bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
International Methods of Evaluating the Discharge of Drilling Fluids in Marine Environments
Authors: Jones Fredrick V. , Hood Cheryl , Moiseychenko Galina 
Published: December 2007

ABSTRACT
Restrictions on the discharge of drilling mud and cuttings around the world are governed by standards, norms, laws and regulations designed to provide protection to the surrounding marine environment. Operations have been ongoing in waters off the American coasts and the North Sea for the longest period of time and both areas have developed the most detailed set of restrictions and testing of both the discharges and the chemicals used in drilling fluids.
Since the late 1970's, offshore operations have expanded throughout the world in Africa, South America, the Middle East, Asia, and in other areas. In many instances these countries have developed their own standards and requirements for discharges either through individual country laws or through international standards (i.e., the Baltic Sea Convention). Methodologies used to evaluate drilling fluids and their discharges include; biotesting (of both whole mud and the individuals chemicals), chemical restrictions and analysis, oil content, biodegradability to name but a few.
How best to evaluate these discharges around the world has become problematic. The cost of testing fluids for each new venture is both costly, time consuming, and in many instances unwarranted. However, each region and country has the right and legal and moral obligation to assure that any industrial activity off their coasts is controlled and the environment proven safe from these activities.
The following paper discusses the various methods and methodologies that have been used around the world to evaluate drilling fluids and their approval for discharges. The paper describes the positive and negative aspects of these methods and compares results from three major offshore areas where operations are currently being conducted: US, North Sea, and Russia. Other area methodologies and restrictions are discussed also. It is hoped this effort will provide both national, international, and regional controlling bodies with scientific data that can be used to develop a standard method of analysis to promote offshore development while safeguarding the marine environment.
NORM Contributes to OHS Risks in the Oil and Gas Industry
Authors: Burrill S. M. 
Published: December 2007

Abstract
The primary focus of most current literature concerning Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) is the struggle of regulators trying to gain better control over this material. During the battle to decide who should regulate NORM, related Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) risks have been overlooked. As a result, worker and public exposures to NORM have not been closely monitored or controlled. People charged with managing OHS risks in the workplace understand that their job is not complete until all occupational risks have been identified, evaluated and mitigated or controlled. Are unknown NORM-related OHS risks acceptable to you, your workers or your company? Once the NORM-related OHS risks have been identified and evaluated, a control program must be developed in order to manage those risks. This control program can be incorporated into the overall OHS program at your company. Only then will your company's liability be reduced for future health effect litigation due to occupational exposure to NORM contamination. Clearly, the radiation exposure risk presented by NORM contamination in the Oil and Gas Industry is an OHS risk and should be managed as such. This paper discusses some of the regulatory drivers which mandate that all OHS risks be controlled and outlines a process by which NORM-related OHS risks can be analyzed.
Driving Towards Self-Regulation
Authors: Kapila S. 
Published: December 2007

Abstract
Demand for oil and gas has increasingly led operators to enter more sensitive environments. Frequently these sensitive environments are located in less developed countries (LDCs). Operators have traditionally misunderstood the degree to which these sensitivities are impacted upon, often leading to inadequate attention being paid to social and environmental issues.
Recently this has been forced to change. Investors, the public and environmental organisations today expect a more transparent, efficiently run and profitable operator who can manage its affairs with increased social and environmental responsibility. In this paper we argue that the onus on achieving this rests on the operator.
LDCs are often financially under-resourced, under pressure to pay off debts while meeting the needs for economic liberalisation, and unable to enforce their already weak legislative framework on their own. Consequently, they are often unable to turn away potential foreign investment.
We discuss the use of ‘critical success factors’ (CSFs), en compassing new techniques based on an HSE MS, as a possible approach to achieving increased corporate social and environmental responsibility and obtaining a publicly endorsed ‘licence to operate’. The implementation of these CSFs is argued as a means of minimising or avoiding potential opposition to the project, gaining consensus form stakeholders, enhancing long-term project success, and increasing overall profits.
We use several examples to demonstrate how selfregulation has led operators to implement CSFs such as adopting a new policy statement, stakeholder participation, social impact assessment, and internal auditing. The paper focuses on one case study in particular, that of a current operation in the Peruvian Amazonian basin, in a region of high bio-diversity and sensitivity.
We conclude that self-regulation enables an operator to take personal responsibility in raising its own standards to provide benefit in the long-term. It can therefore be used as a powerful lever for combined peer and government pressure to set the benchmark for other operators, and may provide the catalyst for change.
Building a Quality Model for HSE Policy Implementation
Authors: Pemberton James B. 
Published: December 2007

Abstract
Focus on execution of quality health, safety and environmental (HSE) processes has been diverted by focus on regulatory compliance and confusing management terminology. Since most of these processes are "behavioral processes", improvement in HSE performance in the oil and gas industry has been dampened. A clear picture of an HSE process is developed and the "model" utilized in development of an overall HSE management system. The HSE policy of the company is utilized as the "road map" in development of the overall system. This visual approach helps in shifting from a "regulatory reactive" to a "process proactive" culture. This graphical model of an HSE process can also be utilized as a link to other business activity processes. A process mindset will be necessary to produce cost-effective HSE packaging and resultant behaviors as the industry enters the next century.
Applications - Risk - Based Corrective Actions for Abandoned E&P Well Sites In Colombia
Authors: Villegas I. 
Published: December 2007

Abstract
This article contains the experiences in developing a specific methodology for waste evaluation and abandonment in earth pits located in an oil production field of a Concession contract in Colombia. The framework in which the methodology was developed was the RBCA-ASTM 1739 – 95 standard, from which the criteria and procedures for the evaluation of impacts on soil and groundwater and the definition of the appropriate corrective actions arising from earth pits that stored drilling and production wastes in oil fields for over 30 years of exploitation were prepared and arranged with the environmental authority.
Prioritizing Risk Reduction Projects
Authors: Robnett C. R. 
Published: December 2007

Abstract
Many companies find themselves struggling to address multiple recommendations from health, environment and safety audits, risk assessments, and incident investigations. These diverse recommendations for risk reduction compete for limited resources. Without a systematic prioritization tool, inconsistent and inefficient allocation of resources is the likely result. Risk reduction recommendations can be prioritized based on the perceived consequences of the avoided event, the risk of the event, or the risk reduction achieved by the proposal. Prioritization tools in use at Chevron have included voting systems, weighted scoring, multi-criteria utility analysis and decision analysis. We will discuss the development of these tools as well as opportunities we encountered as they were applied.
Harnessing Information Technology and Employee Participation for Improved Risk Management
Authors: Viddal A. H. 
Published: December 2007

Abstract
Schlumberger Geco-Prakla Marine are convinced that a principal issue underpinning the capability to improve operational efficiency is the active involvement of employees in observing, analyzing and reporting losses, unsafe practices and conditions. In order to capitalize on the individual's knowledge and drive the organization towards better business performance, specific programs facilitating employee observation and participation skills were initiated 5 years ago. Information technology has been configured to assist the organization in integrating and disseminating knowledge enabling improvements in designs, techniques and operational practices. Significant observations and risk identifications are reported electronically into a central database. Making safety critical information quickly travel around the company and populating a hazard and activity database, has created an early detection and warning system used by all operating units. The system assists in forming opinions and decisions on exposure reducing strategies. Substantial and active employee participation and systematic use of the reported information, has since 1993 reduced the LTIR from 5.6 to 2.2 per million man-hours (end 1997). The number of annual lost working days per head has been reduced from .26 to .09. Furthermore, the real and potential cost of accidents and losses have been reduced by 65%. During the same period, marine productivity has increased with 112%.
Operator Imposed Quality Requirements on Rig Owner's Risk Management Systems
Authors: Andersen L. B. , Schumacher R. , Frøysland S. , Aune S. 
Published: December 2007

Abstract
Operators in the North Sea have developed quality requirements for Rig Owners’ risk management documentation and safety cases. Furthermore, methods to ensure that these requirements are being met have been developed.
In the past, conflicts often arose when a Rig was contracted and the Operator was required to demonstrate the acceptability of the risks involved with the Rig's operation. Unfortunately, contracts have often been vague on the issue of documentation needs, allowing for various interpretations and inefficient disputes. In addition, the Operator often failed to evaluate the documentation appropriately and incorporate the results of such evaluations into its own management system.
The quality requirements and evaluation methods that were developed and presented in this paper are unique and will provide for increased contract efficiency and improved management of risks. This paper will describe several of these requirements. It is anticipated that both Rig Owners and other Operators will be able to benefit immediately from the work that has been done. Moreover, it is expected that further discussion on this topic can lead to subsequent improvements and wider acceptance.
Cost-Effective Management of Petroleum Hydrocarbon Remediation Projects
Authors: Ratliff M. D. , Clodfelter C. L. 
Published: December 2007

Abstract
Remediation projects are well known for their high capital cost and long treatment times. However, proper management and foresight can significantly reduce costs in a number of areas.
Laboratory analytical cost is often a large portion of the budget for a remediation project. Unnecessary analytical work can cause great cost increases without increasing knowledge of the contamination. Controlling analytical costs is critical to proper management of any remediation project.
This paper discusses various options available for cost-efficient management of petroleum hydrocarbon contamination remediation projects, including techniques to maximize sampling in a cost-efficient manner. The paper outlines cost saving measures for both in-situ and ex-situ soil contamination projects, as well as groundwater contamination projects.
This paper identifies multiple techniques that can be applied to all projects and can be used to control costs and maximize efficiency before, during, and after the work begins. Topics include
options available for groundwater remediation soil contamination evaluation, sampling, and treatment/disposal options groundwater remediation negotiations with regulatory personnel dealing with common, but sometimes unnecessary requests from regulatory agencies
Mercury in the Gulf of Thailand: A Risk Communication Success Story
Authors: McDaniel M. F. , Kulachol K. , Siripatrachai T. , Lambert C. E. , Leuschner K. J. 
Published: December 2007

Abstract
The increasing globalization of industry has brought new challenges and new opportunities to risk communication practitioners, especially those working in Southeast Asia. Unocal's operations in Thailand—including a network of nearly 80 platforms in the central Gulf of Thailand—provide a valuable example of cross cultural risk communication. Unocal Thailand has been producing natural gas in the Gulf of Thailand for the last 17 years. A by-product of this gas production is metallic mercury, a small amount of which has been released around the production platforms in the Gulf. In recent years, concern has increased over the potential health and ecological impacts of the mercury levels. Unocal has been conducting fishing surveys as well as health and ecological assessments to provide the technical answers to these questions. The risk communication effort which has accompanied the Thai studies sheds some light on what is needed for an effective global risk communication strategy. In our paper, we focus on four areas of particular importance to Unocal's risk communication efforts in Thailand: 1) an approach to environmental issues through an understanding of the "outrage factors" which make people upset; 2) the importance of working within—rather than against—the cultural and legal expectations of different lands; 3) the process of identifying and involving stakeholders and credible sources of information; and 4) the implications for industry conducting business overseas.
Community Health Assistance Programme During Seismic Exploration - a Powerful Communication Tool
Authors: Ajoku C. O. 
Published: December 2007

Abstract
Good occupational health standards benefit the industry, its employees and the community at large. The seismic exploration which takes place in virtually every type of community setting around the world, including some that are extremely sensitive to the intrusion of humans, need some special health services scheme that will create a friendly and a supportive atmosphere with the community. This could also help to avert most social unrest and clashes that are becoming more rampant in some communities in the oil exploration and producing area.
Most of this unrest attributed by the communities to gross neglect by the oil companies and the Government for failure to provide the basic amenities and social support to them. This could be as a result of communication break down at grassroots level. A special health services scheme such as Community Health Assistance Program (CHAP) could be used not only as a social supports program to the community but as a powerful communication tool to bridge the gap between the Oil Companies and the communities at the grassroots level.
This paper is a documentation of a 4-year experience on introducing Community Health Assistance program in seismic exploration activities with Halliburton Geophysical Services (HGS), operating for Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) joint venture with Shell and Chevron. Set out as follows: - 1) the selection and functions of a medical team in carrying out integrated role of good occupational health standards including community health assistance program. 2) The coverage of the community health assistance program and the type of illness treated within the period including its cost-benefit, drawback and how it could be handled.
Sustainable Development - How to Assess Your Contribution?
Authors: Bradley A. S. , Hartog J. J. 
Published: December 2007

Abstract
The Royal Dutch/Shell Group has committed in its key policy documents to contribute to sustainable development (SD). Shell accepts the Brundtland Commission definition of SD "meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" as adopted at the 1992 UNCED or ‘Rio’ Conference, and recognises that it comprises three components - economic, environmental and social aspects - which are interdependant. For the E&P business, the key challenge is to satisfy the growth for energy demand, whilst safeguarding the environment and acting in a socially and economically responsible manner. Particular issues facing E&P companies include emissions contributing to global climate change; local environmental, social and health impacts; conservation of biodiversity in sensitive areas; social and economic development in concession areas; transparency and openness in communication and assurance of performance.
This paper provides a background to SD and the issues that it raises for the E&P Business. It demonstrates how the commitment may be integrated into day-to-day activities and describes two tools which have been developed to allow for assessment and monitoring of progress towards a defined SD goal for new projects and for E&P companies respectively.
In-Situ Stress Assessment of Intra-Salt Stringers
Authors: van den Bogert P.A.J. , Strating E.H. Hoogerduijn , Eelman M.C. , van Eijs R.M.H.E. , Richard P.D. 
Published: December 2007

Abstract
A predictive in-situ stress model has been built using finite- element techniques for salt enclosed stringers located in the South Oman Salt Basin. The stringers comprise silicilyte reservoir and shale formation layers, in a semi-thrustlike configuration. The model provides input and support to the fracture distribution and the compaction assessment of the silicilyte reservoirs. The model has been build based on seismic, gravity and well data.
Before building the in-situ stress model, two series of sensitivity analyses have been carried out concerning the geometrical parameters that influence the stress distribution and stability of in salt enclosed stringers. In the first analysis, the dominating parameters in an environment with an active rising salt dome (halokinesis) have been investigated. This analysis improved the motivation for the kinematic and geological development of the structures. In a second analysis, the stability of a single dipping stringer in a stationary salt body was investigated. The latter configuration is concordant with the current situation in the South Oman Sat Basin. The outcome of this analysis provided insight into the stress distribution of sinking stringers encased in salt. The insights obtained from these analyses were incorporated into the in-situ stress model.
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Depletion-induced Compaction of an Overpressured Reservoir Sandstone: An Experimental Approach
Authors: Schutjens P.M.T.M. , Blanton T.L. , Martin J.W. , Lehr B.C. , Baaijens M.N. 
Published: December 2007

P.M.T.M. Schutjens, SPE (1, T.L. Blanton, SPE (2, J.W. Martin (3, B.C. Lehr (1 and M.N. Baaijens (4

Abstract
Laboratory experiments were done to investigate compaction of core taken from a 5 km deep, highly overpressured sandstone reservoir as a function of depletion, stress path, and time. Guided by a numerical analysis of the reservoir compaction and associated total stress change, a best-estimate and an unfavourable reservoir stress path were applied. Most samples showed a linear relationship between axial strain and total axial stress up to 65 MPa, which reflects the target depletion level. However, high-porosity samples compacted following the unfavourable reservoir stress path showed linear compaction up to only 52 MPa increase in total axial stress (i.e. up to 80% of target depletion). Non-linear (accelerating) compaction occurred in nearly all high-porosity samples with increasing total axial stress; total strains reached 4 to 23 ms after 65 MPa increase in total axial stress, typically followed by 20 to 50 axial ms creep at time periods of 11 to 3 weeks. Microstructural analysis revealed that the non-linear compaction is due to an increasing activity of grain-scale brittle deformation with increasing stress, which gradually leads to pervasive microfracturing including numerous intraand transgranular microcracks, collapse of weak minerals and grain size reduction. No strain localisation occurred. Analysis of the experimental data suggest that high-porosity layers loaded following the unfavourable stress path could show vertical compactions in the range 50 ms to 100 ms should they be depleted by more than 52 MPa. Monitoring of reservoir compaction and field stress path evolution is therefore advised.
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Integrating Rock Mechanics with Drilling Strategies in a Tectonic Belt, Offshore Bali, Indonesia
Authors: Ramos G.G. , Mouton D.E. , Wilton B.S. , Leksmono _ 
Published: December 2007

Abstract
Early efforts to drill wells in a gas field north of Bali Island, a tectonicregion in Indonesia, were hampered by high costs associated with wellbore instabilities. In the recently completed late-phase development program, drilling efficiencies and costs were improved with a strategy that included a rock mechanics program, mud optimization, and batch drilling. Wellbore instabilities occurred in the Ngimbang Shale, a hard, brittle, anisotropic formation, that is highly stressed. Field measurements of stresses, coupled with laboratory measurements of strength, demonstrated the presence of elevated horizontal stresses. The computed safe mud densities for wellbore elastic stability ranged from 10 to 15 ppg, depending on location, well azimuth, and deviation. High mud densities did not necessarily alleviate instability, as indicated by stability-days, a method of tracking the stable- time periods of each well. Drilling-time and costs were also improved with the adoption of asynthetic mud system, a batch drilling schedule, and sound field engineering. Cost savings were substantial, and the wells are now in production.
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