnel: A Case Study
Authors: Celly John J. , Suasnavas Pablo 
Published: September 2012

Abstract
When it comes to assessing risks in the oilfield industry, the usual focus is on mechanical, chemical, physical, and even biological and ergonomic risks. Psychosocial risks at work are usually disregarded or neglected. However, some psychosocial risks can be real problems for organizations and could have clear negative impacts on employee performance.
Assessing these risks and defining whether they are acceptable is the first step. If they endanger workforce health or morale, action must be taken to obtain positive outcomes and to solve the problems. An additional consideration is that problems derived from inadequate handling of these risks can constitute acute or chronic medical conditions, affecting employees in field operations, or increasing accidents or diminishing productivity for organizations.
An oilfield services company has been conducting workplace psychosocial risks assessments, using the simple but effective FPSICO questionnaire. The FPSICO questionnaire, from the Spanish Instituto Nacional de Seguridad e Higiene en el Trabajo (National Institute of Safety and Hygiene at Work; INSHT), is a tool for identifying and assessing psychosocial risks at work. Its aim is to provide information to identify these risks in a particular situation, taking into consideration the task, the time devoted to the task, and the structure of the organization, and then to diagnose psychosocial risks either for the whole or only a particular area of an organization from the individual questionnaires.
This paper discusses the results of a psychosocial risks assessment using the FPSICO questionnaire at the oilfield services company in a South American country, from the initial sampling through extrapolation to the whole organization in this country, for first-stage results and then a follow-up control four years later. Particular focus is placed on mental load (intellectual activity level required to perform the job) and temporal autonomy (inability to abandon the task and to self-manage time) based on the results of the initial assessment.
Measuring the contribution of extractive industries to local development: the case of oil companies in Nigeria
Authors: Dionague Abdou Ka , Renouard Cecile 
Published: September 2012

Abstract
Extractive industries face two main challenges in terms of CSR and poverty reduction: 1) recognize that societal activity is part of their core business; 2) take part in socio-economic projects that contribute to their stakeholders’ empowerment and not only to their living conditions. Based on surveys achieved in Nigeria in 2008, the paper presents two societal performance indices meant to be complementary: the Poverty Exit Index (PEI) and the Relational Capability Index (RCI). We show that, while they have fostered the PEI of the local communities, the development projects of the oil companies had a rather negative impact on their RCI. We then identify key variables that can influence positively the RCI and on which a sensible development policy should focus.
Advances in Treating Agents for Oil Spill Response
Authors: Nedwed Tim , Tidwell Amy , Buist Ian , Belore Randy , Canevari Gerald 
Published: September 2012

Abstract
Oil spill response strategies are designed to minimize environmental impacts to the extent possible. Each response option must be evaluated for operational limitations (e.g., sea state), potential effectiveness, environmental impacts, and applicability given the size, type, and location of the spill, in addition to considering the health and safety of responders.
Although mechanical recovery is favored for its ability to directly remove oil from the environment, it is known that for large offshore spills this technology has significant limitations. Historically, only a small fraction of oil spilled offshore has been mechanically recovered due to operational limits (e.g., limited encounter rates, currents, and waves) and the dynamic nature of offshore oil slicks (i.e., rapid spreading and movement). Therefore, industry has worked to develop a range of response tools that can be used together with mechanical recovery to more effectively treat large offshore spills.
This paper describes two new treating agent advances developed by ExxonMobil. The first is a new dispersant that testing has shown to be more effective than currently available products on viscous, weathered, and cold oils. Testing has shown that the new dispersant treats conventional oils with 2/3 less product. This coud significantly reduce the amount of chemical introduced into the environment and triple the oil treating capacity of existing delivery platforms.
The second advance will support in situ burning. Chemical herders have recently been studied as a tool to enhance the effectiveness of in situ burning in ice. During the course of this research, it has been shown that this technique can be effective in open water as well, given the appropriate conditions.
These two technologies are potentially step-change advances for oil spill response. The new dispersant requires less chemical to treat a given volume of oil. Chemical herders for open water could enable in situ burning without fire-resistant booms, which may allow it to become an effective first line response option in certain conditions.
Impact of Water Based Drilling Fluid and Cuttings Discharge Offshore Nigeria Using Sediment Profile Imaging Technology
Authors: Tilstone A. M. , Hardin J. L. , Diaz R. J. , Antaih C. A. , Essien E. , Passmore J. L , Bassey D. 
Published: September 2012

Abstract
Sediment profile imaging (SPI) technology is an effective tool for offshore oil and gas environmental assessment and monitoring. This paper demonstrates how SPI was used to evaluate the impact on the sea floor of water-based drilling fluid and cuttings discharged during drilling operations at five wellhead platforms offshore Nigeria in 2010. Pre-drill and post-drill SPI surveys were performed according to an orthogonal array of 20 nearfield stations, configured at 100 m, 200 m, 500 m, 800 m and 1,200 m distance along the cardinal directions from each platform. Three far-field reference stations were located at distances of up to 10 km from each platform. In the post-drill survey, the station array was supplemented by the addition of stations at 200 m and 500 m distance from each platform in the northwest, northeast, southeast and southwest directions.
The results of the surveys indicated that physical processes dominated the sea bottom environment in the study area which consisted of either muddy sediments with relatively well-developed and mature infaunal communities or fine sand where no traces of infauna were observed. Examination of over 2,000 pre-drill and post-drill SPI images indicated an absence of widespread nearfield accumulation of drilling solids on the sea floor. Out of the 100 stations where co-located before and after images were available for direct side-by-side comparison, only two stations located 100 m and 200 m distant from one platform yielded evidence of an episodic deposition event potentially linked with discharges from the 2010 drilling operations. No other indications of contemporaneous mud and cuttings discharges were found during the SPI surveys. Comparisons are made of the use of SPI technology with the results of physical, chemical and biological sampling and testing, and predictions using dispersion modeling.
The Added Value of Whole Effluent Assessment for Produced Water Discharges in the Offshore Industry
Authors: Roex E. W. , Henriquez L. R. , Horn M. 
Published: September 2012

Abstract
Produced water from offshore installations is the largest discharge in the marine environment. The composition of produced water can be very complex and may vary in time, depending on for instance the maturity of the gas- or oilfield. Within the OSPAR region, i.e. the North-east Atlantic, now only the concentration of oil that is discharged is regulated. Therefore, it was decided within the OSPAR commission to develop a holistic risk-based approach for the assessment of produced water discharges and to incorporate Whole Effluent Assessment (WEA) within this approach as an instrument to fulfill the criteria of ‘holistic’. Therefore, in 2010 a practical program was performed on 10% of the offshore installations in the North-East Atlantic. Both an effect-based and a substance-based risk assessment were executed, respectively using a battery of different bioassays or the chemical analyses performed on the same samples. Both approaches were compared with each other. In this way, the added value of the WEA approach can be evaluated. Sampling and performance of the bioassays did not reveal any important practical constraints. Furthermore, large differences in toxicity exist between samples, indicating that WEA is sensitive enough to discriminate between samples. Besides, none of the bioassays could be designated as most sensitive. This emphasises the importance on establishing a risk assessment on more than one bioassay. It was shown that the susbstance-based risk assessment is in general less stringent than an effect-based risk assessment, and several reasons can be attributed to this differences. This Practical Progam has shown that WEA can be a valuable tool for assessing the environmental impact of produced water discharges. In the mean time, this effect-based assessment has been implemented within the Risk Based Approach in 2012.
The Lacq CCS Pilot, a First
Authors: Monne Jacques 
Published: September 2012

Abstract
Total is committed to reducing the impact of its activities on the environment, especially its greenhouse gas emissions. The group's priorities are to improve the energy efficiency of its industrial facilities, to reduce the flaring of associated gas, to invest in the development of complementary energy sources (biomass, solar, clean coal) and to participate in many operational and R&D programs on CO2 capture, transport and geological storage. It has been involved in CO2 injection and geological storage for over 15 years, in Canada (Weyburn oil field) for EOR and Norway (Sleipner, Snohvit) for aquifer storage. In 20 06, the company decided to invest 60 million euros to experiment CO2 capture, transportation and injection in a deplet ed gas reservoir. The pilot in the Lacq basin, SW France, 800 km from Paris, has been on stream since January 2010.
The experimental plant is unique in several respects; by its size (unprecedented worldwide), capturing carbon through a 30-MWth oxy-combustion gas boiler, by the choice of a depleted deep gas reservoir (unprecedented in Europe) located onshore 5 kilometers south of the agglomeration of Pau (around 140,000 inhabitants) and by its scope, operating a fully integrated industrial chain (comprising extraction, treatment, combustion of natural gas, High-pressure steam production, CO2 capture, transport and injection) on the SEVESO-classified Lacq industrial complex.
The pilot installations were designed by the Total E&P Research and Development team and are operated by Total Exploration Production France. The project reflects Total's commitment to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.
A dedicated plan was devised with the French authorities to monitor the integrity of the injection site and confirm that the CO2 remains trapped in its host reservoir. Its main objectives are to check that no CO2 is leaking upward out of the reservoir though either the injection well or the cap rock, so as to avoid any impact on the groundwater and surface water resources, the biosphere (Fauna and Flora) or human health.
This paper details the main technical features of the pilot and the monitoring program spanning subsurface and surface aspects, together with the operational feedback after more than two and half years of operation.
Based on the pilot's performance to date, Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) appears to hold promise for use on an industrial scale. This industrial operation will capture and trap around 90,000 tonnes of Carbon dioxide over a 3 and half year period. This quantity is equivalent to the exhaust emissions of 30,000 cars over a 2-year period.
Automated Greenhouse Gas Data Collection, Visualisation and Reporting
Authors: Fairweather Neil 
Published: September 2012

Abstract
In 2008/2009 Apache Energy Limited (AEL) triggered the Australian National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (NGER) Act threshold, requiring AEL to compile and report energy and emissions datasets for the financial year. This was in addition to the Apache Corporate calendar year emissions reporting requirements. Initially this was managed with EXCEL spread sheets, and the process was cumbersome and time consuming. Today I’m going to present the way in which the use of simple technology has enabled Apache to streamline its GHG reporting.
In 2010 AEL developed real time, online flare/emissions pages, using the visualisation software BabelFish. The real time data is collected from the offshore Distributed Control System (DCS) using an automatic data collector, and it is stored in a PI (Process Information) Historian database. These visualisation pages "talk" to the PI Historian database and give real time data for the volume of CO2 equivalent emitted from all sources, for all the facilities operated or controlled by AEL. All data, trends, and year-end forecasts are available for anyone with access to see ‘real time’.
The data stored in the PI Historian reduces the burden in producing emissions reports by capturing month end emissions data within the Production Reporting System (PRS), which can then be used to generate the NGERS report and the Apache corporate emissions report in a matter of minutes as opposed to months.
With the arrival of the Clean Energy Legislation, and the tax on carbon emissions, it is imperative that companies have a good understanding of their emissions. Streamlining the reporting process and providing real time emissions data to management will help underpin this understanding.
An Experimental Investigation of the Effects of Ultra-High Pressure and Temperature on the Rheological Properties of Water-Based Drilling Fluids
Authors: Amani Mahmood , Al-Jubouri Mohammed 
Published: September 2012

Abstract
Tremendous amounts of hydrocarbons are located in deeper formations. In deep formations we experience higher pressures and temperatures. Designing a proper drilling fluid that can tolerate such high-pressure, high-temperature (HP/HT) conditions is very challenging. This work is focused on investigating the rheological behavior of water-based drilling fluids with different properties at extremely high pressure and temperature conditions using a state-of-the-art viscometer capable of measuring drilling fluids properties up to 600°F and 40,000 psig. The results of this study show that the viscosity, yield point and gel strength decrease exponentially with increasing temperature until the mud samples fail. This behavior is the result of the thermal degradation of the solid, polymers, and other components of the mud samples. Increase in the distance between molecules due to high temperature will lower the resistance of the fluid to flow and, hence, its viscosity, yield point, and gel strength will reduce. Moreover, conducting this study led to the conclusion that viscosity, yield point, and gel strength increase linearly as the pressure increase. Pressure's effect on these parameters, however, is more apparent at lower temperatures. Ultimately, the study concluded that the mud samples that were used, which are standard industrial types, failed at a temperature of 250°F and that the combined effect of temperature and pressure on mud's rheology is complex.
Permit Management System and Regulation Compliance (PMS RC)
Authors: Januardianto J. , Muntu Nancy Yudhi , Aryaguna Adhika , Irmansyah Prima 
Published: September 2012

Abstract
In line with TOTAL’S commitment for Respecting Laws and Regulations, TOTAL E&P INDONESIE (TEPI or the so-called COMPANY) management decided to implement a system to manage Permit and improvement to existing condition of Regulatory Compliance. The system is called Permit Management System and Regulation Compliance (PMS RC). The system is designed to ensure regulatory compliance and on time awarding of Permit required for the affiliate operations, in accordance with local and national Regulations. PMS RC provides Regulation and Permit data base complete with its compliance status, accessible to authorized users in a friendly manner. This paper is made to describe the background and benefit as well as the mechanism on how the COMPANY runs PMS RC.
PMS RC is a complete management system which more than just a database in the computer, is a series of compliance processes such as Applicability Review, Compliance Assessment, Risk Assessment and Task Management. PMS RC's final goal is to ensure the sustainability of the compliance with respect to the applicable law, Regulations and Permit requirement within COMPANY. It minimizes the risk of operation disturbance by assuring Permit granted on time, compliance with the Regulation's requirement and preventing violation of the law and Regulations that leads to an incident.
The implementation of PMS RC safeguards the proper application of the relevant Regulation in COMPANY's operations. As a consequence it reduces the risks of incompliance and possible operational, financial, and legal consequences.
This system is a guideline for Line Management and related entities to review and evaluate the applicable and updated Regulation and Permit compliance status regularly. The implementation of this procedure also helps in reducing incompliance status by implementing corrective actions with risk-based priority to the entity which is not yet in compliance.
This Project was triggered by: First, the difficulties faced when running a very complex set of facilities, for which it is critical to ensure compliance with numerous applicable Regulations and also, these Regulations require hundreds of Permits that have to be delivered on time. The second trigger is from the HSE Management System which rightly insists on having a robust system by respecting Laws and Regulations. The third trigger is intensive law enforcement by authorizing body in particularly from Environmental Ministry, Forestry, Oil & Gas Authorities and more over by Local Government where the operational fields are located.
During the establishment of the system, joint project was formed with representatives from various entities, such as Health Safety and Environment (HSE), Information System and Telecom (IST), Marine and Logistic Operation (MLO) and Legal (LEG).
The final goal of the PMS RC system is having zero disturbances to operations and legal safeguard by ensuring that the Regulations are complied and all Permits are available in due time.
Establishing Carbon Footprint for Composite Crude Produced in Malaysia -A First Step towards Low Carbon Operation
Authors: Wan Lee Tzee , Afandi Zunita Mahar 
Published: September 2012

Abstract
In an effort to kick start the challenging journey towards low carbon operation, the National Petroleum Company of Malaysia PETRONAS started to quantify the carbon footprint of crude oil and natural gas produced in the country. Petroleum and related hydrocarbon products are not only used as fuel for transportation and combustion, they also function in many industrial products such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), urea, ethane, ethylene and methanol.
In Malaysia, there are more than 10 companies that are involved in the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas. For this study, data from all producing petroleum companies were obtained to compute the composite crude oil and natural gas’ carbon footprint of Malaysia. This required a good understanding of each operator’s/company's operations in order to make appropriate assumptions and right decision with regards to data apportionment.
This paper documents the process in which the carbon foot-printing was conducted. This process was a result of collaboration between the Standard Department of Malaysia and PETRONAS. The paper also highlights the challenges encountered in obtaining and determining essential data and information for the establishment of a representative composite carbon footprint.
As a conclusion, this paper will share preliminary results from the exercise by making comparison with several carbon footprint data of crude oil from publicly available resources. The report also attempts to propose ways to improve data quality for future carbon footprint studies and discuss identified hotspots which can become a driving force for the exploration and production industry in Malaysia to work together towards achieving low carbon operations.
The Promise and Challenge of Ecosystem Services from an Industry Perspective
Authors: Springer Nina , N’Guessan Lucie , Tait Russell D. , Parkerton Tom 
Published: September 2012

Abstract
Ecosystem services are societal benefits afforded by the environment. This paper demonstrates that an ecosystem services approach to environmental risk assessment and management offers a variety of business advantages over traditional approaches, including improved alignment with well-established business processes. It summarizes an oil and gas industry perspective on ecosystem services concepts, and describes how such concepts are being integrated into existing environmental risk assessment and management processes.
Ecosystem services concepts can be integrated into each component of the environmental risk assessment – planning – mitigation – monitoring - adapting cycle, strengthening the basis for environmental decision-making. For example, it is customary for new projects to identify potential environmental risks and impacts, and implement avoidance or mitigation measures as the phases progress. However, if specific services at threat are identified early on with a view to the entire life span of the asset, this can inform the environmental management cycle in the context of all users and stressors of the system. It can help guide collection of baseline information in the assessment stages, assist in judging siting and routing alternatives in the planning stages, assist in the development of aligned and prioritized socio-economic and environmental actions regarding threatened services in the mitigation stage, and provide input to the early choice of key metrics and indicators from early planning through the monitoring and adaptation stages and beyond decommissioning.
Although the integration of ecosystem services into environmental risk-based assessment is feasible and beneficial, the application of ecosystem services concepts into mitigation and monitoring aspects of environmental decision-making are still evolving. The emerging nature of ecosystem services science, practice and policy requires flexible ecosystem services integration and application methodologies that are easy to use and adapt.
The promise of the ecosystem services approach is in strengthening decision-making; the challenge is making application of ecosystem services concepts as clear and straightforward as possible, especially as science, practice, and policy continue to evolve.